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Taking Submissions: Eye to the Telescope #47

December 15, 2022 - December 16, 2022

Deadline: December 15th, 2022
Payment: US 4¢/word rounded up to nearest dollar; minimum US $4, maximum $25
Theme: Frankenstein

Eye to the Telescope 47, Frankenstein, will be edited by R. Thursday.

After more than 200 years, the shadow of Dr. Frankenstein and his creature continues to loom large over science fiction, and it’s not difficult to understand why, especially considering the questions it raises:

What does it mean to be a person, or a monster? How much of our actions are our own choice and how much is the influence of others? How do we develop our own identity while maintaining a connection to the past? What responsibilities do we owe each other and other beings? What is the price for progress and how far is too far?

These and other concerns lie well within the purview of not just philosophers, but poets! There is so much to explore, from the original text by spec-lit’s fairy gothmother Mary Shelley, to the numerous translations to screens large and small; from the creature as stand-in for multiple identities to the evolution of the mad doctor archetype; from the (stolen) heart-breakingly tragic, to the incredibly goofy.

I am looking for poems that tell me what this story, these characters, that myth means to you as a poet in 202X. What truths does it help you access, what angles stand out most strongly? I’m looking for persona poems (what DID Justine think about all this before…well, you know), deep dive essays with clever line breaks, and speculative ‘What Ifs?’ Poems in forms traditional, freestyle, or experimental, but always well crafted. Any depiction or version of the story is fair game, as is the historical background in which the original story was written (that’s right, send me those Romantics hot takes). Follow the Creature’s example: be fearless, and therefore, powerful.

Submission Guidelines

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

  • Use the form at bit.ly/SFPAettt47 to submit.
  • Please submit 1–3 unpublished poems in English (ideally, attached as .docx or .txt) and include a short bio. Translations from other languages are acceptable with the permission of the original poet (unless public domain).
  • Inquiries only to [email protected] with “ETTT” in the subject line.
  • Deadline: December 15. The issue will appear on January 15, 2023.

Payment and rights

  • Accepted poems will be paid for at the following rate: US 4¢/word rounded up to nearest dollar; minimum US $4, maximum $25. Payment is on publication.
  • The Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association normally uses PayPal to pay poets, but can also send checks.
  • Eye to the Telescope is an online publication. Therefore, First Electronic Rights (for original unpublished poems) are being sought.

Who can submit?

Anyone writing speculative poetry.


What is Speculative Poetry?

Speculative poetry is poetry which falls within the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and supernatural horror, plus some related genres such as magic realism, metafiction, and fabulation. It is not easy to give precise definitions, partly because many of these genres are framed in term of fiction rather than poetry.

A good starting point is “About Science Fiction Poetry” by Suzette Haden Elgin, the founder of the Science Fiction Poetry Association. Despite its title, this article is applicable to all forms of speculative poetry.

Tim Jones, editor of Issue 2, had a go at defining science fiction poetry on his blog, in two parts (These blog posts date from 2009, and the Voyagers anthology has since been published. These posts do refer specifically to science fiction poetry, rather than the broader field of speculative poetry.):

timjonesbooks.co.nz/2009/02/08/what-is-science-fiction-poetry-part-1-definition/

.timjonesbooks.co.nz/2009/02/15/what-is-science-fiction-poetry-part-2-history/


What Is the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA)?

As the SFPA says on its website at sfpoetry.com, “The Science Fiction Poetry Association was founded in 1978 to bring together poets and readers interested in science fiction poetry. What is sf poetry? You know what they say about definitions—everybody has one. To be sure, it is poetry (we’ll leave that definition to you), but it’s poetry with some element of speculation—usually science fiction, fantasy, or horror. Some folks include surrealism, some straight science.”

See the SFPA site for lots more information—and please consider joining.

* * *

Interested in editing an issue of Eye to the Telescope? See the Editors’ Guidelines for information and requirements.

Via: Eye to the Telescope Magazine.

Details

Start:
December 15, 2022
End:
December 16, 2022