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Call for Submissions for an Anthology of Hip Hop Literature....
This is an invitation to submit critical essays and short
stories (or novel excerpts) for inclusion in an anthology of Urban /Hip Hop
literature. The book will explore the genre of hip hop literature, specifically
fiction, through essays that focus on and examine its: origin, its validity as
a form of literary text, thematic commonalities, validity as social text, and
style. A portion of the book will be comprised of examples (previously
published and unpublished works) of the genre.
Urban or Hip Hop Literature has been defined in many ways by
many different people and groups. For the purposes of this anthology, the
editor defines the genre as any work of fiction (short-story or novel) that is
written by an African American author between 1990 and the present and that
examines the life and lifestyle of “the street” and its denizens. Some of the works that helped lay the
groundwork for the genre are Steve Cannon’s 1967 book, Groove, Bang and Jive Around and works by Chester Himes’ and
Iceberg Slim although Sister Soulja’s 1997 book, The Coldest Winter Ever, is often cited as being its first and
seminal offering.
Some critics admonish offerings within the genre as being
poorly written, badly edited, one dimensional and lacking in style. While this
may be true of some of the work, as it is in any genre, is it indicative of all
the writers and books that have been published in the genre over the past
decade? The anthology will explore this question as well as present work by
both published and un-published authors.
Deadlines: Submissions for the anthology will be accepted
from December 30, 2008 until February 23, 2009. Two types of submissions will
be accepted for review and possible inclusion in the anthology:
..1) ..Critical
Essays on one of the topic areas mentioned above. Essays about other topics may
be considered but should critically analyze some aspect of the genre.
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Some
topics essays might address include:
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..Character Archetypes
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..Setting
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..Diction and Language
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..Evolution of the genre
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..Plot(s)
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..Imagery and Symbolism
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..Form
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Essays that compare and contrast Urban/Hip hop
literature with those from other literary genres in terms of the above topics
(or other topics) will be considered.
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Length: 10 to 15 pages – page numbers should
appear on each page in the top right corner with the author’s last name and
essay title.
Format:
Single sided, dbl spaced, 12 pt font (preferably Arial), 1 inch margins
Include
a 200 word abstract and a brief (no more than 100 words) bio of the author as a
cover page. In the top left
corner of the cover page include the author’s:
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..Essay Title
..·
..Name
..·
..Address
..·
..Phone
..·
..Email
..·
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..2) ..Fiction
in the form of short stories or novel excerpts.
Length:
15 to 25 pages - page numbers should appear on each page in the top right corner with the author’s last name and
essay title
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Format:
Single sided, dbl spaced, 12 pt font (preferably Arial), 1 inch margins
Include
a brief (no more than 100 words) bio of the author as a cover page. In the top left corner of the cover page, include the
author’s:
..·
..Submission Title....
..·
..Name....
..·
..Address....
..·
..Phone....
..·
..Email....
Please submit publication ready pieces only. No proposals or rough
drafts will be accepted.
All submissions will be reviewed by the editor, but only those accepted
for inclusion in the anthology will be contacted. Previously published work may
be considered but it is not necessary for the submission to have been published
elsewhere. If a work was previously published, please include all publication
information with the submission as a part of the cover page.
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File types:
*.pdf and *doc files types only preferably, *.pdf
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Please email submissions to:
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Lisa Gray
MFA Candidate
Mills College
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lgray@mills.edu
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You can also mail you submission to:
Lisa Gray
4475 23rd Street, Unit 8
San Francisco, CA 94114
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