A good literary anthology should provide not only entertainment, but also a snapshot of the culture from which the anthology originates. With this goal in mind, we are pleased to announce a new project at Crack the Spine: “The Year” Anthology.
Our mission with this year-in-review style anthology is to capture a snapshot of our culture in an ever-changing landscape. With so much rapid alteration, rabid division, and creative diversity enveloping us daily, we often find ourselves pausing merely to wonder “how did we get here?” This anthology seeks to fill in that gap by providing a record of our world, as it changes.
While much of the passionate outcry concerning creative writing centers around political issues these days, we don’t want this anthology to be strictly political in nature. We simply want submissions that center around a current event affecting your life. Sure, we’re interested in stories, poems, and essays centering around the political shifts, but we also invite you to think about this “snapshot” concept differently. Are you experiencing a personal life event that you can creatively portray as a microcosm of a larger cultural event? Tell us about it. Are you snowed in? Tell us about it. Are you inspired by a current work of art or literature? Tell us about it!
We are accepting submissions throughout the year for this anthology. We will be open for submissions from the 1st of each month, through the 15th.The completed anthology will be published and available in early 2020.
- Micro Fiction: We define micro fiction as prose or verse of 100 words or less. Sending multiple works in a single submission is encouraged in this category.
- Flash Fiction: We define flash fiction as prose of 1,000 words or less. Sending multiple works in a single submission is encouraged in this category.
- Short Fiction: We are seeking short stories of 1,000 words or more. Consider around 5,000 words as a general word-max guideline.
- Poetry: We’re not looking for any specific form or meter. We’re not concerned with limiting word count, either. Just make sure it ‘sings.’ If you are submitting word art poetry, please submit as a high resolution image file. Sending multiple works in a single submission is encouraged in this category.
- Creative Non-Fiction: We prefer essays of 2,000 words or less. Multiple works in a single submission are acceptable in this category.
Please review any and all additional category guidelines when submitting via our Submittable portal. If you are submitting multiple pieces, please send them as a single submission. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. All work must be completely original, your own work, and previously unpublished in any format. We do not currently offer payment to contributors.