2018: Singularity

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Singularity Anthology Submission Guidelines

Singularity (noun.)

  1. The state, fact, quality, or condition of being singular
    1. Uniqueness, distinctiveness, difference, individuality
  2. A point at which a function takes an infinite value

We are so excited about our theme this year. We want to celebrate the individual differences that make us, as a cohort, an unstoppable force of creativity.

So we’re looking in particular for work that evokes a sense of singularity, pieces that:

  • Are unique or unexpected
  • Evoke a certain quality of strangeness
  • Are associated with the singular or notions of individuality
  • Are associated with notions of infinity

Submission window: 19/02/18 – 19/03/18

Please send all submissions to: submissionssingularity@gmail.com

Who can submit?

We want to keep the anthology in the family, so will accept submissions from anyone studying single or joint honours Creative Writing at all levels of study. Only studied that one Creative Writing module that one time? Yes, the UoG Creative Writing cohort includes you too!

On our exchange or distance learning program from Humber University in Canada?

Yep, this is for you too! We can’t wait to open our doors (and pages) to international students.

If you are submitting from Humber College please state in your submissions email which creative writing module(s) you studied with us here at UoG.

A couple of quick things (across all submissions)

  • All work is subject to edits from our Prose, Poetry, and Drama editors
  • We know how important your work is to you, so our editors will share their edits with you before we publish
  • This year we’re looking for writers’ bios, so tell us about yourselves (more info below)
  • Please include your full name, student number, and your course at the bottom of your submissions email

Can I submit work from my assignments?

  • Yes, you absolutely can – in fact, we encourage it
  • Take a moment to check through the guidelines below then send them over
  • If your work is experimental in form or presentation, just let us know in your submissions email and we will do our very best to incorporate any additional elements should your work be accepted

Writers’ Bios

We want to mix things up this year and would love to include a bit more about our writers. When submitting your work please include a writer’s bio. Guidelines below:

  • Maximum length: 50 words
  • Focus on previous writerly achievements including publications (yes – previous anthologies absolutely count!)
  • If you haven’t been published, don’t worry, this is your chance. If this is the case, please focus your bio on what you like to write about including genre and preferred subject area 

Prose (inc. Creative Non-fiction)

We’re opening things up with prose this year to allow you to express your creativity in the anthology in more ways than ever before. Please see below, a list of guidelines and what we are accepting this year.

We will accept:

  • Fiction: literary, genre, experimental, or transgressive (up to 2,000 words)
  • Flash Fiction: small but perfectly formed (up to 500 words)
  • Creative Non-fiction: because not all stories worth telling are fictional (up to 2,000 words)

The nitty gritty

  • Submission email subject line: Prose submission – Type [as listed above, eg. Creative Non-fiction]
  • Maximum word count for prose is 2,000
  • Maximum word count for flash fiction is 500
  • Each submission should be self-contained. It can be an extract of a longer piece but needs to work on its own
  • We will accept one prose submission per author (you are welcome to submit 1 flash fiction piece, poetry, or a play in addition)
  • All work should be submitted in 11-point, double spaced Arial
  • All work should be submitted in .doc or .docx format
  • All submissions are anonymous, so please make sure your name isn’t anywhere in the document

What is Creative Non-fiction?

Creative Non-fiction covers a wide variety of writing styles. This can include lyrical essays, amusing accounts of moments in your life, opinion pieces, polemics, and personal essays.

Looking for inspiration? These are (in no particular order) some of our favourite creative non-fiction writers:

  • Zadie Smith
  • David Foster Wallace
  • Eula Biss
  • David Sedaris

Poetry 

We know we have a lot of super talented poets among us on the creative writing courses here at UoG, so we can’t wait to see what you send us. Please see below, a list of guidelines and what we are accepting this year.

We will accept:

  • Poetry: any form or genre (up to 40 lines)

The nitty gritty

  • Submission email subject line: Poetry Submission
  • Maximum line count is 40
  • We will accept 4 poems per poet
  • If your work is experimental in its form please let us know in your submission email
  • All poetry should be submitted in a single document – please present each poem on a new page
  • All work should be submitted in 11-point, double spaced Arial (unless otherwise required from an experimental form)
  • All work should be submitted in .doc or .docx format
  • All submissions are anonymous, so please make sure your name isn’t anywhere in the document

Drama

We’re doing things a little differently in drama this year too. Really digging that monologue style? Got a kick-ass radio play you want to share with the world? This is your chance! Please see below, a list of guidelines and what we are accepting this year.

We will accept:

  • Stage plays: new work, new writing, experimental (10 pages or less)
  • Radio plays: new for this year, why not try something different? (up to 10 pages)

The nitty gritty 

  • Submission email subject line: Drama Submission – Type [e.g. Radio Play]
  • Maximum page count is 10
  • We will accept 1 play per playwright
  • We are super excited about monologues this year, but will welcome plays with up to three characters
  • Each submission should be self-contained. It can be an extract of a longer piece but needs to work on its own
  • You are welcome to submit a title and character page, however these won’t be published
  • All plays should be submitted in 11-point, double spaced Arial
  • All work should be submitted in .doc or .docx format
  • All submissions are anonymous, so please make sure your name isn’t anywhere in the document

We would love you forever if you could make sure:

  • All character names are in BLOCK CAPITALS on every mention
  • Stage plays: all stage directions are in italics
  • Stage plays: all stage directions within dialogue are (in italics in brackets)
  • Radio plays: all sound directions are left aligned and begin with SFX:
  • Radio plays: all sound directions within dialogue are in brackets beginning with (SFX:

We are so excited to celebrate the incredible range of writing talent at University of Gloucestershire. Submissions open on 19th February.

See you on the other side!

The Singularity Team