As the spring semester of my Physics and the Arts seminar goes into full swing, and my students discuss astronomers like Henrietta Leavitt, Annie Cannon, Cecilia Payne (later Payne-Gaposchkin), Williamina Fleming, Jocelyn Bell (later Bell-Burnell), Vera Rubin, Lisa Randall and many others, I can only imagine what they would have thought about the opportunity to send poetry to the surface of the moon! Yet here I am, editing an anthology of international poetry for The Polaris Collection of the Lunar Codex Project, cosmic time capsules of art, music, & poetry curated by Filipino-Canadian writer & physicist Samuel Peralta.
I was asked by my friend Joyce Brinkman, the inaugural Poet Laureate of Indiana and lead editor of the Polaris Anthologies, to curate one of three collections, taken from select regions. These Polaris Anthologies will be part of the payload of the SpaceX/Astrobotic Technologies’ Griffin Lander/NASA VIPER Rover scheduled to be on the South Pole of the moon by the fall of 2023. Our ambition is to represent each country on earth with a poem that reflects our humanity, where we come from and where we might be going, even if only in spirit.
This is not space colonization, nor is it placing satellites to obscure our view of the heavens for commercial gain. This is the pure romance of the celestial objects. Space for digital art left on the surface of the moon. There will be print versions here on earth, as well!
Each anthology has a theme:
Africa and Europe have the earthly themes of Rock, Air, and Water.
Asia, North and Central America have the theme of Stars, Sun, and Moon.
South America, Australia, and Antarctica have the themes of Ice, Wind, and Fire.
DEADLINE EXTENDED! MAY 31, 2022
So, poets, write! The deadline is Feb 15th, 2022. [DEADLINE EXTENDED! MAY 31, 2022] There’s very little turnaround, so get your submission in fast!
Where to submit (official submission guidelines below):
Polaris Anthology: Rock, Air, and Water (Europe and Africa) submit to polaristrilogy1@gmail.com
Polaris Anthology: Stars, Sun, and Moon (Asia, North and Central America) submit to polaristrilogy2@gmail.com
Polaris Anthology: Ice, Wind, and Fire (South America, Australia, and Antarctica) submit to polaristrilogy3@gmail.com
More information:
The first of the three Polaris Anthologies will be edited by poet and professor Joe Heithaus of DePauw University and will seek work from Africa and Europe with the earthly themes of Rock, Air, and Water. The second anthology edited by Joyce Brinkman will include work from Asia, North and Central America with the theme of Stars, Sun, and Moon. The third anthology edited by poet and science writer Jessica Reed of Butler University will seek work from South America, Australia, and Antarctica with the themes of Ice, Wind, and Fire.
This project is hosted through Brick Street Poetry. Deadline Feb 15th, 2022. DEADLINE EXTENDED! MAY 31, 2022
Link to the Lunar Codex Project, three cosmic time capsules of art, music, and poetry curated by Filipino-Canadian writer and poet Samuel Peralta, who is featured here in a CNN article about the first edition of the Codex Project.
Again, the deadline for these anthologies is MAY 31, 2022
OFFICIAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
The Polaris Trilogy 1 for Africa and Europe: Rock, Air, and Water
This is a Brick Street Poetry Inc. call, only for European and African poets, to submit poems for Volume One of our Polaris Trilogy Anthology. The three volumes of The Polaris Trilogy will be launching in a time capsule aboard the Space X flight scheduled to depart for the South Pole of the Earth’s Moon in 2023.
The window for submitting is short so act quickly. This is a unique opportunity. There is no cost to submit. Please read the guidelines thoroughly. If they are not followed exactly your entry may be discarded.
Guidelines
1. Send only new, unpublished work. By submitting you are declaring that your submission was written by you.
2. Preferred length is no more than one page. We will only rarely accept a poem that is more than one page long.
3. All work should be in 12 point Times New Roman and attached as a Microsoft doc. or docx.
4. You can send only one poem inspired by one or more of the three categories: Rock, Air, and Water. Please include the category name(s) in your submission and in the subject line of your email. For example, if you are sending one inspired by Rock and Air then type Rock and Air in the subject line.
5. How you approach these subjects is up to you. Your poem may be literal, metaphorical, magical, comical, etc. as long as it incorporates the subject in some way. Poems might be formal—traditional or innovative—or in free verse. We encourage forms representative of native cultures.
6. We are happy to receive poems that are not written in English, but you must include an English translation with your submission.
