WOODS Call For Submissions

(download WOODS call for submissions as a PDF)

THEME:
The theme and title for the next Trees & Hills anthology is WOODS (in the sense of “forest”).

CONTENT:
As with all our anthologies, we are most interested in both fiction and nonfiction comics with a community-minded orientation – comics that show an awareness of connection to the world around them and aim to make some sort of contribution to it, ideally with direct relevance to our region.

This year is the International Year of Forests and the 100th anniversary of the Weeks Act, which established the eastern National Forests, and we intend WOODS to be part of the celebration. To that end, and in the spirit of partnership of the Weeks Act, we recommend you check out the organizations listed at the Weeks Act Centennial website and use them as resources for your comics. We want to have at least four comics about subjects of direct relevance to the Weeks Act’s intention, history, spirit, and/or legacy (which is still pretty broad & doesn’t need to be about the Act itself).

For possible subjects, consider the roles of forests. Forests are whole communities made of plants, animals, insects, fungi, and microbes interacting and supporting each other in myriad ways. Humans have used them for food, shelter, recreation, and materials for just about everything. Consider issues like sustainable forestry vs. clearcutting or “development”. How do we relate to forests as individuals and communities? What about non-human individuals & communities? Do you know, or could you find, local stories, myths, legends, folklore, tall tales, etc. regarding forests?

For inspiration, you could also check out the links to groups & articles posted below under “RESOURCES” (for example this article on a Boston-area battle to save a flood-preventing wetland forest from development, or some of the many forest-related articles at YES! Magazine). Please don’t just convert someone else’s material into a comic without permission from the copyright holder, though – use it as a jumping-off point and/or quote it as one source among others

REQUIREMENTS:

• Contributors should, of course, live in Vermont, New Hampshire, or western Massachusetts.
• Comics should be suitable for a general audience.
• Please let us know your story idea & approximate length as soon as possible (& let us know if you change your mind). You can use the comments section here if that’s easier.
• Length: 1-6 pages. The printed page size will be 5.5” x 8.5”, image area around 5” x 8” – please proportion your comic accordingly.
• Send 600 dpi B&W .tif files (300 dpi OK if you need to use grayscale) to organize@treesandhills.org. Please use the format [last name]-[page number] for the filenames – for example Tedford-01.tif. You may also send clean photocopies to Trees & Hills, PO Box 645, Winchester, NH 03470.
• Please include in your email a 1-3 sentence blurb about yourself, website or other preferred contact info (if any), and a mailing address for your contributor copies.
• Deadline: August 28. WOODS debuts at MICE on September 24. We’ll announce a time & place for an anthology-finishing party to occur between those dates (for stamping the cover image, etc.)

OTHER INFORMATION:

• Each contributor will receive one copy of WOODS for each page of their work that appears in it. Contributors may purchase additional copies at wholesale (50% of cover price).
• We prefer new comics, but may consider existing work that is a good fit. If accepted, we ask that you not print your submission elsewhere (except an online excerpt) for at least six months from the anthology’s release date.
• WOODS will eventually be compiled with other T&H anthologies into a book collection; please let us know if for some reason you would prefer your piece not to appear in the book. Contributors will receive one copy of the book for each piece they have in it, and may purchase additional copies at wholesale (50% of cover price).
• We are also looking for theme-appropriate designs for the contents page and back cover. The contents page will need to have room for us to type in the title, table of contents, and indicia. The back cover needs room for us to type in the list of contributors. Email organize@treesandhills.org if you are interested.
• Past anthologies

RESOURCES:

• UN International Year of Forests
• Weeks Act Centennial

Organizations:

• Appalachian Mountain Club
• Audubon Vermont
• Center for Northern Woodlands Education
• Forest History Society
• Forest History Society blog
• Green Mountain National Forest
• Healing Harvest Forest Foundation
• MA Department of Conservation and Recreation
• MA Forest Watch
• NH Division of Parks & Recreation
• NH Timberland Owners Association
• Northern Forest Center
• Society for the Protection of NH Forests
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
• VT Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation
• VT Woodlands Association
• White Mountain National Forest

Articles:

• Boston-area battle to save a flood-preventing wetland forest from development
• Climate change and maple sugaring
• Historical Abenaki hunting practices
• Menominee tribe sustainably manages regained forest land
• Sierra Club works with Vermont Workers’ Center & Abenaki tribe on forest protection
• VT forestry exhibit article & video
• Restorative forestry & biological woodsmen (& some more detail)
• YES! Magazine forest articles