Unusual Calls for Submissions

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS, Sammy Re-CAHN-sidered
for a proposed anthology of new short works commemorating the centenary of the lyricist’s birth. Sammy Cahn (1913-1993), the Academy- and Emmy-Award-winning lyricist of many of the standards commonly referred to as the “Great American Songbook,” as well as the writer who “put more words into Frank Sinatra’s mouth than any other,” was very vocal in his disagreement with the policy that writers are not able to copyright the titles of their compositions. In honor of the upcoming centenary of his birth, and with a loving wink at his titular annoyance, the editor is soliciting new poems, flash fiction, flash non-fiction, and micro-dramas, each with the same title as one of his song lyrics. The new pieces need not refer to the songwriter’s lyrics nor be similar in theme or style to the originals; the editor only seeks a variety of poetic approaches toward – and treatments of – Cahn’s titles. Please send your submission by 1 July 2010 to: gigliotti(at)ccsu.edu (replace (at) with @) or Dr. Gilbert L. Gigliotti/ Department of English/ Central Connecticut State U/ 1615 Stanley Street/ New Britain, CT 06050.

Call for Submissions: Ohio Childhood Poems
Children are shaped by the places they live and the events they experience. This collection will gather work that documents how poets were shaped or influenced by growing up in one particular Midwest state. On its north coast, Ohio is a Great Lakes state where it shares a border with Canada; on the east and south, it is Appalachian mountains and foothills, forests and rivers; to its west, it flattens into the beginning of the plains, squared with farms. Demographically, Ohio has its rich cosmopolitan centers, its suburbs surrounding its cities, its bounty of small towns, its agricultural diversity from truck farms to family farms. Yet it also has cultural diversity and rich heritages that decorate the quilt that is Ohio. Poems of place and on characters might be especially welcomed for this collection. Name the people, places, brands, businesses, landmarks, institutions, locations that impacted your life as a child and your life as a poet. The collection will be edited by Robert Miltner of Kent State University and published by Pudding House Publications in Columbus, Ohio. For further information, visit our blog.

21st Century Howlers: A New Generation Jazz and Blues Anthology edited by Tyehimba Jess, Duriel E. Harris and Patricia Smith. In the past ten to twenty years, a new generation of poets has emerged that seeks to expand and deepen the call-and-response tradition of Jazz and Blues music into the 21st century. Many of these poets may have not experienced a time when Blues or Jazz were the cou'ntrys common vernacular or were played with any heavy rotation on their local radio stations. As we quickly approach the centennial of Jazz and Blues, this anthology seeks to gather the voices of a new generation of Howlers: those poets whose work embodies or addresses the musical traditions of Jazz and Blues, and who began actively publishing no earlier than 1995. Editors are particularly interested in innovative approaches, reinterpretations, and engagements with the contemporary socio-historical moment and/or Jazz and Blues scene. Each poet featured in the anthology will provide a short commentary or anecdote on the ways Blues and/or Jazz have affected their writing. E-mails should contain a cover letter and submission as one attachment in Microsoft Word. Previously published work must be acknowledged in the cover letter. Submissions will be taken on an ongoing basis until September 1, 2010, c/o 21stHowlers(at)gmail.com (replace (at) with @)

Ginosko Short Fiction Contest: Best Rendering of a Spiritual Awakening. Deadline September 1st, Decision October 1st. $1000 prize, $10 entry fee; write money order or check out to Ginosko. Winner posted on website. Ginosko (ghin-océ-koe): To perceive, understand, realize, come to know; knowledge that has an inception, a progress, an attainment. The recognition of truth by experience.

Ruminate Magazine Call for Submissions
Ruminate: Faith in Literature in Art is currently seeking fiction, nonfiction, poetry, interviews, and reviews for Fall Issue 17 on the theme of Pilgrimage. The deadline is May 15. Artists interested may submit online at ruminatemagazine.org. And for more information, please email us at editor(at)ruminatemagazine.org (replace (at) with @)