Monday, January 11, 2016

A 'Cli-Fi' Short Story Anthology for Canadians: CALL FOR STORIES deadline 2/15/2016

Bruce Meyer in Canada writes:

Announcing: a CALL FOR SHORT STORY SUBMISSIONS

A Canadian 'Cli-Fi' Short Story Anthology for Canadians only

in Response to Mounting Global Concerns

 
If you have any question or would like to send us a query, please contact us at bruce.meyer@sympatico.ca

Ends on 2/15/2016
Deadline 2/15/2016
 

The Goethe Glass Contest in Response to a Mounting Global Concern


DETAILS:

The warnings have gone out from scientists, activists, concerned citizen, and those who care about the future of our planet: the Earth's climate is changing at an alarming rate that will have serious repercussions on our future. In April 2015, Margaret Atwood addressed a packed auditorium in Barrie, Ontario where she delivered an impassioned call to writers to respond to what is proving to be one of the great challenges of our time: climate change. Aside from the scientific evidence that climatologists and conservationists have presented, the silence on the part of writers to respond to the challenge of climate change has been startling.

What is Cli-Fi?

The German Romantic writers, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), invented a glass that measured changes in barometric pressure: even more than two hundred years ago, writers knew that our existence, our food, our survival, depended on the weather. The Goethe Glass will gather works of short fiction on the subject of climate change and how it is currently shifting the delicate balance of nature we rely on for survival, and how such a change could impact on our future. What would happen if the polar ice caps melted? What would life be like for those who live in perpetual winter or in the scorching heat of unending summer? What would happen to our familiar landmarks, our winter sports, our summer vacation places, our habits of daily life, and the places we recognize as important to our on-going existence? The Goethe Glass seeks to gather creative responses of all kinds to address, through the power of the creative imagination, the issue of climate change in Canada with Canadian (or global) settings. The tiny we planet we depend on for life is being threatened. How are we going to respond to that threat through stories?

American journalist and climate activist Dan Bloom coined the term "Cli Fi" for a type of fiction that needs to be written and has not yet emerged to converse with readers on the matter of climate change and the resulting perils of an altered world that are facing mankind. In Bloom's view, the lack of such fiction suggests an enormous creative problem for writers who may not have realized how serious the problem is and who have not taken the time to confront the consequences of life under a different sky.

What Kinds of Stories Are We Looking for?

Stories can be on any topic that is connected to climate change and its consequences. We are open to cli-fi, literary fiction and speculative fiction -- any kind of story that deals with the experience of climate change.

Can the problem be circumvented?
Is it too late?
What would life be like if the Great Lakes dried up or overflowed their shores, or if the Prairies were turned to a sea, or the great cities of the world sank beneath the waves?
How will we cope?

We are looking for stories that offer a unique taken on the problem, powerful portrayals of how people will respond in both mind and body to an altered planets. What we want are stories that will engage the reader with the horror of the future and inspire a love for our tiny planet.

Submission Details:

Length: 2,000 to 7,000 words. 4,000 to 5,000 words is preferred.
Original fiction (which can have previously been published in a magazine or journal but not in book/anthology format). No poetry, plays, or novel excerpts. No essays.
Payment: 5 cents/word (CAD), and a contributor's copy.

Writers must be Canadian citizens (living in Canada and/or paying taxes in Canada) or permanent residents of Canada.

Note: We do have an allowance for international writers, up to 10% of the anthology content, but at the editor's discretion.

No simultaneous submissions. The only exception is for stories submitted to the $15,000 Carter V. Cooper / Exile Short Story Competition sponsored by Gloria Vanderbilt and Excelsior Publishing (www.theexilewriters.com/poetry-and-fiction-competitions). No multiple submissions; if you receive a rejection before the deadline, you may submit a new work.

Submit stories in standard manuscript format as a doc, docx, or RTF with indented paragraphs, italics in italics, small caps in small caps, etc. Include full contact information and word count on the first page. Include a cover letter (name, story title, and word count, contact information, previous publications) in the body of the email.

Submissions in English only, although stories translated into English are encouraged provided the story is written by a Canadian citizen/resident. We also look to represent diversity through the inclusion of Aboriginal, Francophone, Culturally Diverse (person of color), New Generation (18-30 years of age), LGBTQIA, and Disabled talent.

Rights purchased: First English language Rights & Non-Exclusive Anthology Rights (Print and eBook).
Deadline: February 15, 2016.
Reading Period: November 1 to March 10, 2016.
The book is expected to be published between September 1 and December 1, 2016.
Submit via Submittable.

If you have any question or would like to send us a query, please contact us at bruce.meyer@sympatico.ca
 

1 comment:

DANIELBLOOM said...

Published now. See Amazon