The events of the year 2020 are unforgettable. First, in early spring, came the upheaval from the COVID-19 pandemic and the catastrophic death tolls it claimed worldwide. The pandemic also revealed the unsettling economic and health disparities in Black and Brown communities when compared with other communities across the nation and around the world. The brutal killing of innocent Black people at the hands of police officers and racists civilians once again made the headlines, with the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. The death of George Floyd, however, could be considered the last straw. Summer 2020 will be remembered for the galvanization of mass protests and demonstrations across the United States and worldwide against systemic racist attitudes and practices entrenched in our society. An awakening and reckoning soon followed as Black people from nearly every aspect of American culture and society declared they had had enough of racist behavior and treatment. In November, the election of President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first female and person of color to hold that position, was a high point of what had been a tumultuous year. While the current times will be defined by the nationwide mass protests for racial and social justice and shutdowns and closings due to a global health crisis, they have also provided many of us with moments to reflect upon what is important in our lives and the well-being of our families and communities. The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College (CBL) has named the theme for the 16th National Black Writers Conference in 2022: “The Beautiful Struggle: Black Writers Lighting the Way.” With that in mind, we intend for the upcoming fall/winter 2021 issue of the Killens
Review of Arts & Letters to be in alignment with that theme. We aim for the issue to examine the ways writers, storytellers, poets, and artists explore and document their struggles and persistence in overcoming obstacles in a racially constructed society. These acts of creativity and activism reflect the ways in which writers and artists light the way. For the Review, we are looking for short stories, essays, nonfiction, poetry, art, photography,
and interviews about forging ahead during challenging times—work from writers and artists of African ancestry.
SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES
Please submit to only one category: short stories, essays, nonfiction, poetry, art, photography,
and interviews We will respond to your submission within two months. Submission Deadline:
Monday, July 12, 2021 (11:59 PM ET).
Submitting for the Fiction, Nonfiction, Essay, or Interview Category
1. Please submit one piece at a time. We have no set maximum length or minimum length for prose submissions. (The average word count is about 2,000–3,000 words.) Most
submissions, however, are between 2,000–4,000 words.
2. Please use Microsoft Word format, letter-sized page.
3. Use one-inch margins on all sides. Line spaces should be double-spaced.
4. Use a standard typeface (e.g., Times New Roman, Helvetica, Arial) and use the 12-point
font size.
5. Make sure the pages are numbered.
6. Include your name, title of the work, and page numbers on your submission.
7. Please do NOT submit book manuscripts.
Also, include a one- to two-sentence biography. If the submission is an academic essay with
references, please include a bibliography at the end.
Submitting for the Poetry, Art, or Photography Category
1. Poetry: Please send up to three poems only.
2. Art and Photography: We welcome all types of visual and image submissions. Please include a short note about the context of the visual or image and title and/or caption information. Please include no more than six hi-res JPGs (at 300 dpiElectronic Submissions
1. Email material to writers@mec.cuny.edu and to Clarence V. Reynolds at
creynolds@mec.cuny.edu.
2. With your email, write “Killens Review Fall/Winter 2021” in the subject heading.
3. Please include a brief introduction of yourself and of the work being submitted. On the
first page of your submission be sure to include:
o Your full name
o Telephone number
o Email address
4. The Killens Review of Arts & Letters cannot be held responsible for unsolicited
manuscripts, photographs, or artwork that do not follow the guidelines.
5. The CBL staff is working remotely so please refrain from mailing materials.
Material in this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.
Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the CBL.
CONTACT US
The Killens Review of Arts & Letters is published by the Center for Black Literature at Medgar
Evers College, of the City University of New York. We are grateful for the support of this project
that is provided by the Amazon Literary Partnership: www.amazonliterarypartnership.com
o ADDRESS: 1650 Bedford Avenue | Brooklyn, New York 11225
o EMAIL: writers@mec.cuny.edu
o PHONE: (718) 804-8883
o WEBSITE: www.centerforblackliterature.org
For more information, visit www.centerforblackliterature.org/killens-review-of-arts-letters