Dear Writer:
I am acting as managing editor for the anthology of place, Our Texas Hill Country (working title, forthcoming, October, 2019). There will be a panel of editors who will select work for inclusion using a blind submissions process. Contributors do not have to be Texas residents nor must they have visited Texas.
The
challenge then, is to write (creative non-fiction, or poetry) from the
point of view of or about an historical character of this region, from
the voice of or about the landscape, the animals , the legends
(the Chupacabra
for example!)
, or any other Texas Hill Country related subject. The second page of
the call (attached) gives resources you may wish to consider as
prompts. Special consideration will be given to work specifically
related to Kendall County or Boerne, Texas.
I do hope many of you will rise to the challenge. Also, please do share widely with other courageous writers.
Write on!
Call for submissions:
Our Texas Hill Country: an anthology of place (working title)
The Patrick Heath Public Library in Boerne, Texas, in conjunction with the Boerne Beat Poetry Group and Friends of the Boerne Public Library, seeks submissions of poetry, prose, memoir, creative non-fiction and photography for publication in an anthology to be published and printed by the library. All profits from the sale of the book will benefit the Dietert Historical Archives at the Patrick Heath Public Library.
Distribution: This perfect-bound anthology will be distributed to local book stores, sold at local readings and on Amazon and placed in the Patrick Heath Library collection. Contributors will receive one complimentary copy and be given the opportunity to purchase copies at a discounted rate. Select contributors may be invited to read work from the anthology at the Boerne Book & Arts Fest on Main Plaza, October 5, 2019.
Submissions: All work should have an easily understandable connection to the Texas Hill Country. We especially seek work related to the history of the Kendall County region and Boerne, specifically, but all work related to the Texas Hill Country will be considered: its land, its people, its history and its heritage. Think Spoon River Anthology. Contributors are not required to be local residents.
For historical prompts, see the attached resource document.
Submit previously unpublished poetry, prose, memoir, creative non-fiction or photography (black and white only). Work previously posted on a blog is considered published. As an attachment and not within the text of the email, submit writing in a Word Document (not PDF) in Times New Roman 12 pt. font using single spaces, except in the case of line breaks and spacing needed for creative emphasis in poetry. Submit photography (1-3 photos) in a small jpg file format (314 X 235px). Upon selection, high resolution photos will be required. For poetry, submit 3-5 poems of any length within one document, using page breaks between poems; for prose, etc., please limit submissions to 1,500 words.
Please remove all personal identifiers from the submitted document as well as the file name, as editors will use a blind review process. Please no simultaneous submissions. Include all submitter contact information, the title of your submission (using the same title as your file name), and a short bio (100 words or less) within the body of the email.
Deadline to submit: June 1, 2019. Notification of acceptance: September, 2019.
Publication date: Oct. 1, 2019.
Send queries and submissions to boernepoetry@gmail.com. Please do not query regarding your submission
until after Sept. 30, 2019.
People of Interest-Kendall County
Mary Becker – first non-Native American woman born in Kendall county
Bickel Family – massacred by Indians, only 12 yo son survived
Fred Dodge – former Wells Fargo undercover detective who was close with Wyatt Earp; library owns his memoir
Caroline St. Germaine de Valcourt – earliest birth record in the Boerne cemetery; born in Paris, France in 1796. Came to Boerne after her daughter married George W. Kendall
George W. Kendall – considered the country’s first war correspondent; founder of the New Orleans Times Picayune; extensive writings and holding at both Boerne library and University of Texas Arlington.
Emeric Szabad – 19th Century writer from Hungary, mainly on military and war history; fought for the Union in the Civil War and was a POW at infamous Libby Prison.
Herb Hall – Jazz Clarinet player in the 1920s forward for many famous musicians, including Don Albert, Eddie Condon, Doc Cheatham. Married a Boerne girl, which is why they lived here in retirement.
Bruno Phillip – WWI soldier who died during the influenza outbreak, 1918, France. Library has original last letter home.
Resources:
- Patrick Heath Public Library Archives: contact Robin Stauber for access to 1,355 physical holdings of the Boerne Star archives from 19491969. Also available online: https://texashistory.unt.edu/search/?q=boerne+star&t=fulltext
- City of Boerne:
https://www.ci.boerne.tx.us/121/Historical-Graves
- Explore Magazine, A Brief History of Boerne: http://www.hillcountryexplore.com/?p=4175
- The Portal to Texas History, University of North Texas:
formidable woman sanctuary 