Call for Submissions for New Environmental Zine

Hello all! I'm looking for some writers to contribute to a new environmental zine. The deadline for submissions is April 4, 2010, and the zine will be released on June 20 with a launch party/reading somewhere in town. Read on for more details.

As part an AmeriCorps Community Action Project, I am launching the first issue of an environmental 'zine called MOSS: Perspectives on Portland’s Environment. I think a good quality, educational, creative and cool environmental publication is seriously lacking in Portland, especially considering all of the passionate people we have and all of the dire environmental issues facing this city. It is still very much in the early stages, but I am looking for writers who would be interested in contributing. I see about half of the zine being non-fiction (interviews, in-depth reports, fact sheets) and the rest being creative writing that relates to the theme. If it needs to be said, I unfortunately can't pay, but keep reading for some of the awesome things that could come from a contribution...

The theme of this first issue will be Water, but more specifically rivers. So nonfiction stories could range from the city's drainage issues, rain gardens, pollution levels, the superfund site, interviews with organizations, tips for helping keep the river clean, etc. And creative work could include poetry, fiction, prose, etc having to do with this river or rivers in general.

This is a great opportunity for getting your work out into the world! And I hope to keep this zine going, on a bi-annual or seasonal basis, so there's the opportunity to really form a relationship and get your environmental work published frequently. AND, if I get more than one or two contributors, I'd love to have a reading with all of the contributors and their friends and families. This is intended to be the start of a community, so please join me!

The design of the zine will be clean and modern, with a few illustrations or designs. Mostly black and white (would love some color, but still working out if that's affordable), perfect or stitch bound with hopefully a nice letterpressed or screenprinted cover. If your piece necessitates graphics or photos, we will work that out together (since I'm still new at this layout business).

Please email me if you're interested! Feel free to even email me if you're just interested in the project and want to know more. I could definitely use some help/ideas, etc.

If you just want to submit, please email me (mosszine@gmail.com) your piece(s) in .txt format or in the body of the email, with the title and your name at the top. Word count limit is 1000 words for fiction/poetry and 2000 words for non-fiction (flexible). Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks so much. -Emily mosszine@gmail.com

Emily Logan

Individual Placement Team Leader

Environmental Education

503.234.2383 ext. 114

805.878.8602 cell

Northwest Service Academy | Lower Columbia Center | AmeriCorps

55 SE Main St | Portland OR  97214 | www.nwserviceacademy.org