Year-End News from Auroras & Blossoms
A lot of year-end news is coming your way from Auroras & Blossoms! From royalty payments, to new issues and poetry forms, there’s plenty to look forward to!
First, Auroras & Blossoms Co-Founders Cendrine Marrouat and David Ellis announce a new way for artists to be recognized for their work, with the introduction of royalty payments.
“The pandemic has hit people hard, especially underrepresented artists. As such, we wanted to support the creatives who work with us in a more meaningful way,” says Marrouat. “Many magazines cannot afford to pay their contributors. The ones that do pay usually offer a small lump sum. This is especially true in the poetry world. Royalties are a great way to encourage creatives and show them that their work matters. For some of them, it may also mean being able to afford an extra meal or paying an essential household/utility bill regularly.”
Implementation of royalty payments will begin with Issue 6 of Auroras & Blossoms Poetry Journal. It was made possible by Draft2Digital, Auroras & Blossoms’ main ebook distributor.
The No Longer Ignored Anthology is now open for submissions until April 25th, 2021. It will be a digital anthology gathering art, photography, poetry, stories, and testimonies from people who have risen above their experiences with social injustice, including racism, discrimination, and xenophobia. People who wish to give a voice to those who think they don’t have any. And people who have pledged to make the world a better place, even in the smallest of ways. Submissions from artists ages 13 and up are welcome. They are particularly looking for submissions from women, POC, LGBTQIA, ethnic minorities and disabled artists. Further submission guidelines can be found at their website.
The editors also have new poetry forms to acquaint yourself with. Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku showcases two unique, brand-new poetry forms created by Cendrine Marrouat and David Ellis, the journal’s co-founders. By taking elements of found poetry and Japanese poetry forms, Cendrine and David have developed a style of poetry known as the Kindku. The collection also features a selection of gorgeous images and poems from Cendrine’s own visual poetry form: the Sixku. Learn how to write your very own Kindku and Sixku by reading this book and when you are done, consider submitting them to Auroras & Blossoms for publication.
That’s not the only poetry form to play around with. There is also the Pareiku! The Pareiku is a unique type of art that features the visual and poetic elements. Two seemingly unrelated images are linked together as one by a short 19-syllable poem that follows the 7/5/7 syllable pattern.
You can familiarize yourself with Auroras & Blossoms now by checking out the inaugural issue of Auroras & Blossoms Creative Arts Journal, as well as the forthcoming release of Issue 6 of Auroras & Blossoms Poetry Journal, which will be released January 5.