7. You must include your home address in your submission. Please put it both in your email and at the beginning of your poem. An aim of this anthology is to present a global picture of poetry today. We will not be reading blind submissions. Quality is paramount but location is also a determining factor in acceptance.
8. Send your submission to polaristrilogy1@gmail.com
9. Submit by 11:59 pm EST, February 15, 2022 MAY 31
10. Do not expect to hear from us unless your poem is accepted and don’t expect to hear soon. This is a worldwide project, and it could take all of 2022 before we will have final decisions made.
The Polaris Trilogy 2 for Asia, North and Central America: Stars, Sun, Moon
This is a Brick Street Poetry Inc. call, only for Asian, and North and Central American poets, to submit poems for Volume Two of our Polaris Trilogy Anthology. The three volumes of The Polaris Trilogy will be launching in a time capsule aboard the Space X flight scheduled to depart for the South Pole of Earth’s Moon in 2023.
The window for submitting is short so act quickly. This is a unique opportunity. There is no cost to submit. Please read the guidelines thoroughly. If they are not followed exactly your entry may be discarded.
Guidelines
1. Send only new, unpublished work. By submitting you are declaring that your submission was written by you.
2. Preferred length is no more than one page. We will only rarely accept a poem that is more than one page long.
3. All work should be in 12 point Times New Roman and attached as a Microsoft doc. or docx.
4. You can send only one poem inspired by one or more of the three categories: The categories are Stars, Sun, Moon. Please include the category name(s) in your submission and in the subject line of your email. For example, if you are sending one inspired by Stars and Moon then type Stars and Moon in the subject line.
5. How you approach these subjects is up to you. Your poem may be literal, metaphorical, magical, comical, etc. as long as it incorporates the subject in some way. Poems might be formal—traditional or innovative—or in free verse. We encourage forms representative of native cultures.
6. We are happy to receive poems that are not written in English, but you must include an English translation with your submission.
7. You must include your home address in your submission. Please put it both in your email and at the beginning of your poem. An aim of this anthology is to present a global picture of poetry today. We will not be reading blind submissions. Quality is paramount but location is also a determining factor in acceptance.
8. Send your submission to polaristrilogy2@gmail.com
9. Submit by 11:59 pm EST, February 15, 2022. MAY 31
10. Do not expect to hear from us unless your poem is accepted and don’t expect to hear soon. This is a worldwide project, and it could take all of 2022 before we will have final decisions made.
The Polaris Trilogy 3 for South America, Australia, and Antarctica: Ice, Wind, and Fire
(Psst! This one is mine!)
This is a Brick Street Poetry Inc. call, only for S. American, Australian, and Antarctica poets, to submit poems for Volume Three of our Polaris Trilogy Anthology. The three volumes of The Polaris Trilogy will be launching in a time capsule aboard the Space X flight scheduled to depart for the South Pole of Earth’s Moon in 2023.
The window for submitting is short so act quickly. This is a unique opportunity. There is no cost to submit. Please read the guidelines thoroughly. If they are not followed exactly your entry will be discarded.
Guidelines
1. Send only new, unpublished work. By submitting you are declaring that your submission was written by you.
2. Preferred length is no more than one page. We will only rarely accept a poem that is more than one page long.
3. All work should be in 12 point Times New Roman and attached as a Microsoft doc. or docx.
4. You can send only one poem inspired by one or more of the three categories: The categories are Ice, Wind, and Fire. Please include the category name(s) in your submission and in the subject line of your email. For example, if you are sending one inspired by Ice and Fire then Ice and Fire go in the subject line.
5. How you approach these subjects is up to you. Your poem may be literal, metaphorical, magical, comical, etc. as long as it incorporates the subject in some way. Poems might be formal—traditional or innovative—or in free verse. We encourage forms representative of native cultures.
6. We are happy to receive poems that are not written in English, but you must include an English translation with your submission.
7. You must include your home address in your submission. Please put it both in your email and at the beginning of your poem. An aim of this anthology is to present a global picture of poetry today. We will not be reading blind submissions. Quality is paramount, but location is also a determining factor in acceptance.
8. Send your submission to polaristrilogy3@gmail.com
9. Submit by 11:59 pm EST, February 15, 2022 DEADLINE EXTENDED! MAY 31, 2022
10. Do not expect to hear from us unless your poem is accepted and don’t expect to hear soon. This is a worldwide project, and it could take all of 2022 before we will have final decisions made.
