Creative writing anthology - Emergence

Despite everything going on in the world, the seasons keep changing, and we're slowly heading towards spring again. This time last year we invited entries for our wildlife creative writing anthology, which had the theme of Awakenings. We selected a number of your poems and short pieces that reflected different aspects of the beauty and diversity of wildlife in Sussex. Thank you to everyone who sent in entries and to MA student Lucy Townsend who coordinated the project.

This year, we’re seeking your creative writing entries again, and our theme is 'Emergence'. By this we mean, whatever brings you joy in the natural world as it emerges - from the dawn chorus, to Daffodils or sticky buds, catkins or frogspawn to Fox cubs or butterflies. Or even you, emerging from winter, embracing the lighter mornings and welcoming the dawn chorus.

But we're also after something short and sweet - wild snapshots if you like. We are inviting entries of haiku poems, any poem of up to 14 lines long, or a piece of micro-fiction (maximum 150 words).

We’d like to encourage anyone to enter who is interested, no experience necessary and any age is fine. Please include your age if under 16 years old. 

We’re offering a free Creative Nature Writing webinar on Tuesday 8th February at 7.30pm with Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Writer–in-Residence Louise Kenward. Sign up here.

Helping us to make the selection from all entries for the anthology will be poet and Frogmore Press editorial board member, Rachel Playforth..

Your work must be original and previously unpublished. The closing date for entries is Monday 28 Feb 2022. One entry per person please.

Upload your work here

More on Haiku

For those unfamiliar with haiku – it is a form of Japanese poetry made of short, unrhymed lines that evoke nature and the seasons and often contrast two things. Haiku can come in a variety of different formats but the most common is a three-line poem with a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. 

Examples of haiku poems

Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)

An old silent pond.

A frog jumps into the pond,

splash! Silence again.

Autumn moonlight-

a worm digs silently

into the chestnut.

Yosa Buson (1716-1784)

A summer river being crossed

how pleasing

with sandals in my hands!

In the moonlight,

The colour and scent of the wisteria

Seems far away.

Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828)

Everything I touch

with tenderness, alas,

pricks like a bramble.