S/He Speaks 3: Voices of Women and Trans Folx

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.