VOICES FOR CHANGE

A POETRY ANTHOLOGY FOR SHEFFIELD

Call for Submissions

Supporting workshop (optional): Saturday 20th April 2019

Deadline for Submissions: Thursday 1st August 2019

It’s Our City! invites submissions of poems for an anthology to be published in 2020 by Fantastic Books Publishing, with a foreword by Ian McMillan. 

The theme ‘Voices for Change’ is linked to the It’s Our City! cross-Sheffield community campaign to improve our local democracy, to insist that all our diverse communities – and the way we live, work and care for each other – should be at the heart of how our city is run, and reflected in our local political cultures and structures.  We are therefore interested in submissions that honour, voice, dialogue, aspirations for change, and a shared, collaborative community life in all its diversity, as well as reflecting all the things that make Sheffield distinctive or special.  More information about It’s Our City! can be found at www.itsoursheffield.co.uk

Submissions are encouraged from a range of voices – from new, committed, and aspiring poets, and from people with diverse identities, all ages and communities, whether new to Sheffield or not, or part of a Sheffield ‘diaspora’ now living elsewhere.  Poems should be a maximum of 80 lines long (though, of course, can be much shorter!).  Local, published writers and poets support the Anthology, including Suzannah Evans (Near Future 2018) and Danuta Kot (Life Ruins 2019). 

Submission and Selection

Poems should be submitted via email to info@itsoursheffield.co.uk clearly marked ‘Voices for Change Poem Submission’ in the subject line. A panel of professional writers and poets will select final poems for the published anthology by the end of October 2019.

Voices for Change Poetry Workshop!

You can attend a workshop too!  Suzannah Evans will lead an associated (optional) workshop for those intending to submit poems.  This will be on Saturday 20th April from 10-3 in central Sheffield.  Here, you will be able to think with others about your submission, develop skills, and share your own writing.  Places are limited to 20 and we ask for a £5 contribution (but do, please, get in touch if this is prohibitive). 

To secure your workshop place please email us at  info@itsoursheffield.co.uk

Publication

Fantastic Books Publishing will publish the selected poems in an anthology in 2020.  All submissions may be published (properly attributed) on the It’s Our City! website, or in promotions/materials connected with our community campaign!  By submitting a poem, you consent to these arrangements.     

Any further enquiries should be sent to info@itsoursheffield.co.uk  We also welcome enquiries from writing, and other (community) groups (or, from teachers or similar), who may like to run a poetry project in their setting on the theme, and for submitting poems.

It’s Our City!

March 2019

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