Call for Submissions for an Anthology on Family Blessings

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Family Blessings:
Prayers, Poems, and Traditions

by June Cotner & Nancy Tupper Ling

Viva Editions is publishing FAMILY BLESSINGS in Spring 2016. www.VivaEditions.com

I am co-authoring FAMILY BLESSINGS with one of my long-time contributors,
Nancy Tupper Ling, who is also my co-author of TOASTS.

NOTE:
All submissions and questions should be sent to Nancy:
submit@finelinepoets.com

For your subject line, please use :

“FAMILY BLESSINGS – – Submission”
or
“FAMILY BLESSINGS – – Question”

DEADLINE: November 30, 2014

For those submitting via email:
Please email no more than three submissions, each as a separate Word document and within one email message. Please suggest a chapter from headings provided below for each of your submissions. If your submissions are exactly what we are seeking, you will be invited to submit more.

All submissions must be single-spaced in Times New Roman 12 with all of your contact info in the upper left corner.

You will only receive a response (along with a permission form) if your submission is given final acceptance for the book.

For those submitting via USPS, you will receive a response if you enclose an SASE along with your submissions. Please mail submissions to Fine Line Poets, Executive Center #247, 1600 Boston Providence Highway, Walpole, MA 02081.
If you have an email address, we prefer to have submissions emailed to us.

Payment is one copy of the book for each published selection for non-exclusive rights.

Feel free to forward this “Call for Submissions” to writers’ groups, friends, and colleagues. ~ June & Nancy

June Cotner, Publishing consultant and author of 30 books, including my newest Garden Blessings www.JuneCotner.com

Nancy Tupper Ling, poet, children’s author, and librarian www.NancyTupperLing.com
(Nancy has three new children’s books under contract with major publishers!)

Follow June on Twitter @junecotner, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Follow Nancy on Twitter @BlushingFawn, Facebook, and LinkedIn
If you wish to be removed from this email list, please reply to this message with “Unsubscribe” as your subject line.

OVERVIEW OF FAMILY BLESSINGS

Family celebrations are the landmarks of our lives, occasions when we honor our most cherished relationships.

The selections in Family Blessings cultivate gratefulness for family life and bring a freshness and appreciation for one’s own faith, while nurturing and enriching the family bond. The carefully chosen words speak to the heart and to the soul.

Family Blessings consists of approximately 140 prayers, poems, toasts, traditions, rituals, and blessings for family gatherings. The selections are inspiring, uplifting, and fitting for most faith traditions. Each one is suitable to be read aloud. These treasured words will offer a diverse blend of both contemporary authors and traditional favorites such as Robert Browning, Kahlil Gibran, Rumi, Carl Sandburg and William Shakespeare. They are divided by theme to make it easier to find just the right selection to fit the occasion at hand. There are 18 sections:

1) All-Occasion Toasts
2) Graces & Mealtimes
3) Birthdays
4) Weddings
5) Babies & Christenings
6) Anniversaries
7) Graduations
8) Housewarmings
9) Family Reunions
10) Memorial Services
11) Prayers & Blessings
12) Holidays
13) Appreciating Siblings
14) Family Traditions
15) Everyday Joys
16) Special (misc. category)
17) Legacies
18) Benedictions

Distinction between Toasts and Family Blessings: The two books contain overlapping sections, but Toasts is more celebratory in nature while most of the selections in Family Blessings are more spiritually based.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Short submissions, no more than 24 lines for poetry or 250 words for prose, work best. This amount of text will fit on one page. If your submission is longer than 24 lines or 250 words, we may use it, but it reduces your chances of being included. Submissions should be insightful, encouraging, or inspirational. Previously published work will be considered as long as you still hold all rights. Any dedications or personalization should be removed before submitting your work in order to make it appeal to a wider audience.
The most common reasons for rejections:
• Too specific to one religion (interfaith pieces work best)
• Language is not fresh
• Too long
• Does not fit in with theme of book
• Not universal enough; too specific to your experience
• Too prescriptive
• Too complex or not easily understood
• Lacks the poetic quality we’re seeking

SAMPLE SELECTIONS

NOTE: Text boxes are for short traditions and rituals that will be sprinkled throughout the book. We are seeking more short rituals and traditions.

1) All-Occasion Toasts

TOAST TO A GOOD LIFE
(Excerpt from The Merry Wives of Windsor)

Heaven give you many, many merry days!

William Shakespeare

2) Graces & Mealtimes

GRACE OF COMPASSION

Lord
This day
At this table
In this company
touch us in this place.
Fill our hearts with your love,
Keep our sympathy and compassion
Always fresh and
Our faces turned towards heaven
Lest we become hard, and forget,
As we love you, we shall gift
Each other with patience
and Love.

