Call for Submissions on Theme of "Burning Up / Burning Down": Prairie Fire

Prairie Fire

Call for Submissions: Burning Up/ Burning Down

This coming spring, we’re talking about fire.

This past summer, especially in Canada, we saw A LOT of fire. So much so that this year’s fire season saw the largest area burned in Canada’s history. Globally, the planet continues to heat up, and we saw a record number of heat related deaths, mostly in Europe. And, as temperatures rise, we’re seeing an increase in violence, war, crime and hate speech.

In one way or another, we were all affected by fires. Some of us lived through evacuations, devastating losses, or knew and worried for those who had/have. There’s almost no one that wasn’t in some way affected by the smoke and air pollution. Our bodies, like the planet, can’t exist with too much heat, or too much cold.

The underbelly of fire, is positive. For thousands of years, wherever humans have gone in the world, they have carried with them two things—language and fire. Fire brings, and holds us together. Fire helps us to cook and digest food, kills viruses and infection, forges metals, and heats our homes. And, as a final act of kindness, transforms our earthly bodies into ashes (for many who choose cremation). We could not live without it. Yet, this year, seeing the fire element so out of balance, is disconcerting, frightening, and we wanted to do something in response.

So, we are asking you to share your stories of fire, whether literal fires, metaphorical ones (lighting a fire under you, fanning the flames, acting in the heat of the moment), and spiritual ones (trial by fire, hearts aflame). We invite you to stoke your creative fires on this topic and to share what you’ve forged with us. The issue is bound to be a scorcher!

Burning Up/ Burning Down will be out in spring of 2024.

Submission Deadline: Nov. 10, 2023, 11:59:59pm.

Submission Guidelines:

Submissions for this issue may be emailed or mailed. Emailed submissions still need to follow the submission guidelines.

Emailed submissions should be sent to:

prfire@prairiefire.ca, Subject: Burning

THE COVER LETTER

The cover letter should be typed. Be sure to include the following:

***Please state in your cover letter that you are submitting to “Burning”; *** your pronouns; a two- or three-sentence biographical statement (in third person, if possible); your full mailing address, e-mail address and phone number; the title(s) of the piece(s) you are submitting; the genre of the piece(s) you are submitting (poetry, fiction, non-fiction). Let us know if you are just starting to send out your work.

THE MANUSCRIPT

• Send a maximum of three poems OR one story per submission and send only one submission at a time. Please do not send more than one of each type of submission.

• Please do not send updated versions of pieces once you have submitted. The piece you submit is the piece we review.

• Maximum length for fiction and creative non-fiction: 5000 words.

• Prairie Fire does not accept previously published work OR AI generated work.

• We ask that you let us know if your work is also submitted elsewhere, and, if it is accepted, to notify us right away.

• Your submission should be typed (double-spaced) on one side of the page only (for print submissions). Poetry may be single-spaced.

• Margins of at least 1.5 inches should surround all copy.

• Each page of poetry must contain your name and address at the top left.

• For fiction and creative non-fiction, center the title halfway down on the first page, with your name below it. Include a word count at the top right corner of the first page and your address at the top left corner. Make sure your pages are numbered.

***Please Note: Due to the high volume of submissions we receive for special calls, we are only able to notify successful applicants. We will post a message on our social media when all successful applicants have been contacted. All successful applicants will be contacted by the middle of December 2023 or sooner.

***As well, please make sure prfire@prairiefire.ca and lindsey@prairiefire.ca are added as ‘safe senders’ in your email. We would hate to end up in your spam folder!

Prairie Fire encourages submissions from LGBTQI2S writers, BIPOC writers, disabled writers, and all who are otherwise affected by structural inequality.