The following request has been received from the United States. Authors of short stories or poems for children are urged to contact Jane Kurtz direct.

Dear Fellow Author,

Last spring, I proposed an idea for an anthology that would help young readers in the USA connect (at least in some small way) with Africa, where I grew up. The anthology is finally under contract at Greenwillow/HarperCollins, and I am interested in receiving some stories and poems for possible inclusion, particularly from South or North Africa (because I'm looking for some regional balance and already have authors submitting from East and West Africa). Here are a few details:

From talking with a number of US librarians, it seems clear that Africa appears in the U.S. school curriculum most often during the middle school years, so work should be geared for readers in about 6th-9th grades, ages 12-15.

Rebecca Davis, the Greenwillow editor, and I are thinking in terms of stories about 10-12 pages long, and we also hope to use several poems. Payment will be $500 U.S. dollars for stories selected and $50 for poetry.

We're setting a general due date of March 1 and would appreciate hearing
soon from anyone who is planning to submit work.

The anthology will have three sections, one of which will be stories and poems that show the lives of children in Africa who are about the same age as the readers of the anthology, 12-15.

I'm interested in stories that show the beauty and laughter and joy of life in Africa as well as those that speak of difficult issues.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Stories can be sent via
e-mail or by post to Jane Kurtz, English Department, University of North
Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA 58202-7209.

Jane Kurtz
http://www.janekurtz.com

(Circulated by Jay Heale, SACBF)