Patrick E. Loukes

A NATIVE AMERICAN GRACE

O Morning Star! when you look down upon us, give us peace and refreshing sleep. Great Spirit! bless our children, friends, and visitors through a happy life. May our trails lie straight and level before us. Let us live to be old. We are all your children and ask these things with good hearts.

Author unknown

3) Birthdays

A BIRTHDAY TOAST

We wish you joy on your birthday
And all the whole year through,
For all the best that life can hold
Is none too good for you.

Author unknown

4) Weddings

COME TO ME

I’m your lover
Come to my side
I will open
the gate to your love

Come settle with me
Let us be neighbors
to the stars

Rumi

I, I AND WE

May you honor always the unique I of each other
as you accept now the sacred vow of creating
an eternal WE. May your love be wide as the prairie
skies, as luminous as the wings of the dragonfly,
as tenacious and enduring as the blue-green lichen
that blooms on stone, as resilient as the brawny mosses
with their springy greenness. May the power
of your love illuminate life’s humble minutes,
its peak moments and all the nows in between.

Susan J. Erickson

5) Babies
A PRAYER FOR OUR BABY

Woven from our love, our baby lies cradled in a mystic tapestry beneath its mother’s heart. Bless this dear child, O God of little ones, for although unknown, this nestling is already beloved. Bring us through this journey into the safe harbor of family where, face to infant face, we will continue our lullabying prayer to You in joy.

Margaret Anne Huffman

A CHRISTENING CELEBRATION GRACE

Holy God, Creator of all life,
Bless (Name) whom we have sprinkled
Today with the water of faith and love.
Thank you for all new life, for each new day,
And for food and family and friends. Amen

Barbara Younger

6) Anniversaries

LESSONS

Love taught me to be still,
to watch the wind
dance across the sky.

Love taught me patience,
to let fruits ripen,
to always plant new seeds.

Love taught me to be honest,
to fathom what I do not know,
to dream what I dare not hope.

Love taught me to be true
to what is best in me,
to find the courage to commit.

Love taught me to believe in you,
to understand that loving
can be simple and secure.

Susan Landon

7) Graduations

GRADUATION TOAST

What sculpture is to a block of marble,
education is to a human soul.

Joseph Addison

ON GRADUATION

For the world will not applaud, though its prizes, glittery honors,
dazzling futures, dangle like fat blue plums on faraway trees.
For every river you slog through, every rocky hill you climb,
what is attainable turns to dust in your hands, ashes in your mouth, and the world merely shrugs its beefy shoulders, turns
the spotlight on the next moth dancing in its flame.
Instead, think of spring, daffodils and narcissus, tulips, azaleas,
that flower gorgeously for a few days, without any reason,
the April sky that draws over us its tender blue blanket,
the new grass green with infinite hope.
Consider, then, trees that burst into blossom: redbuds, dogwoods, magnolias, such exuberant bloom, a carpet of petals strewn
on the sidewalks where you walked to class.
For the cold truth is, life on earth is hard, love rocky and thorny
and thistled, but spring is renewable, an eternal library book,
from the first shy glimpse of snowdrops, to the green and gold days of forsythia sprawled on the lawn, to this grand finale of iris,
peony, poppy, this great commencement, this walk in the sun.
So may your roots find water, good earth, work to do. May you blossom, lavish and profuse. Never forget that the heart is
a flower. Go and dance your hour on the lawn.

Barbara Crooker

8) Housewarmings

A HOUSE BLESSING

Bless this house
O, Lord, we pray.
Let Your joy
shine here today.
Fill each corner
with Your grace.
Make this home
a peaceful place.
Let laughter ring
throughout the halls.
Bring harmony
to these four walls.
May all who enter
be at rest
as Your love touches
each and every guest.

Nancy Weiss

9) Family Reunions

THIS GATHERING OF GENERATIONS

May we, this gathering of generations,
forge forward to the future
and culminate the dreams of our ancestors.

May we, this gathering of generations,
preserve our collective past
as we share and cherish our stories.

Let this blessed occasion
remind us
that when a family embraces
its common bonds,
it becomes more than
scattered individuals with a connection.

May we, this gathering of generations,
create and celebrate
our heritage, our strength, our unity.

Jayne England Byrne

10) Memorial Services

There is grace in grief
and strength in sorrow.

Annie Dougherty

THE WAY OF THE WORLD

In a harbor, two ships sailed—one setting forth on a voyage, the other coming home to port. Everyone cheered the ship going out, but the ship sailing in was scarcely noticed. To this, a wise man said, “Do not rejoice over a ship setting out to sea, for you cannot know what terrible storms it may encounter. Rejoice rather over the ship that has safely reached port and brings its passengers home in peace.” And this is the way of the world: When a child is born, all rejoice; when someone dies, all weep. We shall do the opposite. For no one can tell what trials await a newborn child; but when a mortal dies in peace, we should rejoice, for he has completed a long journey, and there is no greater boon than to leave this world with the imperishable crown of a good name.

