MARQUETTE, Mich.—Editors of an upcoming anthology of literature and art related to the contemporary American Indian experience in Michigan are seeking submissions. The book will be published by the Northern Michigan University Center for Native American Studies and the NMU Press, with funding from the Michigan Humanities Council.

            Relevant topics may include—but are not limited to—the land, lakes, family, the search for center, ideas of time and the past, communalism and Native communities on and off reservation homelands, orality, storytelling, the power of words and symbols, Indian education, places and Indian place making in the state, sacred site retention and loss, Indian/land reciprocity, the Michigan urban Indian experience, ceremony and ritual, new cultural ways and the persistence of traditional arts and lifeways. 

            “We’re seeking stories and art addressing contemporary Indian identity in Michigan,” said Grace Chaillier, project coordinator. “Who and what are Michigan Indians today? How have their experiences and those of their ancestors influenced or informed who they are? Are there Indian ‘transplants’ who bring perspectives from other places that diversify the Michigan experience and, if so, how do they enrich us?”

All work must reflect being Indian in Michigan and, at some point, address issues of Indian modernity. Humorous submissions are encouraged.The anthology may be used in classrooms, but is intended for a general audience. Authors and artists whose work is included will receive two copies of the book as remuneration.

Individuals may submit the following for consideration: original, unpublished poetry (up to three poems), a short story, creative nonfiction essay,  memoir, profile, cartoon, comic strip, stand-alone excerpt from a longer work, drawing, illustration or photograph (up to three color or black-and-white photos).Manuscripts should be a maximum 4,000 words or 12 pages and images should have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi if sent electronically.

 Please e-mail submissions to Chaillier at mintvart@nmu.edu or mail to her attention at the NMU Center for Native American Studies, 1401 Presque Isle Ave., Marquette MI 49855. The deadline is Oct. 15.