Invitation to Submit to Moonstone Anthologies Summer 2023
Francophone Poetry from the Caribbean
Celebrating the 110th birthday of Aime Cesaire (June 26, 1913)
“FRANCOPHONE LITERATURE is the literature in French from Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, and Haiti. Except in the case of Haiti, this literature developed along three major concepts: negritude, Caribbeanness, and Creoleness. Critics trace its origins to the rise of the negritude movement (in the 1930s), when black students, intellectuals, and artists revolted against France’s assimilation policies to adopt an ideology aimed at restoring black and African values embedded in popular culture. The literary landmark of Francophone literature was undoubtedly Aime Cesaire’s Notebook of a Return to My Native Land (1939.)”
See Kapange, Kasongo Mulendq Caribbean Literature (Francophone).
Aimé Césaire, who, with Léopold Sédar Senghor cofounded Negritude, an influential movement to restore the cultural identity of black Africans. Cesaire was educated in Paris and returned to Martinique in the early 1940’s to engage in political action against the French colonies there. He found that Surrealism, which freed him from traditional forms of language, best expressed his convictions and voiced his ardent rebellion in a French that was heavy with African imagery. We invite poetry that celebrates the traditions of the French speaking people of the Caribbean, and poems inspired by Césaire’s life and work.
Deadline to submit June 18, Event June 25
Remembering Woody Guthrie (July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired several generations both politically and musically with songs such as “This Land Is Your Land,” written in response to the American exceptionalist song “God Bless America.” Write a poem about or inspired by Woody Guthrie.
Deadline to submit July 16, Event July 30
Hispanic Poetry from the Americans
Celebrating the 240th birthday of Simon Bolivar (July 24, 1783),
the political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and Bolivia to independence from the Spanish Empire. He is known colloquially as El Libertador and is regarded as a national and cultural icon throughout Latin America; the nations of Bolivia and Venezuela (as the Boliviarian Republic of Venezuela) and their currencies are named after him. His legacy is diverse and far-reaching, he has been memorialized all over the world in the form of public art or street names and in popular culture. Send us a tribute to Simon Bolivar, a poem inspired by him, or a poem which reflects his struggle for freedom.
Deadline to submit July 16, Event July 23
Remembering Charles Bukowski
(August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a prolific underground writer who used his poetry and prose to depict the depravity of urban life and the downtrodden in American society. A cult hero, Bukowski relied on experience, emotion, and imagination in his work, using direct language and violent and sexual imagery. Write a poem inspired by in praise or inspired by Charles Bukowski.
Deadline to Submit August 13, virtual event August 20
Labor Day – Which Side Are You On?
Labor Day in the United States is Monday September 4, 2023. The rest of the world celebrates it on May 1, in honor of the Haymarket Affair. The Haymarket Affair is generally considered as the origin of International Workers’ Day held on May 1, and it was also the climax of the social unrest among the working class in America known as the Great Upheaval. According to labor historian William J. Adelman: No single event has influenced the history of labor in Illinois, the United States, and even the world, more than the Chicago Haymarket Affair. It began with a rally on May 4, 1886, but the consequences are still being felt today. Although the rally is included in American history textbooks, very few present the event accurately or point out its significance. The last year has shown an increase in union activity. Our title comes from “Which Side Are You On?” is a song written in 1931 by activist Florence Reece, who was the wife of Sam Reece, a union organizer for the United Mine Workers in Harlan County, Kentucky. Write a poem about your work, labor activity, labor history.
Deadline to submit by September 3, virtual program on September 10