Submissions for The Siskiyou Creative Nonfiction Anthology are open today!
Here are some considerations for you to keep in mind as you prepare your Nonfiction Anthology submission.
Creative Nonfiction includes all the beauty of poetry and all the insightful narrative of fiction with the guiding light of the truth. It is a genre with virtually few rules and endless possibilities. It can be a poem-essay-story, an essay-story-poem, any mix of the three or something entirely new! Nonfiction invites you to explore what’s often pushed to the margins: the too-personal, the overlooked, or the unconventional truths that matter to you.
Nonfiction is the creative telling of a true story through a personal lens. Mary Karr, a poet, essayist, and memoirist, writes in her book The Art of Memoir, “Truth may become a foggy fuzzy nether area. But untruth is simple: making up events with the intention to deceive(11).” A nonfiction writer takes on the responsibility of creating a truthful story. Karr acknowledges how memory can slip and change through the years but she highlights the difference between a changing experience and embellishing to sell books “to a public you perceive as dumb…”
When we ask you to be truthful, we’re placing our trust in you.
Memory isn’t always perfect, but sincerity is key. This allows for complex personal experiences that surprise the reader and portray the truth in a way that challenges us. We welcome that challenge and thank you for your honesty!
Additionally, Karr lists some exceptions or changes that she has used in her memoirs that she doesn’t count as lying. This list, among other things, includes: “Changing names to protect the innocent,” and “changing something to protect a friend.” At times, telling the complete truth could cause harm, and in those cases, discretion is important. Please keep this in mind when preparing your submission.
Finally, one of the joys of nonfiction is the constraint of truth. We want to know about your mundane experiences as well as the unbelievably interesting experiences. Whichever kind your submission is, there’s no need to embellish. The truth is enough. We are interested chiefly in the truth and your ability as a writer to make the language draw us in.
For more information, please email hoppr@sou.edu with the subject “Nonfiction Anthology” and view our submission guidelines here.
For more information about Nonfiction writing, please view these sources:
“The Art of Memoir” by Mary Karr
“The Complicated Ethics of Creative Nonfiction” by Lynn Z. Bloom
