Tribute to Sonia Sanchez (Happy 90th Birthday)

Sonia Sanchez—poet, activist, scholar—was the Laura Carnell Professor of English and Women's Studies at Temple University. She is the recipient of both the Robert Frost Medal for distinguished lifetime service to American poetry and the Langston Hughes Poetry Award. One of the most important writers of the Black Arts Movement, Sanchez is the author of sixteen books. This year celebrates her 90th birthday. 

Let me wear the day

Well so when it reaches you

You will enjoy it.

- Sonia Sanchez

Deadline: August 4th

Reading: TBD

Submission Guidelines: Please submit one poem for our Tribute to Sonia Sanchez anthology.

Keep this poem limited to 35 lines total. When determining the total line length for each poem, include spaces between stanza (ex: a poem of 5 couplets would equal 14 lines). Numbers or section breaks should also be included as lines when calculating the total line length. Count an epigraph as 3 extra lines. A line that has more than 60 characters (including spaces and punctuation) should be counted as two lines. If lines are staggered like a Ferlinghetti poem, estimate the width of the line. 

The final book will be printed in 11 point Garamond font on pages that are 4.5 inches wide. Poems with lines longer than 4.5 inches may be changed or denied due to printing constraints.

For questions or inquiries, please email Larry Robin at larry@moonstoneartscenter.org

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a unique holiday in that it does not highlight a single culture or event, but rather celebrates the diversity of many original inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere and beyond.? Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated annually on the second Monday in October. More than 130 cities also celebrate the holiday, which continues to grow in popularity and may yet one day become an official federal holiday.

Today, Indigenous Peoples’ Day has spread worldwide and is celebrated in many different countries that are coming to recognize their own native diversity and the unique qualities and cultures of various tribes, clans, and peoples. Depending on how different cultures are classified, there are 5,000 or more groups of indigenous peoples around the globe. These groups may be recognized by a national Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Native Day, or similar celebration in a single country, or honored on International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, which is recognized globally each year on August 9

Deadline: Sunday, August 4th

Reading: Sunday, August 11th

Submission Guidelines: Please submit one poem for our Indigenous Peoples' Day anthology.

Keep this poem limited to 35 lines total. When determining the total line length for each poem, include spaces between stanza (ex: a poem of 5 couplets would equal 14 lines). Numbers or section breaks should also be included as lines when calculating the total line length. Count an epigraph as 3 extra lines. A line that has more than 60 characters (including spaces and punctuation) should be counted as two lines. If lines are staggered like a Ferlinghetti poem, estimate the width of the line. 

The final book will be printed in 11 point Garamond font on pages that are 4.5 inches wide. Poems with lines longer than 4.5 inches may be changed or denied due to printing constraints.

For questions or inquiries, please email Larry Robin at larry@moonstoneartscenter.org

28th Annual Poetry Ink

We want you all: published poets, unpublished poets, academic poets, street poets, poets who write Sonnet, Villanelle, Haiku, Ekphrastic Poems, Concrete Poems, Epitaph, Elegy, Epigram, Limerick, Ballad,  Ode, Free Verse. Join us for our 28th year of presenting 100 poets reading in alphabetical order.

Submit to our 28th Poetry Ink anthology and to read.

Deadline: September 1st, 2024

LIVE Event: September 29th at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104)

Virtual Reading: TBD

Anthology Submissions: Please submit one poem for our 28th Annual Poetry Ink Anthology.

Please limit your submission to one poem. 

Keep this poem limited to 35 lines total. When determining the total line length for each poem, include spaces between stanzas (ex: a poem of 5 couplets would equal 14 lines). Numbers or section breaks should also be included as lines when calculating the total line length. Count an epigraph as 3 extra lines. A line that has more than 60 characters (including spaces and punctuation) should be counted as two lines of your total line count. If lines are staggered like a Ferlinghetti poem, estimate the width of the line. 

