Broken Nose Books
Chicago stories with a bent nose and a backbone—the bruised beauty of place.
Chicago stories with a bent nose and a backbone—the bruised beauty of place.
Broken Nose Books is a Chicago-rooted imprint that publishes stories with scars—not shame. Our name is a tribute to the lived-in face of this city.
We believe in literary fidelity, emotional resonance, and the refusal to sand off or polish the truth. Our books are memory-proof, structurally sound, and ethically sourced. We honor what's real.
The name isn't about violence—it's about resilience. A broken nose isn't a wound—it's a shape. The crooked bridge that still bears the weight of what came before.
It's Algren's brutal lyricism. Brooks's living truth. Hecht's urban punch. Wright's raw reality. The industrial geometry of Chicago itself.
We publish grit, not gloss. Sidewalks, not skylines. Dive bars, not rooftops. Diner booths, not tasting menus. Scars, not slogans. Pawn shops, not pop-ups. Running Scared, not Ferris Bueller.
Our debut anthology of unvarnished Chicago voices—fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, photography, and art.
Words by Keith Lewis. Art by Dmitry Samarov.
Not a tourist book—real Chicago. Gritty, blue collar, infrastructure, the lived city.
Hurl Words into This Darkness: Echoes in Gash or Gold
The editors at Broken Nose Books announce a call for our debut anthology—with an absolute focus on unvarnished Chicago. We are seeking work that explores the core truth of the city and the bruised beauty of place.
We want writing rooted in genuine lived experience—stories with a bent nose and a backbone. We publish Chicago grit, not gloss. Send us the human experience behind the headlines: the sidewalks, dive bars, true residents, and industrial geometry of the lived city.
| Category | Length Requirement | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Short Fiction | 1,500 – 4,000 words max. | Character-driven narratives that embody "urban punch" and psychological depth. |
| Creative Non-Fiction | 1,500 – 4,000 words max. | True stories (memoir, personal essay, literary journalism) that articulate living truth. |
| Flash Prose | 500 – 1,000 words (up to 3 pieces) | Concise, immediate, visceral snapshots of tension and grit. |
| Poetry | Up to 3 poems, 40 lines max each | Rhythmic, evocative verse; we value fierce craft and emotional resonance. |
| Visual Art / Photography | High-resolution JPEG or TIFF | Urban texture, high-contrast scenes, lived-in spaces. Portrait orientation preferred. |