Call for Submissions: HOW TO HEAL THE EARTH Poetry Series (Deadline: 11/21/21)

BACKGROUND: From October 31 through November 12, 2021, the United Kingdom will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland. According to the  COP26 website, “The COP26 summit will bring decision makers together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.”

More than 100 world leaders are expected to attend the Glasgow conference, including United States President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Though Sweden’s Greta Thunberg has grown disillusioned with the empty promises and “30 years of blah, blah, blah” from world leaders, the 18-year-old activist has agreed to attend—but cautions that we must act now because, “There is no Planet B.” Many believe that COP26 is “our last chance to tackle the climate catastrophe.” 

Sometimes, it takes outsiders to develop solutions. So while the powers-that-be hammer out ideas and agreements during the 13-day COP26 Summit, let the poets take on the challenge of HOW TO HEAL THE EARTH. When the series is completed, we will try to get all the featured poems to Greta Thunberg in the hope that these words, thoughts, and ideas will inspire this modern-day Joan of Arc to continue her fight for our planet. See below for the prompt. NOTE: We are NOT looking for nature poems per se (i.e., we are NOT looking for odes to nature) and we are NOT looking for elegies for the earth. We are looking for ideas (real or imagined) of ways to heal the earth. We want this to be a positive, hopeful, helpful, inspiring series — a sharing of ideas that can help the earth. 

PROMPT: Submit a poem of any reasonable length. Your poem can offer practical ideas of how to heal the earth from a personal perspective (i.e., something specific to you and not didactic or soapboxy) or your poem can offer fanciful thoughts that defy the practical. What we like: First-person narrative poems that offer insight into the author’s life, mind, thoughts, feelings. What we don’t like: Didactic poems, sermons, rants, diatribes, and most rhyming poetry (we make exceptions for poetic forms such as villanelles and pantoums). Note: One poem per author, please. 

WHAT: Submissions can be original or previously published poems. You retain all rights to your work and give Silver Birch Press permission to publish the piece on social media. We are a nonprofit blog and offer no monetary compensation to contributors—the main benefit to you is that we will publicize your work to our 10,000+ followers. If your poem was previously published, please tell us where/when so we can credit the original publisher.

WHEN: We’ll feature the poems and prose on the Silver Birch Press blog in the HOW TO HEAL THE EARTH Poetry Series starting in November 2021. We’ll also feature the poetry on Twitter and Facebook.

SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

To help everyone understand our submission requirements, we’ve prepared the following checklist.

1. Send ONE MS Word document TITLED WITH YOUR LAST NAME (e.g. Smith.doc or Jones.docx).

2. In the same MS Word document, include your contact information (name, email address). Also list your home state or country.

3. In the same MS Word document, include a one-paragraph author’s bio, written in the third person. You are encouraged to include links to your books, websites, and social media accounts — we want to help promote you!

4. In the same MS Word document, include a note about your poem or creative process written in the first person (this is optional — but encouraged).

5. Send a photo of yourself as a SEPARATE jpg attachment (not in the MS Word document). Title the photo with your last name (e.g., Jones1.jpg, Jones2.jpg).

6. Email to sbpsubmissions@gmail.com—and put “HOW TO HEAL” in the subject line.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021

PHOTO: The Blue Marble is an image of Earth taken on December 7, 1972, by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft on its way to the Moon, and is one of the most reproduced images in history. NASA released the image on December 23, 1972, amid a surge in environmental activism, and the photograph became a symbol of the environmental movement—as a depiction of the Earth’s frailty and vulnerability. Credit: Johnson Space Center of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Call for Submissions: LOST AND FOUND Poetry and Prose Series

Most of us have at one time lost something of personal value — or have found something of personal value to someone else. We’d like to hear all about it in our LOST AND FOUND Poetry and Prose Series!

PROMPT: Tell us about something you lost or found in a poem (any reasonable length) or prose piece (300 words or fewer — this word limit also applies to prose poems). We are looking for material about tangible items (for example, a lost ring, letter, watch — and NOT intangibles, such as lost hope).  NOTE: These tangible items can include living things, such as people, plants, and animals. We are NOT talking about “loss” as a concept, but rather about “lost” (or found) as in losing or finding a specific tangible object. Please limit the piece to ONE lost or found item.

