The Editors
We are happy to announce the editors for the second volume in the Spoon Knife Anthology series.
Dani Alexis Ryskamp is an editor and the Legal Coordinator for Autonomous Press and the author of “My Mother GLaDOS,” which appears in The Spoon Knife Anthology. Her research on neurodivergence and poetry also appears in The Hilltop Review. She actually wrote her own contributor bio for this post, which is a first.
Sam Harvey is a graduate student in rhetoric and professional communication at Saint Cloud State University. He begins his Ph.D. work in rhetoric and professional communication at Iowa State University in Fall 2016. Sam is also the author of “Journey to Self-Love in a Culture Demanding Self-Hate,” which appears in The Spoon Knife Anthology. He is feeling very odd writing his own bio and is going to proceed to go hide now.
The Call for Submissions
We are seeking submissions of poetry, fiction, and memoir for Spoon Knife 2: Test Chamber. This book will be the second in the series, following The Spoon Knife Anthology, released in March 2016 by NeuroQueer books. As part of the NeuroQueer family, Spoon Knife 2 focuses on neurodivergence and disability as they intersect and interact with queer issues. This includes queering disability and neurodivergence, as well as discussing how neurodivergence functions or fits with other aspects of a queer identity.
The phrase “test chamber” may be read in myriad ways: as an adjective + noun denoting a place (“the subject was placed in the test chamber”), as an imperative verb + direct object (“to find weakness, test (the) chamber”), as a compound verb (“test-chamber a round to check that your slide isn’t jammed”), and others not imagined here. These meanings are dynamic. That is, they coexist, interact, change, and complicate one another in various ways.
For the second volume in the Spoon Knife series, we seek to feature works that focus on one or more of the meanings of “test chamber” as it/they relate to neurodivergence, disability, and/or queer issues. What does it mean to be inside (or outside) the “test chamber”? To test the chamber? To test-chamber or to be test-chambered? More importantly, how do we approach the boundaries of neurodivergence, queerness, or both in a way that questions, subverts, blurs, or even embraces them – forcing ourselves and others to question the existence or permanence of the “test chamber” itself?
Or, if you prefer an alternate way in: play Portal. Write accordingly.
While we will consider any submissions that are on-topic and we do wish to solicit voices from a broad range of neurodivergent and disabled perspectives, preference will be given to authors who clearly identify as neuroqueer and whose work demonstrates a neuroqueer point of view.
Length and Format
Fiction and Memoir: 10,000 words or less of fully-polished prose, submitted in standard manuscript format (title page with contact info, double-spaced Times New Roman 12-point font, pages numbered with either title or author’s name in the header.)
Poetry: Up to 5 pieces of any length and style, provided they use the prompt above as a touchstone.
All submissions need to be in a Word-compatible format (.doc, .docx, .odt).
Deadline and Terms
Submissions are due by Monday, August 22, 2016. Authors will be notified of their acceptance or rejection no later than October 15, 2016. Please include a cover letter that makes it clear exactly how you are to be credited – we will reproduce these exactly, including punctuation and spacing. We will also need a 3-4 sentence bio for the contributors.
Submission email: dani@autpress.com
Please put “Spoon Knife 2” and the genre (poetry, fiction, or memoir) in the subject to help us distinguish between anthology submissions and book proposals. Thank you!
Like its predecessors, Spoon Knife 2: Test Chamber is a funded anthology. Precise payment details will be available shortly.