Detail of “Walking Meditation” by Stacy Russo
garden essays - call for submissions
submissions are closed
Submissions for an anthology of personal essays on gardens are being accepted November 15, 2023 – December 15, 2023. During the submission period, proposals of up to 250 words that describe the content of your essay will be considered. If your proposal is accepted, your complete essay of 1,500 to 3,000 words will be due May 30, 2024. Please do not submit a complete essay during the submission period; we will only review brief proposals.
We welcome all voices who love gardens to join us in this writing adventure, including Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Two-Spirit, and Gender Non-Conforming (LGBTQIA+) writers. We also welcome submissions from emerging writers.
Submission Guidelines and Additional Information
One submission per writer only.
Your submission must include the following:
Summary of up to 250 words that describes the content of your proposed essay. Please provide a clear representation of what your essay will be about.
A bio of up to 100 words.
What content is desired? We will consider all submissions with a garden theme. The following are examples of some of the topics we are excited about, but do not feel limited by these ideas.
Wisdom gained from cultivating a garden of your own or wisdom gained from spending time in a garden other than your own, such as a public garden.
Connections between gardening and your creative life.
Gardens as healing spaces.
Food gardens.
Community gardens.
Urban gardens.
Small patio and apartment gardens.
Creating an ecologically-sound garden, such as a drought-tolerant or native plant garden.
Ecofeminist understandings of gardens.
Spirituality and gardens.
Memories of past gardens you cultivated or visited.
If your proposal is accepted, we desire writing in the first-person that is soulful, authentic, deep, and accessible to a general audience. Academic/scholarly work is not desired for this anthology.
Only unpublished work will be accepted. Self-publishing on your personal website, in a zine you created, or through your social media accounts is not considered previously published. Please inquire if you have any questions.
The title of the anthology will be inspired and determined by the content of the essays accepted.
Is there a submission fee? No!
Will I be paid if my work is accepted? All contributors whose work is accepted will receive a copy of the published paperback book. Wild Librarian Press is a solo-woman adventure founded in 2021. This anthology will be the press’ third publication. Although Wild Librarian Press would love to offer each contributor a payment, such funds are not available. The editors are also not being compensated for their time. We hope you will still desire to add your voice to this collection!
The anthology will be published as a paperback and Kindle e-book. We anticipate a late 2024 or early 2025 release. The paperback will be available through all major online retailers, including Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Bookshop.org. Wild Librarian Press titles are distributed by Ingram.
Calls for anthologies often attract more submissions than space allows. Although all submitted work cannot be accepted, every submission will be thoughtfully and respectfully read and considered.
You will hear about the status of your submission by January 31, 2024.
Please send any questions to Stacy Russo at stacy@love-activism.com
Ready to submit? Submissions closed on 12/15/23.