Editor’s note: the following is a revised call for submissions for a new Kansas City anthology from our partners at Belt Publishing.
KC! We want your stories!
Belt Publishing will be compiling an anthology of essays, stories, and poems about Kansas City in 2020 as part of our City Anthology Series.
Kansas City is a dramatically different place than it was even just 15 years ago, and we’re looking for literary stories, scenes, and memories about the city that evoke KC in fresh and challenging ways. We want personal stories that will retain their relevance for years to come. We want stories about discovery, redemption, heartbreak. Stories with humor. Stories about overlooked places, events, people. Stories that connect Kansas City’s heritage with what’s going on in your corner of the city today.
We don’t want: news pieces (unless you have a meaningful, personal connection to that piece of news) or civic boosterism about how the Huffington Post or some other website says we’re one of the Top Five cities for this-or-that.
We especially want: stories from KC’s African-American, Hispanic, LGBTQ, and other often-underrepresented communities. Stories from the suburbs and surrounding counties will be considered, but we’re most interested in pieces that relate to KCMO and KCK.
Not technically a writer? That’s OK. We still want to hear your story, and we can help you tell it.
Other general guidelines and information:
-Submissions should be nonfiction personal essays/reported stories between 300 and 2,000 words. (Longform pieces over 2,000 words may be considered, though please query first.) We’ll also consider poetry related to Kansas City and the greater metro area.
-No fiction.
-Authors can submit multiple pieces. We will accept previously published pieces, but the author must include the original publication information and have the rights to the piece. Accepted submissions will likely be edited in coordination with the author.
-Contributors will receive an honorarium.
-The anthology will be edited by Ron Knox, a Kansas City native and a longtime editor and writer whose work has appeared in The Kansas City Star, The Pitch, The Washington Post, Slate, NPR and elsewhere.
To submit an entry, please:
-Include author’s full name and contact information (phone, email, address, and 3-4 sentence bio).
-Indicate where the author lives/where “story” takes place (i.e. Wyandotte County, Wendell Phillips, Waldo, etc.).
-Write “SUBMISSION” on the subject line.
-Submit all entries and questions to: [email protected]
Submissions are due by March 2, 2020.
SPONSORS: Interested in underwriting or sponsoring this book? Email Publisher Anne Trubek at [email protected].
