Kwani? Poetry Anthology, Kenya

Deadline: 20 January 2015

Due to the proliferation of Kenyan poetry groups and the diversity of poetic voices on the stage and page, the time has come for a forward-looking publisher to gather any such willing voices into a single, generation-defining poetry anthology. Practising poets Phyllis Muthoni, Clifton Gachagua and Stephen Derwent Partington (SDP) will together edit this new anthology, which will be published by Kwani?

The anthology will seek to gather verse written in Kenya/by Kenyans (both those ‘in place’ and those in the diaspora) since 2003, the post-Moi era. It will seek to balance performance/spoken word and ‘from the page’ poetry, giving equal weight and respect to each tradition. It will also feature, it is hoped, the innovative work of Kenyan poets who stretch the oral and community traditions into the present. Writers may be from any age group, but the verse included in the final anthology will always be that written post-2003. Divergent styles and voices will be promoted, and the anthology will be constructed on the understanding that it is only through respecting the diversity of current Kenyan poetic production that we can hope, as a community of poets, to contribute towards Kenya’s own wider endeavour to create sociopolitical respect between individuals in our population.

The intention is that this anthology will be a major literary event in Kenya.

We would like you to submit your verse for consideration. But, we should come clean as editors: much of the poetry for the anthology has already been selected from the work of published writers. We are well aware, however, that huge amounts of (often young) poetic talent exists in Kenya, which has never been published, often as a consequence of the local publishing climate. Much of our most thrillingly exciting poetry exists in self-published chapbooks, blogs or other online forums, videos or the ephemeral stage. This poetry also needs an audience and needs to be presented by editors who respect and understand these new trends. We are inviting you to contribute predominantly anglophone poetry in any style you feel is relevant for a ‘new generation/era’ anthology.

Further details on how to submit work, as well as additional hints, tips and requests, are available here

The Kampala Poetry Anthology, Uganda

Deadline: 10 February 2015

The BN Poetry Foundation is producing an anthology on the theme of Kampala. Submit your poems for this ambitious poetry anthology on the nearly impossible to describe city of Kampala, sundry capital of Uganda, between 10 November 2014 and 10 February 2015.

Guidelines

• Submit one to three poems of not more than 40 lines each, in Times New Roman font size 12, single-spaced to kampala@bnpoetryaward.co.ug
• On the subject line, include KAMPALA POETRY ANTHOLOGY
• The poems should be original, clearly marked with their titles and sent as one Word attachment, exclusive of your name
• Include your name, country of residence, email address and telephone number in the subject of the email, with a 50-word bio.
• Submissions will be accepted from 10th November 2014 to 10th February 2015 at 11:59pm Uganda time
• The anthology will be launched during the 2015 Bayimba International Festival of the Arts in Kampala
• We accept poems in any language, from writers and artists all over the world
• If you have a non-English poem, kindly provide an English translation
• Submissions after the deadline will not be accepted
• By end of July 2015, we will send notifications of those accepted
• Contributors will each receive a copy of the anthology

Categories: Calls for & opportunities

Tags: african poetry, BN Poetry Award, BN Poetry Foundation, Call for submissions, Kampala, Kampala Poetry Anthology, Kwani?, Poetry