Deadline: 4 March 2011
Anthology Background Information and Guidelines
The genesis of this literary project began with the recent revelation/allegations (depending on who you’re speaking with) of a popular African-American minister at the center of an s3x abuse scandal involving former young male members of his high profile church.
Websites and blogs were inundated with a frenzy of posts analyzing the situation and offering opinions. Comments ranged from efficacy of the time table of events, credibility of both the accused minister and the young men, mega churches and their position in the black community, religion in general, and even legal age of consent of s3xual activity.
Perhaps the most eye-opening comments on these websites and blogs were the revelations of African-American males telling of their own history of s3xual abuse, many for the first time (including a well-known cable news anchor who disclosed his own history of abuse live on his news program).
Most genres are being accepted for consideration in this anthology, including:
* Autobiographical stories
* Personal memoirs
* Graphic memoirs
* Montage memoirs
* Essays
* Segmented essays
* Blog posts
* Poems
* Original art work
Religious-theme and non religious themed work is acceptable for submission, however, all submitted work should be centered around the subject of the contributor’s personal s3xual abuse, as the title of the anthology indicates.
Contributors should consider the following questions when writing for this anthology:
* What was the experience like for me?
* Did it make me sad, scared, confused, or even excited? If so, how?
* Did I tell anyone about my experience? If so, who?
* Did I fear backlash or retribution if I told my story to someone?
* Did I feel my experience made me “less than a man” or had an impact on my s3xual orientation? If so, how?
* Did my experience have an impact on future platonic and s3xual relationships? If so, how?
* Did my experience have an impact on how I viewed God or some deity, as well as the people around me (if religious or a person of religious faith)? If so, how?
* Did my family discuss issues of a s3xual nature? Why or why not?
* Are you still impacted by this past experience(s) that resulted in you being emotionally and spiritually wounded?
These questions DO NOT have to be answered directly in your submitted work (nor should they be!) but rather provide a foundation or backdrop for your writing and submitted work. These are a few considerations you may use in writing; please feel free to add others based on your experience.
Submissions are being accepted December 15, 2010 through March 4, 2011. Contributors submitting autobiographical stories; personal memoirs; graphic memoirs; montage memoirs; essays; segmented essays should observe the following standards (up to two of these types of work can be submitted. Please send as two separate emails):
* Manuscript should be in a standard format—double spaced, standard font and size
* First line of paragraphs indented, no extra spaces between paragraphs, except for scene breaks
* Italics should be italized, bold in bold
* PROOFREAD your work and run a spell-check prior to submitting (you will increase your chances of publication)
If submitting your work by email (preferred), please observe the following:
* Put “ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSION: TITLE OF YOUR STORY/WORK” in the Subject Line of the email
* In the body of the email please include your name, pen name (i.e., pseudonym, if applicable), legal address (no PO Box please!), email address, website (if applicable), and word count.
* Include a brief bio (65-70 words) as a separate attachment, as you would like it to appear in the anthology if selected for publication
* Forward to: busterbitspublishing@gmail.com
If submitting your work by snail mail, please observe the following:
* Submit a cover letter with the date of submission, your name, legal address (no PO Box please!),, and RE: line with “ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSION: TITLE OF YOUR STORY/WORK”
* In the body of the letter (which should be brief, if possible), please include your pen name (i.e., pseudonym, if applicable), email address, website (if applicable), and word count
* Include a brief bio (65-70 words) as a separate attachment, as you would like it to appear in the anthology if selected for publication
* Mail with applicable postage to:
Buster Bits Publishing
c/o Linus “Buster” Spiller, Editor
P.O. Box 59362
Dallas, TX 75229-1362