The Talmud

11) Prayers & Blessings

A FAMILY PRAYER

Good and gracious Creator, we thank you for the life and love you have given us within the circle of our family. Grant us understanding and spiritual energies in order to nurture this life and love. We ask you to allow us a clearer focus on how best to affirm and assist each other, especially when things are not going just right. Grant us the grace to say what we must without stepping on toes . . . showing our love in a growing way. Frequently remind us that you are a loving and nurturing God. Heal our moments of discouragement and increase our courage through your presence in our lives. Send us your Spirit as our guide. We thank you for the simple and awesome surprises of happiness and hugs that continue to create our family life as it is meant to be. Amen.

Thomas C. Abel

12) Holidays

A PRAYER FOR THE NEW YEAR

Let us begin awake, thankful for all which has contributed to our life since every person and experience we have known has whittled at our being, contributing to a shape as unique as each thumbprint. Let us face each day openly, knowing that each experience will bring us closer to being who we truly are and free us to step into our own destiny.

Marian Olson

A CHANUKAH DEDICATION

We dedicate this Chanukah to the children,
to our own children and to ourselves as children.

We give this Chanukah to the childlike,
and ask gifts of innocence in return:
glimpses of simplicity;
moments of spontaneity, faith in life renewed.

Together we affirm life’s meaning;
together we share the warmth and values that give life worth.
Together we share in the joy of light.

Moments of joy come not as rewards but as gifts.
They cannot be earned, only accepted.
With grace and humility we open our arms wide to Life
and let ourselves be embraced.

Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro

13) Appreciating Siblings

FOR THERE IS NO FRIEND LIKE A SISTER

For there is no friend like a sister
In calm or stormy weather;
To cheer one on the tedious way,
To fetch one if one goes astray,
To lift one if one totters down,
To strengthen whilst one stands.

Christina Rosetti

ALWAYS

Ever there for me
in quiet ways

My brother, my friend
for all our days

Arlene Gay Levine

14) Family Traditions
Note: While we will have short family traditions and rituals sprinkled throughout the book in corresponding categories, this section is for “Family Traditions” up to 250 words.

GRANDMA CAMP
[247 words]
Like many kids, I visit my grandparents’ house every summer. What makes it Grandma Camp is that I go there by myself and together Grandma and I make projects both for ourselves and for others.

I’m twelve years old. For the past four summers, I have gone to my grandma’s house. Throughout the school year, I keep a list of projects I want to make with her. I send the updates over e-mail, and she will get the supplies. Usually, the list is about ten items long—from sewing projects to jam to dilly bean pickles. With less than a week together, we do at least two items on the list every day.

My first project at Grandma Camp was to sew a dress for my doll. A couple years later, we sewed quilts and took them to Sojourners’ House, the women’s shelter in the town near Grandma’s farm. The director there handed out the quilts to all the kids at the shelter.

This last summer, our extended family got together for a big reunion. So at Grandma Camp, I made dozens of cookies and fifty cinnamon rolls, as well as a jar of huckleberry jam for each family that came.

At Grandma Camp, I’ve learned to sew, cook, and preserve jams and pickles. I’ve also helped with the chores around the farm—like pumping water from the pond for the garden. I love all the things I’ve learned to make and do—thanks to Grandma Camp!

Sarah Kim, age 12

15) Everyday Joys

16) Special (such as Retirement, Bon Voyage, Graduation, New Job, Move)

A BON VOYAGE PRAYER

Dear God, who travels with us always, watch especially over _____ and ______ as they venture forth for fun. Guide their steps through foreign streets and keep their eyes open, always open, to see the new and connect it to the known, to observe with alertness and curiosity. Help them to rest, to vacate the ordinary worries of ordinary days. Remind them to sit on benches, drink cool waters, and take long, breath-resting naps.
And when their feet weary and their minds are full, nudge them home to tell us stories. Amen.

Martha K. Baker

GRADUATION / NEW JOB / MOVE

Give us courageous hearts and inquisitive minds, O God of beacons and stars, so that we will always be stretching and growing to fit the new world You call us into. Protect us during in-between times when we feel as vulnerable as a crab skittering across the sand to a new, larger shell. Guide our exploration; nudge us into waters of change. Always, always it is You inspiring the journey.

Margaret Anne Huffman

17) Legacies
Contributors: We need more submissions for this chapter.

NEVER ENDING STREAM (Legacies)

When you give away things,
whether money or other objects,
they are gone forever.
But not love—the more you give,
the more your heart fills with it.
Love is a never-ending stream.

Amma

18) Benedictions

Note: In general, we are looking for short pieces here, a prayer that asks for God’s blessing and/or words that promote goodness and well-being—particularly in relation to families.

May all that is noble and lovely and true abide with you forever. Amen.

May the odds be ever in your favor!
~ Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house.
~ George Carlin

May your heart always be joyful. May your song always be sung.
~ Bob Dylan

*****