Poems in Response to China Catastrophe

Call for poems about Sichuan Earthquake

Dear colleagues and friends,

We are writing to solicit you for contribution to an anthology of poetry dedicated to all those who died from or survived the tragic Sichuan Earthquake.

This earthquake, also known as the Wenchuan Earthquake, was the most tragic catastrophe since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in China. As of May 27, official figures state that 67,183 are confirmed dead, and 360,058 injured, with 20,790 listed as missing. The earthquake left about 4.8 million people homeless. Hundreds of aftershocks continue to bring about more pain, terror and damage. With too many lives lost and so much pain still tormenting the living, this earthquake has turned out to be not only a disaster to Chinese people but a catastrophe facing all the human beings.

International efforts have been made for rescue and relief, and now more joint endeavors of people all over the world are expected for reconstruction, both material and spiritual. And poetry is one of the best ways to offer spiritual relief and psychological care to those who are living and suffering after the uncontrolled tragedy as well as expressing our awe of Nature and love for life. Let’s pray for both the departed and the living in poems. Let’s weave all our blessings and prayer into a beautiful anthology of poetry to honor, and mourn, the victims of the tragedy. Thus this anthology is not only for those who are closely concerned with the earthquake, but for all, over the world, who have been touched by it. Its significance lies not only in its poetic art, but in its expressions of solidarity.

In order to have this anthology of poetry come out as soon as possible, we expect you to send us the poems by June 25, 2008. All the contributions will be reviewed and selected for publication by a group of poets and scholars of the world, and those unpublished poems will be posted at our websites. Since this anthology is a nonprofit project, the contributors will get no pay for their poem(s) except two copies of the book.

Please be kind enough to forward our solicitation to your friends.

Best wishes,

Nie Zhenzhao (Email: niezhenzhao–at–163.com)
Chief Editor and Professor, Foreign Literature Studies,
Central China Normal University (CCNU)
Vice President, China National Academy of Foreign Literature
Vice President, Chinese/American Association for Poetry and Poetics (CAAP)

Luo Lianggong (Email: flschina–at–yahoo.com.cn)
Professor and Assistant Editor-in-chief, Foreign Literature Studies, CCNU
Executive Director, Chinese/American Association for Poetry and Poetics (CAAP)