Call for Submissions: anthology of social and political poems

American Society: What Poets See (anthology)

Edited by Robert S. King and David Chorlton

Call for Submissions

FutureCycle Press is planning a new anthology of social and political poems entitled American Society: What Poets See. We are now open for submissions. The anthology will appear both online and in print form. So if your work is accepted, it will appear on our website within two weeks and stay there indefinitely. When the printed version is published (date depends on when we fill the book), you will receive a contributor's copy and a deep discount on ordering additional copies.

What We Are Looking For

What do we mean by social and political poetry? Anything except preachiness and diatribe. You know the rule: "Show, don't tell." We want highly crafted poetry, not a soapbox of prose shaped like poetry. We do not require a political stance for or against any school of thought. You may take any position you like as long as the poem is not overtly didactic. Some social poems may not present an obvious political posture, so please send what you think is appropriate.

We are interested in creating greater social and political awareness and a better understanding of what makes the American society tick, or not tick in some cases. America has fallen on hard times, so show us why; show us what to do and not to do. Show us with history, with prognostication or prophecy (science fiction ok), with idealism or common sense, with pessimism or with great hope for the future. Nostalgia is also welcome as it portrays a way of life gone by that we should remember and cherish. Primarily, however, impress us with excellent poetry.

Although we do not include the word "Politics" in the book title, we consider "Society" to encompass all. We do wish to restrict the subject landscape to the USA, however, unless you have a poem meaningful to all societies.

How to Submit

We consider previously published work as long as you own the rights and the poems are not currently published elsewhere online. Please indicate in your submission where and when a poem was published. There are no restrictions on length or style. We discourage but allow simultaneous submissions.

We strongly prefer that you submit your work via our online submission system. We will also consider snail-mail submissions if you send the poems on CD and include your complete contact information (Name, Address, Phone, Email). Send up to eight poems in a single file, or submit each poem individually. Acceptable file formats include .doc, .docx, .rtf, .pdf, or .txt. Please include a brief bio written in the third person.

To submit online, go here.

To submit via snail-mail, send your poems on a CD to the following address:

Robert S. King, Director
FutureCycle Press
313 Pan Will Road
Mineral Bluff, GA 30559

Do not send hard copy. We must have an electronic version of your manuscript in one of the file formats listed above.

We look forward to reading your work. Good luck!