It Was Written: Poetry Inspired by Hip-Hop

There are presently no open calls for submissions.

It Was Written: Poetry Inspired by Hip-Hop will be one of the first anthologies that focuses on poets who use hip-hop culture in their works. This collection fills a major void in the discussion of music and poetry, which has been confined to other genres of music for decades. As the popularity of hip-hop and its culture has risen exponentially since its inception in the late 20th century, the recognition of its presence in poetry has remained low. This anthology will be a valuable teaching tool and a resource for writers, readers, and fans of either genre (poetry or hip-hop). This anthology will be published by Minor Arcana Press.

We want poems that engage or reference hip-hop in a variety of ways, from the music and artists to the clothing, dancing, and culture as a whole. We are especially interested in formal verse and all of its variations, depictions of hip-hop’s place in today’s culture, poems addressing the boundaries of hip-hop or alternative forms of hip-hop, and hip-hop’s intersection with other artistic and social movements. (For example, how does hip-hop culture interact with genres such as sci-fi or afrofuturism. What happens when hip-hop goes to trial? To the ballot box?)  The process for determining which work to include in the anthology will be highly selective.

Submit 2-4 poems in a single document. In the cover letter section of the submission form, include a short bio written in the third person. Submissions will close on December 31, 2014.


It Was Written: Poetry Inspired by Hip-Hop