The final book will be printed in 11 point Garamond font on pages that are 4 1/2 inches wide. Poems with lines longer than 4 1/2 inches may be rejected due to printing constraints

Biography Submission Guidelines:

Please include a biography between 50 to 100 words that focuses on your writing career and poetry itself.  

Banned Books Week 2024

“This is a dangerous time for readers and the public servants who provide access to reading materials. Readers, particularly students, are losing access to critical information, and librarians and teachers are under attack for doing their jobs.”

- Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom 

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. In a time of intense political polarization, library staff in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom ALA documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans for more than 20 years ago. The unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubles the 729 book challenges reported in 2021. Of the record 2,571 unique titles targeted for censorship, most were by or about LGBTQIA+ persons and Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

Deadline: Monday, September 2nd

Reading Event: Tuesday, September 15th

Submission Guidelines: Please submit one poem for our Banned Books anthology.

Keep this poem limited to 35 lines total. When determining the total line length for each poem, include spaces between stanza (ex: a poem of 5 couplets would equal 14 lines). Numbers or section breaks should also be included as lines when calculating the total line length. Count an epigraph as 3 extra lines. A line that has more than 60 characters (including spaces and punctuation) should be counted as two lines. If lines are staggered like a Ferlinghetti poem, estimate the width of the line. 

The final book will be printed in 11 point Garamond font on pages that are 4.5 inches wide. 

Poems with lines longer than 4.5 inches may be changed or denied due to printing constraints.

For questions or inquiries, please email Larry Robin at larry@moonstoneartscenter.org

Tribute to Lamont Steptoe

Lamont B. Steptoe is a poet / photographer / publisher born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is author of eight books of poetry including In the Kitchens of the Master, Mad Minute, Uncle's South Sea China Blue Nightmare, Cat Fish and Neckbone Jazz, Dusty Road, Common Salt and Trinkets and Beads. Steptoe is a father, Vietnam veteran, and founder of Whirlwind Press In 2005, he was awarded an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation for A Long Movie of Shadows.

Deadline: September 29th

Reading: October 6th

Submission Guidelines: Please submit one poem for our Tribute to Lamont Steptoe anthology.

Keep this poem limited to 35 lines total. When determining the total line length for each poem, include spaces between stanza (ex: a poem of 5 couplets would equal 14 lines). Numbers or section breaks should also be included as lines when calculating the total line length. Count an epigraph as 3 extra lines. A line that has more than 60 characters (including spaces and punctuation) should be counted as two lines. If lines are staggered like a Ferlinghetti poem, estimate the width of the line. 

The final book will be printed in 11 point Garamond font on pages that are 4.5 inches wide. Poems with lines longer than 4.5 inches may be changed or denied due to printing constraints.

For questions or inquiries, please email Larry Robin at larry@moonstoneartscenter.org

Remembering Arthur Rimbaud

Unknown beyond the avant-garde at the time of his death, Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) has been one of the most destructive and liberating influences on twentieth-century culture. During his lifetime he was a bourgeois-baiting visionary, and the list of his known crimes is longer than the list of his published poems. But his posthumous career is even more astonishing: saint to symbolists and surrealists; poster child for anarchy and drug use; gay pioneer; a major influence on artists from Picasso to Bob Dylan. Rimbaud was a libertine and a restless soul, having engaged in a hectic, sometimes violent romantic relationship with fellow poet Paul Verlaine, which lasted nearly two years. As a poet, Rimbaud is well known for his contributions to symbolism and, among other works, for A Season in Hell, a precursor to modernist literature.

Deadline: October 13th

Reading: October 20th
 

Submission Guidelines: Please submit one poem for our Remembering Arthur Rimbaud anthology.

Keep this poem limited to 35 lines total. When determining the total line length for each poem, include spaces between stanza (ex: a poem of 5 couplets would equal 14 lines). Numbers or section breaks should also be included as lines when calculating the total line length. Count an epigraph as 3 extra lines. A line that has more than 60 characters (including spaces and punctuation) should be counted as two lines. If lines are staggered like a Ferlinghetti poem, estimate the width of the line. 

