Cæsura 2012
Call for Submissions: The End of the World
main Cæsura page
Deadline for submissions: June 30, 2012, and July 30, 2012 for members of PCSJ.
December 21, 2012 isn't the first prediction of the end of the world—and certainly, it won't be the last. What is it in the hearts and minds of humans that preoccupies us with our ultimate end? In recent years, we've been hearing about Mayan prophecies, yet more talk of the Rapture, and even predictions of aliens coming down to beam us away. There is, however, nothing new about such talk of end times. The earliest predictions of the end of the world is said to be on an Assyrian clay tablet that dates back to 2800 BC at the ascent of civilization. At every era of history, there have been apocalyptic predictions across cultures and religions. Apocalyptic thinking isn't just limited to those who hold "The End is near!" signs on street corners.
Cæsura, the literary journal of Poetry Center San Jose, seeks poetry, prose and art that explore notions of eschatology. Call it what you will—Doomsday, Apocalypse, Millennialism, Nibiru, or the end of time. We are looking for work that illustrates your vision of the end of the world. Will it be booming and fiery like the meteor that killed the dinosaurs or a nuclear holocaust? Or will it be as startlingly silent as Alan Weisman's visions in 'The World Without Us"? Perhaps it isn't so much the end that scares us as the present--our fears and dread about the state of the world, the wars, the mess that we've made of our planet. We are interested in all angles and facets of eschatology, but what we are most interested in are human stories in the face of an ending world--how to spend our last day, what to say to those we love, and how to comfort ourselves in the dying of the light.
The editors of Cæsura invite you to submit 1-3 poems addressing our theme. Submissions should not exceed 4-pages in total. All styles are welcome.
In addition to poetry, we are interested in fiction and essays (6000 words max), as well as art and photography.
Deadline for submissions: June 30, 2012, and July 30, 2012 for members of PCSJ. Notification of the status of your submission will be sent in August 2012. The 2012 issue of Cæsura will be published in November of 2012 (yes, before December 21).
Cæsura Submission Guidelines
Provide the following contact information with your submission: name, address, phone number, and email address.
We take first-print publication rights. Previously published work (in print or online) will not be considered. We accept simultaneous submissions on the condition that you notify us immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. We reserve the right to post work accepted for publication on our website. Send your work in an email attachment in Word .doc format or pasted as plain text into the body of an email message to caesura (at) pcsj.org. If your work requires the preservation of a particular visual format or contains special characters, also send a formatted PDF file, or send a hard copy to:
Cæsura
Poetry Center San José
1650 Senter Road
San Jose, CA 95112
If you would like hard copy material returned to you, include an SASE.
Visual Art
Submit photographs and graphic art in .jpg or .pdf format (if your work is accepted, we may request a .tif or high resolution .jpg file) to caesura (at) pcsj.org.
