Current and Former Students Encouraged to share Fiction, Creative Nonfiction and Poetry
City College’s literary journal, Susurrus, is currently accepting submissions for its 21st edition to be published in spring 2015. Current and former students are encouraged to share works of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry and visual art for consideration, according to Marci Selva, the adviser for the journal.
“This semester is all about looking at the submissions, voting on them, and deciding what’s going to go into the book,” said Susurrus’ adviser, professor Marci Selva. “Next semester is laying it out, getting the book printed and planning the end-of-the-year reading event.”
Selva has taught at City College since 1997, but this will be her first time taking on the journal.
“I’m very excited. This is all very new to me. I have taught creative writing for a few semesters now, but I have not done this before,” she said.
The class will be divided into committees, each specializing in one form of writing—fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry—said Selva. Submissions will be either be accepted outright without revision, accepted with the promise of edits to be done over the semester, or rejected.
“We are looking for a variety of voices for this book,” said Selva. “All different ages and cultural backgrounds. Everything. We really want to get a good sense of all the talent that we have on this campus and out there in the world.”
Susurrus does not have a set theme this year, Selva said. “We want to see what happens organically. There may be an overarching theme—we might apply that afterward. Or there might not be.”
Selva expects to receive 200-300 submissions for the book. “It’s going to be fun,” she says. “I’m looking forward to seeing what people send in.
The deadline for submissions is before midnight, October 10. Please see the sidebar for additional details.
Submission Guidelines:
Desired Content: Works of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and visual art
Eligibility: Current or former students of City College
Length: Not to exceed 2,500 words
Submission Limits: Written submissions are limited to one fiction, one creative non-fiction, and four poems per author (up to six submissions total per author). Visual art submissions are limited to three pieces per artist.
Deadline: Midnight, October 10, 2014
Formatting: For written submissions, Word documents are preferred. For art submissions, JPEGs are preferred.
Optional Cover Letter: In the body of the submission email, please include a brief—not to exceed 500 words— cover letter introducing the author or artist, his or her work and connections to City College
Contact Information: Please include the author or artist’s name, email, and phone number in the body of the submission email. Please do not include any identifying information in the submission document itself.
Where to Submit: email all submissions to submitsusurrus@gmail.com
Questions? Please email Susurrus adviser Marci Selva at selvam@scc.losrios.edu
Article originally written for the Sacramento City College Express.
MEG MASTERSON 