The final book will be printed in 11 point Garamond font on pages that are 4.5 inches wide. Poems with lines longer than 4.5 inches may be changed or denied due to printing constraints.

For questions or inquiries, please email Larry Robin at larry@moonstoneartscenter.org

Tribute to Dylan Thomas

Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" Under Milk Wood. He also wrote stories and radio broadcasts such as A Child's Christmas in Wales and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog. He became widely popular in his lifetime and remained so after his death at the age of 39 in New York City. By then, he had acquired a reputation, which he had encouraged, as a "roistering, drunken and doomed poet".

Deadline: October 13th

Reading: October 27th

Submission Guidelines: Please submit one poem for our Remembering Dylan Thomas anthology.

Keep this poem limited to 35 lines total. When determining the total line length for each poem, include spaces between stanza (ex: a poem of 5 couplets would equal 14 lines). Numbers or section breaks should also be included as lines when calculating the total line length. Count an epigraph as 3 extra lines. A line that has more than 60 characters (including spaces and punctuation) should be counted as two lines. If lines are staggered like a Ferlinghetti poem, estimate the width of the line. 

The final book will be printed in 11 point Garamond font on pages that are 4.5 inches wide. Poems with lines longer than 4.5 inches may be changed or denied due to printing constraints.

For questions or inquiries, please email Larry Robin at larry@moonstoneartscenter.org

Our State of the Union - Get Out The Vote

Moonstone has been doing anthologies on freedom and the vote for years. THIS ELECTION IS IMPORTANT

We're calling on poets to share your voice about OUR state of the union. 

Things you can do to increase participation: • Remind them to vote and invite them to voter education events like debates.  • Ask them to visit www.VOTE411.org to find their polling place and learn what will be on their ballot.  • Ask about their voting plan for Election Day. Research shows that by asking voters whether they have an Election Day plan (how will they get to the polls? At what time?), you will increase their chances of participating. • Keep it brief and friendly!  • Be helpful. Have election dates, polling locations, and other information at your fingertips so that you can help address any questions. • Be responsive. If you list a phone number or email address in your communications to voters, make sure someone is checking messages in the lead-up to Election Day!

Deadline October 27

Virtual Event November 3

Submission Guidelines: Please submit one poem for our anthology.

Keep this poem limited to 35 lines total. When determining the total line length for each poem, include spaces between stanza (ex: a poem of 5 couplets would equal 14 lines). Numbers or section breaks should also be included as lines when calculating the total line length. Count an epigraph as 3 extra lines. A line that has more than 60 characters (including spaces and punctuation) should be counted as two lines. If lines are staggered like a Ferlinghetti poem, estimate the width of the line. 

The final book will be printed in 11 point Garamond font on pages that are 4.5 inches wide. 

Poems with lines longer than 4.5 inches may be changed or denied due to printing constraints.

Deadline: Sunday November 17th

Reading Event: Sunday November 24th

Please submit one poem for our Remembering Louis McKee anthology.

Keep this poem limited to 35 lines total. When determining the total line length for each poem, include spaces between stanza (ex: a poem of 5 couplets would equal 14 lines). Numbers or section breaks should also be included as lines when calculating the total line length. Count an epigraph as 3 extra lines. A line that has more than 60 characters (including spaces and punctuation) should be counted as two lines. If lines are staggered like a Ferlinghetti poem, estimate the width of the line. 

The final book will be printed in 11 point Garamond font on pages that are 4.5 inches wide. 

Poems with lines longer than 4.5 inches may be changed or denied due to printing constraints.

