Neon Sunrise was always meant to be something more than just an imprint or label for my own work. While it does get used for that purpose, and I’ve loved being able to showcase my work under the NSP banner, I wanted it to stand out as a place that helps creatives realize their dreams and provides resources to navigate the growing options for DIY self-publishing. I also wanted to do things that were more philanthropic in nature and provided a platform for issues and causes that went beyond just publishing books. I want Neon Sunrise to be known for more than just the books we offer to the world.
This is challenging for me; not because I don’t have a desire to give back, but rather that I had no idea where to start. Initially, I wanted to put together a project that was all about plight that is human trafficking across the world. I have some friends that are passionate about this issue and the fight to end trafficking, and I feel like it’s an issue that needs to be pushed to the forefront of awareness consistently. The more I looked at the initial idea for the book, though, the more it overwhelmed me because I had just never tackled something of this scale before. Go big or go home, right? Well, home was looking like a pretty good option.
It would never have sat well with me if I had chosen to abandon the project. I’m not one to give up so easily, and through some honest conversations I managed to determine it was the scope and content of the original idea that were unnerving for me and not the idea of doing a book that would have a charitable purpose. That was a good feeling, and with that realization there was a spark for a new concept that would meet the intention of doing something that would be about more than just one person’s art.
The spark produced a concept for an anthology collection on the topic of hope, and I think that’s something we need to embrace and hold onto now more than ever. The current state of our world is constantly changing, and at times it feels like everything is on the verge of crumbling. But there is always hope. It’s the light we can just barely see but know is out there despite the darkness that closes in on all sides. Hope is slippery and sometimes tricky business, but all will be well in the end.
Neon Sunrise is seeking submissions of poetry and prose for this anthology, all on the topic of hope. The nature of the submissions can be on any of the many facets of hope – we’re not looking solely for pieces that are happy, just honest.
Other submission details:
- Submissions will be accepted from Friday April 3rd 2020 through Friday July 31st 2020
- Authors can submit multiple pieces, up to a max of 5 poems or 15 pages of prose
- Prose can be fiction or non-fiction
There will be additional details provided to those individuals that are interested in submitting their work for the anthology, and all questions or interest in this project should be sent to neonsunrisepub@gmail.com with the subject ‘Hope Anthology Interest.’
This is an exciting time for Neon Sunrise, and I hope that you will join us as we embark on this journey to release this new anthology collection later this fall!