WHAT: Submissions can be original or previously published poems or prose. You retain all rights to your work and give Silver Birch Press permission to publish the piece on social media. We are a nonprofit blog and offer no monetary compensation to contributors. If your piece was previously published, please tell us where/when so we can credit the original publisher.

WHEN: We’ll feature the poems and prose in the Silver Birch Press LOST AND FOUND Poetry and Prose Series on our blog starting in March 2017. We’ll also feature the work on Twitter and Facebook.

HOW TO SUBMIT: Email one poem or prose piece to SBPSUBMISSIONS@gmail.com as an MSWord attachment — and in the same file include your name, contact info (including email address), one-paragraph author’s bio (written in third person), and any notes about your creative process or thoughts about your piece. Please put all this information in one MSWord document and title the file with your last name (and only your last name). Write “LOST & FOUND” in the subject line of the email. If available, please send a photo of yourself around the time you lost or found the item — and provide a caption for the photo (where, when, what).

SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

To help everyone understand our submission requirements, we’ve prepared the following checklist.

1. Send ONE MS Word document TITLED WITH YOUR LAST NAME (e.g. Smith.doc or Jones.docx).

2. In the same MS Word document, include your contact information (name, mailing address, email address).

3. In the same MS Word document, include a one-paragraph author’s bio, written in the third person. You are encouraged to include links to your books, websites, and social media accounts — we want to help promote you!

4. In the same MS Word document, include a note about your poem/prose or creative process written in the first person (this is optional — but encouraged).

5. In the same MS Word document, include a caption for your photo (including where, when and/or date taken).

6. If available, send a photo of yourself at the age you were when you lost or found the item as a SEPARATE jpg attachment (not in the MS Word document). Title the photo with your last name (e.g., Jones.jpg). Also send a current photo to accompany your bio.

7. Email to SBPSUBMISSIONS@gmail.com — and put  “Lost & Found” in the subject line.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Friday, March 31, 2017

Deadline extended to 8/31/16 for WHEN I MOVED Poetry and Prose Series

NOTE: By popular request, we are extending the deadline for our WHEN I MOVED Poetry & Prose Series to Wednesday, August 31, 2016.

OVERVIEW: Moving from one location to another can bring about a range of emotions and experiences — and we want to hear all about it in the Silver Birch Press WHEN I MOVED Poetry and Prose Series.

PROMPT: Tell us about a memorable move in a poem (any reasonable length) or prose piece (300 words or fewer — this word limit also applies to prose poems). We are looking for poems about the author (not about other people or fictionalized accounts).

WHAT: Submissions can be original or previously published poems or prose. You retain all rights to your work and give Silver Birch Press permission to publish the piece on social media and in a potential print edition.

WHEN: We’ll feature the poems and prose in the Silver Birch Press WHEN I MOVED Poetry and Prose Series on our blog starting in August 2016 . We’ll also feature the work on Twitter and Facebook.

HOW TO SUBMIT: Email one poem or prose piece to SBPSUBMISSIONS@gmail.com as an MSWord attachment — and in the same file include your name, contact info (including email address), one-paragraph author’s bio (written in third person), and any notes about your creative process or thoughts about your piece. Please put all this information in one MSWord document and title the file with your last name (and only your last name). Write “Move” in subject line of email. If available, please send a photo of yourself at any age — and provide a caption for the photo (when, where). (Photos taken during a move-in or move-out would be ideal!)

SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

To help everyone understand our submission requirements, we’ve prepared the following checklist.

1. Send ONE MS Word document TITLED WITH YOUR LAST NAME (e.g. Smith.doc or Jones.docx).

2. In the same MS Word document, include your contact information (name, mailing address, email address).

3. In the same MS Word document, include an author’s bio, written in the third person.

4. In the same MS Word document, include a note about your poem/prose or creative process (this is optional — but encouraged).

5. In the same MS Word document, include a caption for your photo (including where, when and/or date taken).

6. If available, send a photo of yourself at any age — as a SEPARATE jpg attachment (not in the MS Word document). Title the photo with your last name (e.g., Jones.jpg). Also send a current photo to accompany your bio.

