Remembering Dennis Brutus
Learn more about Dennis Brutus and his legacy.
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.
EXTENDED Deadline: December 1st
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
Remembering T. S. Eliot (1888 - 1965)
The 1948 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, T.S. Eliot is highly distinguished as a poet, a literary critic, a dramatist, an editor, and a publisher. In 1910 and 1911, while still a college student, he wrote “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” published in Poetry magazine, and other poems that are landmarks in the history of modern literature. Eliot’s most notable works include The Waste Land (1922), Four Quartets (1943), and the play Murder in the Cathedral (1935). Eliot’s awards and honors include the British Order of Merit and the Nobel Prize for Literature. His play The Cocktail Party won the 1950 Tony Award for Best Play. In 1964, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats was famously adapted in 1981 into the musical Cats, which won seven Tony Awards. Despite his enduring popularity, Eliot and his work have been criticized as having prejudiced views, particularly anti-Semitism. Read more about his life and work at The Poetry Foundation.
On the 60th anniversary of his death, Moonstone is commemorating his legacy with a tribute anthology.
Deadline: December 22nd, 2024
Reading: January 5th, 2025
Submission Guidelines: Please submit one poem for our Remembering T. S. Eliot 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.com
Remembering Jim Cory
Jim Cory (1953 to 2024) wrote hundreds of poems, essays, book reviews, and stories, many of them about gay life in Philadelphia, for Apiary magazine, Painted Bride Quarterly, New Haven Review, Gay & Lesbian Review, and other publications. He wrote at least 10 books, including 25 Short Poems in 2016 and Birds & Buildings in 2019.
His latest book, the 280-page Why Is That Goddamned Radio On?, was published in October and features essays and short stories about gay life, bird-watching, music, and other topics. Colleagues called the book “friendly, literate, raunchy, and surprising” and “witty, slyly humorous, and unfailingly urbane.”
(Read the full obituary here.)
In Jim's honor, we are asking poets to submit a poem of remembrance, memory, and celebration of his life and poetry for an anthology
Deadline: December 31st, 2024
Reading Event: 2025, TBD
Submission Guidelines
Submission Guidelines: Please submit one poem for our Remembering Jim Cory 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.com
Women, Trans & Nonbinary Writers’ Anthology/Event
S/He Speaks 3: Voices of Women and Trans Folx
Women, trans and nonbinary writers are invited to contribute to the 2025 edition of the annual S/He Speaks anthology and to participate in an event at The Rotunda at the University of Pennsylvania on June 7, 2025. The anthology will contain poetry, essays and stories by writers who are either women, trans or non-binary identified.
As in the last two years, S/He Speaks 3: Voices of Women and Trans Folx will be published by Moonstone Press, a Philadelphia arts organization now celebrating its 42nd anniversary year. Publication will coincide with a June 7th event at The Rotunda, at which contributors to the anthology will read from and discuss their writings. Those who participate in The Rotunda event will receive a small stipend.
The deadline for submissions is January 10, 2025.
The live reading event will be on June 7th, 2025 at The Rotunda in Philadelphia.
Submission Guidelines
Essays and stories must be no longer than 1,000 words. For poetry, submission guidelines are as follows: 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 4.5 inches wide. Poems with lines longer than 4.5 inches may be changed or denied due to printing constraints. The publisher retains the right to reject submissions based on length and adherence to these guidelines.
Contributors must also include a short biography, no longer than 45 words.
If you have any questions, please email Larry Robin at larry@moonstoneartscenter.com.
More about the S/He Speaks Series
The anthology and the June live reading event are the brainchild of Cassendre Xavier, founder of Philadelphia’s annual Black Women’s Arts Festival, which last month marked its 18th year.
“Last year’s S/He Speaks was very well-received,” she said, “so we’re looking forward to seeing what kinds of writings trans and women writers offer for this third edition. Writings could be about any personal topic,” Xavier explained, “such as family of origin or choice issues; self-actualization, including transition issues; education and career, health, love and romance – you name it, so long as the writing connects to personal life experience.”
Cassendre Xavier (she/her) is a Philadelphia-based Leeway Transformation Award-winning community cultural multi-media artist and event organizer. Her multi-genre writing has been published nationally in various anthologies and periodicals.
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: 2025
Reading: TBD
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.com
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.
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 ready-to-publish material for a full-length poetry book (at least 80 pages). 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.
Include a separate cover letter with a biography statement and contact information (mailing address, email address, and phone numbers).
If your submission is under 50 pages, please submit to our Open Chapbook Submissions form: https://moonstoneartscenter.submittable.com/submit/91032/open-chapbook-submissions
A $15.00, nonrefundable reading fee is required for us to accept and review your work.
All submissions must be sent through Submittable. Mailed, hardcopy manuscripts will no longer be accepted.
If you have a problem contact Larry Robin @ larry@moonstoneartscenter.org or 215-735-9600