Skin: Botswana-Singapore literary collaboration

A former British colony that became an independent nation in the mid-1960s. A small country, which less-informed people might find hard to pinpoint on a map. A largely peaceful and prosperous state, in a region that has had its share of troubles. Mostly flat terrain. English is its lingua franca, but locals speak many different tongues amongst themselves.

This is Botswana. This is Singapore. One in Africa, one in Asia; yet the two countries share similar historical backgrounds and societal aspirations.

In a landmark collaboration, editors TJ Dema, Wame Molefhe, Alvin Pang and Stephanie Ye are looking for new and original poetry and short fiction for a Botswana-Singapore anthology, with the theme and the title, "Skin". The anthology is slated to be published by Singapore's Math Paper Press in the first half of 2014.

A submission should follow these guidelines:

(1) The theme is SKIN. Writers are free to interpret the theme as they wish.

(2) Writers should either be citizens or residents of Botswana or Singapore. There are no age restrictions.

(3) Both poetry and prose submissions are accepted. Submissions must be in English, and be between 2,000 and 5,000 words long.

For poetry, each submission should consist of up to five poems.
For prose, each submission should consist of one short story.

(4) Multiple submissions are accepted, i.e. a writer can submit more than one poetry or prose submission, as well as submit both poetry and prose submissions.

(5) Submissions should preferably refer to Botswana or/and Singapore in some way, in terms of setting, characters or concerns, though this is not a requirement.

(6) Work previously published elsewhere, whether online or in print, is eligible. In the submission, writers must indicate clearly, at the top of the document, the publication/date in which the work first appeared, as well as vouch that all copyright permissions have been cleared.

(7) Work originally in another language is eligible. The writer should submit an English translation of the work while indicating clearly, at the top of the document, the publication/date in which the original work appeared.

(8) Writers whose submissions are selected will each receive an honorarium of S$80 (estimated 540 pula). Each will also receive three contributor copies of the published anthology and a 40% author discount on further copies.

(9) The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2013.

For poetry: Send your submission to skinanthology@gmail.com. Please include your name and contact details in the body of the e-mail, with the subject line "Botswana" or "Singapore", depending on your country of origin. Submissions should be in the form of an MS Word document (.doc), using Times New Roman, font size 12.

For prose: Send your submission to skinanthologyprose@gmail.com. Please include your name and contact details in the body of the e-mail, with the subject line "Botswana" or "Singapore", depending on your country of origin. Submissions should be in the form of an MS Word document (.doc), using Times New Roman, font size 12.