Call for Submissions: We Are Deathless: An Afropoetry Anthology

We Are Deathless: An Afropoetry Anthology is an anthology that would be based on the concept of being black. The creators have announced that they are now receiving entries for those who wish for their stories to be in the upcoming anthology.

In 2020, Africa remains under the boots of Western imperialism. The Afropoetry Anthology, We Are Deathless, aims at bringing to light, the narrative surrounding the #blacklivesmatter.

#BlackLivesMatter is a hashtag that still needs trending all over the world — even in 2020. Black immigrants were baselessly accused of spreading the coronavirus in China.

The narrative surrounding the black identity remains a single story of strife and pain.

Edited by Wale Ayinla and Kanyinsola Olorunnisola, We Are Deathless: An Afropoetry Anthology is poets’ response to that.

The organizers of this contest are aiming for a new narrative with a multitude of black voices speaking their truths in unison. Blackness is no monolith; it exists in various forms and we want works that acknowledge its cultural, religious, ideological and sexual diversity.

They want work that provokes; work that is experimental; work that is loud and boisterous;they want work that is calm and quiet. They challenge you to hit them with your best shot.
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While their theme is the black identity, they are open to work that only dances around the subject. After all, even the ordinary, non-socially conscious works are political in a world that seeks to drown out our voices.

The title is inspired by Deathless, a song by Ibeyi an Afro-French Cuban duo.

Eligibility  for We are Deathless: An Afropoetrty Anthology.

● Submission is open only to writers who identify as black: this includes Africans, African Americans, Afro-Caribbean people etc. Blackness is an expansive identity and everyone is welcome regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender identity or geography.

• Only poems written in English are eligible for submission. While we would appreciate the infusion of native languages in the service of decolonization, the poems must be written in a way that allows our English-speaking editors to grasp their meanings.

 

Submission Guidelines

● Writers can submit up to four (4) previously unpublished poems enclosed in a single Word document—typed in Times New Romans, Font 12, and single-spaced—to [email protected].
● The subject of the email should read Your Last Name – Afropoetry Anthology e.g Ayinla – Afropoetry Anthology.
● Please include the following details in the body of the e-mail: Full Name/Pen Name, Title of Poem(s), Nationality, E-mail Address, Phone Number and brief bio of between 50 and 150 words. None of these should appear in the document itself.
● With the definition of “poetry” increasingly changing, they are open to every style you can think of: pop poetry, haikus, voice note transcripts, rap bars, spiritual chants, hypertext, erasure etc. You can play around with form and surprise us.
● Submissions are open from October 1, 2020 to November 30, 2020.
● The anthology will be published in a downloadable PDF format HERE.