Human Rights Day 2024

Elegies for Victims of State-Sponsored Violence

A continuation of our previous anthology Fatal Force: Poetic Justice from Summer 2024.

These poems will renounce violence in many forms: Police Misuse of Fatal Force, Hate Speech, Psychological Degradation, Socio-Economic Inequality and Exploitation of Essential Workers. Seventy-five years ago, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Developed by people from diverse backgrounds from around the world, declaring that "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." The declaration's 30 articles outline essential freedoms for a just society--from education and medical care to food and participation in elections. In 2023, police killed 1,352 victims in the United States. Moonstone worked with Casa de Duende and Taller Puertorriqueno to eulogize Eddie Irizarry who was killed in Philadelphia by police officer Mark Dial on August 14, 2023. 

On Human Rights Day, this year we continue testifying against state-sponsored violence evinced by police brutality as well as underfunded schools, labor injustices, and lacking medical care, as well as human rights abuses enunciated in all 30 elements of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

Deadline: Sunday, November 17th

Virtual Reading: Sunday, December 15th

Submission Guidelines: Please submit one poem for our Human Rights 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.com 

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

Moonstone Chapbook Contest 2024

Submissions open September 2, 2024 to November 24, 2024

Winner will receive

• $500 cash prize
• Publication and 25 copies of the book*
• Promotion on our website 
• Reading at one of our venues in Philadelphia (or virtual reading, if preferred)

Please submit about thirty-five pages of poetry. 

• Individual poems may have been previously published, but the work as a whole must be new. Simultaneous submissions to other publishers or contests are permitted so long as you promptly notify Moonstone Press if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
• Include only one poem per page.
• If a poem continues to a second page, indicate whether there is a stanza break. Thirty-five lines equal one page. Divider pages or section titles should be included in the total page count. When determining total line length for each poem, include spaces between stanzas (example: a poem of 5 couplets would equal 14 lines). Numbers or section breaks should also be included as lines when calculating total line length. Count an epigraph as three 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. Keep in mind that the final chapbook will be printed with saddle-stitched binding on pages that are 4 1/2 inches wide.

Include the following in a separate document:

• a biography (this can be included in the Submittable form), a cover page with contact information, table of contents, dedication, acknowledgments for any previous publications, and an inside title page (with no name). These pages should not be included in the manuscript’s total page count. The cover page should include the manuscript title and all contact information (mailing address, email address, home phone, and cell phone if available).
• Your name should not appear anywhere on the manuscript itself. 

Other Details

• Submit via Submittable
• There is a $15 non-refundable readers fee for participating in the contest
• The contest will be judged by the Editorial Committee at Moonstone Press and our final judge, Lynn Levin

* additional copies will be available for purchase

For any questions, please reach out to Larry Robin at larry@moonstoneartscenter.com.

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.

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

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.