Latinas/os PRESENTES: Voice, Culture and Creativity in Nuestra (Our?) Canada.

Deadline: May 7th, 2010

We are seeking submissions for an edited collection of Latina/o Canadian cultural work to be published in 2010 by Tightrope Books, under their new Zurita imprint and edited by Lorena M. Gajardo, a Latina and scholar of Latino/a Identity in Canada.

This curated collection will present experiences and reflections of Latina/o lives and identity in Canada from the perspective of 2nd and 1.5 generation Latina/o young adults. We are looking for original and previously unpublished works in a variety of genres – poetry, prose, short stories, spoken word, monologues, biographical essays, black and white illustrative work – that address the question of what it means to grow up and be a young Latina/o in Canada.

Topics may  include  but are not limited to the following:

Being Latina/o in Canada
Migration
Border crossings (all kinds)
Identity struggles
Latina/o artistic production in Canada
Love (including interracial or intercultural relationships)
Activism and Latinidad
Gender and Latinidad
Education
Belonging (or not belonging)
Access or lack of it
Latina/o music in Canada
Stereotypes
Self-esteem and being Latina/o
Queer Latinidad
Latinas/os and the media (mainstream, alternative, online)

Submission Guidelines
Contributions must be submitted electronically by MAY 7, 2010.
All contributions must be a maximum of 1,500 words.
Email your contribution to Lorena Gajardo at gajardolorena2@gmail.com

We look forward to receiving your work.

General Submissions

At this time Tightrope Books is no longer accepting unsolicited submissions in any category aside from fiction.

ABSOLUTELY NO SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE

Before submitting make sure that your work is a good fit for Tightrope and that Tightrope’s mandate and mission are in line with your own values regarding your work.
If you have questions regarding a manuscript you have already sent, or feel that you have a manuscript that suits our mandate, please send a query letter to Shirarose Wilensky at shirarose@tightropebooks.com.

Please be patient. It can take us as long as 6 months to a year to evaluate a manuscript.

We do not publish self-help books or religious books. We will only accept genre fiction (sci-fi, erotica) if it is outside the usual mold of the genre. We are especially looking for young writers who have a fresh take on the urban scene.

Tightrope Books does not accept simultaneous submissions.

Artwork Submissions:
Tightrope Books encourages artists to submit work for possible consideration for our covers. We may also commission work for projects based on submissions. Please remember that we only do a limited number of books annually, so spaces are limited. However, we will keep samples of work on file for future seasons. We are currently only accepting submissions from Canadian artists. Please send all submissions to:

Art Director
Tightrope Books
602 Markham Stret
Toronto, ON
M6G 2L8

Thank you for your interest in Tightrope Books!