Call for Submissions: Tough Times in America

Call for Submissions

There are millions of Americans from all walks of life who are going through a tough time. Many have been severely affected by the economic recession and can neither pay their bills, nor afford the basics such as food and medicine. Our anthology, Tough Times in America, aims to provide a platform for telling these stories. 

We will accept true stories, as well as “fictionalized” versions of real life events.  This collection aims to preserve and document narrative accounts of the anger, fear and frustration that most Americans are feeling due to the recession which has resulted in massive job losses, loss of homes, loss of healthcare, reduced retirement benefits, etc. 

We also hope to document the hope and gratitude that bloom even in the midst of despair—true testaments to the tenacity of the human spirit.  Significantly, we would like this collection to reflect the diversity of America in the 21^st century, and so we welcome submissions from people from all ethnicities, racial, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.

Submissions for Flash fiction should be between 1200 and 1500 words, and traditional stories must be between 10000 and 15000 words in length, typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman or similar sized font (12 point), and more).

Stories must be previously unpublished in any form, including print, web etc. Each story should be identified within the geographic location/landmark of the city in which it is set. We want to show that these experiences are common to many Americans, regardless of race and ethnicity, so the cultural component is vital. We welcome established as well as unpublished writers who would like to represent their experiences or the experiences of their friends and loved ones. Deadline for submissions is August 29, 2013.

Please send your submissions to: Max Freesney Pierre: (prrmax@yahoo.com) Donna Aza Weir-Soley: (weirsole@yahoo.com) (weirsole@fiu.edu).

Donna Aza Weir Soley is an Associate Professor of English at Florida International University. Dr. Weir-Soley is the author of First Rain, a poetry collection, Eroticism, Spirituality, and Resistance in Black Women’s Writings, and co-editor of Caribbean Erotic. 

Max Freesney Pierre is a former Administrator and College Adjunct Professor of Education at Miami-Dade College. Pierre is a poet/writer/journalist, the author of Tambours de la Mêlée, Fée Caraïbe, Soul Traveler and Le chant de l’apaisement.