For questions or inquiries, please email Larry Robin at moonstoneartscenter110@gmail.com

Remembering Dennis Brutus

Born in Zimbabwe, poet and human rights activist Dennis Brutus grew up in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and was educated at Fort Hare University College. He taught high school for 14 years until he was dismissed for antiapartheid activism. After studying law at the University of the Witwatersrand and becoming increasingly active in movements opposing racial discrimination in sports, Brutus was shot and then sentenced to 18 months of hard labor on Robben Island, alongside Nelson Mandela. Forbidden to write or publish after his release, Brutus left South Africa in 1966 for England and then the United States.

Brutus taught at the University of Denver, Northwestern University, and the University of Pittsburgh. His poetry collections include Salutes and Censures (1985), Stubborn Hope (1978), and Letter to Martha and Other Poems from a South African Prison (1969). Poetry and Protest: A Dennis Brutus Reader (2006) was edited by Aisha Karim and Lee Sustar, and The Dennis Brutus Tapes: Essays at Autobiography (2011) was edited by Bernth Lindfors.

Deadline: November 24th

Reading: December 1st

Submission Guidelines: Please submit one poem for our Remembering Dennis Brutus anthology.

Keep this poem limited to 35 lines total. When determining the total line length for each poem, include spaces between stanza (ex: a poem of 5 couplets would equal 14 lines). Numbers or section breaks should also be included as lines when calculating the total line length. Count an epigraph as 3 extra lines. A line that has more than 60 characters (including spaces and punctuation) should be counted as two lines. If lines are staggered like a Ferlinghetti poem, estimate the width of the line. 

The final book will be printed in 11 point Garamond font on pages that are 4.5 inches wide. Poems with lines longer than 4.5 inches may be changed or denied due to printing constraints.

For questions or inquiries, please email Larry Robin at larry@moonstoneartscenter.org

International Migrants Day

In recent years, conflict, insecurity, and the effects of climate change, war and conflict have heavily contributed to the forced movement whether within countries or across borders. In 2020 over 281 million people were international migrants by the end of 2021. Regardless of the reasons that compel people to move, migrants and displaced people represent some of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in society, and are often exposed to abuse and exploitation, have limited access to essential services including healthcare, and are faced with xenophobic attacks and stigma fueled by misinformation.

Deadline: December 8th

Reading: December 18th

Submission Guidelines: Please submit one poem for our International Migrants Day anthology.

Keep this poem limited to 35 lines total. When determining the total line length for each poem, include spaces between stanza (ex: a poem of 5 couplets would equal 14 lines). Numbers or section breaks should also be included as lines when calculating the total line length. Count an epigraph as 3 extra lines. A line that has more than 60 characters (including spaces and punctuation) should be counted as two lines. If lines are staggered like a Ferlinghetti poem, estimate the width of the line. 

The final book will be printed in 11 point Garamond font on pages that are 4.5 inches wide. Poems with lines longer than 4.5 inches may be changed or denied due to printing constraints.

For questions or inquiries, please email Larry Robin at larry@moonstoneartscenter.org

Submission Requirements:

While Moonstone Arts Center and Moonstone Press started out as a Philadelphia based organization, the pandemic and zoom has made us international. We are open to submissions from everyone.

Please submit about thirty-five pages of material. Poems may have been previously published, but the work as a whole must be new. 

Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted, but you must promptly notify Moonstone Press if a manuscript is accepted elsewhere. 

When determining total line length for each poem, include spaces between stanzas and number/section breaks. Divider pages or section titles should be included in the total page count. 

The final, saddle-stitched chapbook will be printed in 11 point Garamond font on paper that is 4 ½ inches wide.

Include a separate cover letter with a biography statement and contact information (mailing address, email address, and phone numbers). 

A $15.00, nonrefundable reading fee is required for us to accept and review your work.

All submissions must be sent through Submittable. Mailed, hard-copy manuscripts will no longer be accepted.

Moonstone is nonprofit organization largely run with the help of volunteers. The current review timeline for open submissions is about 6 months. This timeline is not reflective of your work; we are dedicated to giving each submission consideration with the resources we have. 

If you have a problem or questions, contact Larry Robin @ 215-735-9600.