NEWS RELEASE
FERMATA PRESS
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Have you ever been inspired by a piece of music? Is your life guided by music? Music is a life force.
This anthology will celebrate the music that gets us through, the songs that transform our lives and, by doing so, change the world.
Writers are asked to submit up to two poems that reflect upon or are inspired by specific songs or songwriters. The poems could explore similar themes as the songs upon which they are based, or the poems could reflect the writer’s experience listening to the song. A memory. An association.
However inspired, to be considered for publication in The Songs That Save Us, a poem must share a title with a song or piece of music, but it cannot quote directly from the lyrics.
Rules:
• The poems must be original work. AI-generated or AI-assisted poems are not eligible;
• Only unpublished poems will be considered. Fermata Press will acquire First Serial Rights for the anthology and related website. Fermata Press assumes no further ownership or rights to the work. Authors retain copyright of their work;
• The poems in the anthology will celebrate a well-known song. The poems cannot quote lyrics from the song;
• The poem will be titled for the song that inspired it. For example, a poem might reflect on the themes of, or the experience of listening to, Gordon Lightfoot’s Canadian Railway Trilogy. The poem will adopt the title but cannot quote directly from the song;
• Please follow submission instructions carefully. Submit only two poems in a WORD doc along with your name and contact information. Include a cover letter with the titles of the songs that inspired your poems, a brief bio and whatever else you might like us to know. Submit as a single WORD doc attachment. Poems are to be single-spaced and double-spaced between stanzas. Please use 12 point font;
• All contributors will receive two copies of the anthology as well as a small honorarium to be determined;
• Submissions will be accepted until the end of day Nov. 30, 2025
Established in 2023 by musician, writer and educator Mark Dunn, Fermata Press entered the world with a bang. Its first title, You Get Bigger as You Go: Bruce Cockburn’s Influence and Evolution, has won a bronze medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) and was named a Finalist in the Independent Author’s Network Awards (IANs).
The book has been featured in The Globe and Mail, The Literary Review of Canada, CBC Radio, National Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Radio, and other media.
For more information: www.fermatapress.com
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