7. Email to SBPSUBMISSIONS@gmail.com — and put MOVE in the subject line.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Wednesday, August 31, 2016.

IMAGE: Ad for U-Haul‘s 70th anniversary in 2015 (with our series title added).

Call for Submissions: STARTING TO RIDE Poetry and Prose Series

Most of us have a story (or stories) about how/when/where/why we learned to ride a bike. We want to hear about your experiences learning to balance on two wheels in a poem or story (fiction or nonfiction), and invite you to submit your work to our STARTING TO RIDE Poetry and Prose Series. (Non-riders can also participate by explaining why they’ve never learned how to ride a bicycle.)

PROMPT: Tell us about learning to ride a bike in a poem (any reasonable length) or prose piece (300 words or fewer). If you’ve never learned to ride, tell us why in poetry or prose.

WHAT: Submissions can be original or previously published poems or prose. You retain all rights to your work and give Silver Birch Press permission to publish the piece on social media and in a potential print edition.

WHEN: We’ll feature the poems and prose in the Silver Birch Press STARTING TO RIDE Poetry and Prose Series on our blog starting in May 2016 . We’ll also feature the work on Twitter and Facebook.

HOW TO SUBMIT: Email one poem or prose piece to SBPSUBMISSIONS@gmail.com as an MSWord attachment — and in the same file include your name, contact info (including email address), one-paragraph author’s bio (written in third person), and any notes about your creative process or thoughts about your piece. Please put all this information in one MSWord document and title the file with your last name (and only your last name). Write “Ride” in subject line of email. If available, please send a photo of yourself around the time you learned to ride a bicycle and provide a caption for the photo (when, where). Photos with bikes encouraged!

SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

To help everyone understand our submission requirements, we’ve prepared the following checklist.

1. Send ONE MS Word document TITLED WITH YOUR LAST NAME (e.g. Smith.doc or Jones.docx).

2. In the same MS Word document, include your contact information (name, mailing address, email address).

3. In the same MS Word document, include an author’s bio, written in the third person (e.g., Bobby Schwinn lives in Ohio…”).

4. In the same MS Word document, include a note about your poem/prose or creative process (this is optional — but encouraged).

5. In the same MS Word document, include a caption for your photo (including where, when and/or date taken).

6. If available, send a photo of yourself at the age you learned to ride a bicycle as a SEPARATE jpg attachment (not in the MS Word document). Title the photo with your last name (e.g., Jones.jpg). Also send a current photo to accompany your bio.

7. Email to SBPSUBMISSIONS@gmail.com — and put RIDE in the subject line.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Friday, April 15, 2016.

PHOTO: Bike rider in training (wheels), photo from 1950s purchased on etsy.com.

Call for Submissions: Half New Year Poetry

During July, many countries — including the U.S., Canada, and France — celebrate national holidays. At Silver Birch Press, we are initiating our own annual holiday — July 2nd, Half New Year’s Day.

According to wikipedia.org, July 2 is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 182 days remaining until the end of the year. This day is the midpoint of a common year because there are 182 days before and 182 days after it in common years, and 183 before and 182 after in leap years. The exact time of the middle of the year is at noon on July 2nd. In countries that use summer time the actual exact time of the midpoint in a common year is at 1:00 p.m.; this is when 182 days and 12 hours have elapsed and there are 182 days and 12 hours remaining. In a leap year in those countries, the midpoint occurs at 1:00 a.m. In common years, July 2nd falls on the same day of the week as New Year’s Day.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: To celebrate Half New Year — and the 182 remaining days in the year — Silver Birch Press is issuing a call for submissions. We are looking for original poetry based on the theme that Half New Year evokes (half, middle, and/or new) or erasure poems based on page 72 (for July 2nd, 7/2) of a book of your choice. The erasure poem should reflect the theme (half, middle, and/or new) in some way. We will feature the poems on the Silver Birch Press blog from July 2-31, 2014.

HOW TO SUBMIT: Please send entries as MSWord attachments to silver@silverbirchpress.com along with your name, mailing address, email address, one-paragraph bio, and any notes about your creative process (send all of this in one MSWord document). For erasure poems, send typed version of poem and a jpg scan of the original erasure.

DEADLINE: June 30, 2014