Thank you for your interest in submitting work for consideration for the Blacklandia anthology on Black mental health edited by Romaine Washington

The goal of this anthology is to help destigmatize the topic of mental health in the Black community. We are looking for original, previously unpublished poems, essays, stories, and artwork on the theme of Black mental health in its various aspects. From seeking counseling to being a counselor, from having friends or relatives who struggle with mental wellness to personal struggles, we invite you to submit. Here are some topic examples, but it is not an exhaustive list, so if you have a topic and a story, poem, or essay, we want to hear from you. Topics may include anger management, post-traumatic slave syndrome, schizophrenia, depression, PTSD, ADHD, ADD, autism, suicide…

According to Pew Research, the suicide rate rose 144% among 10- to 17-year-olds who are Black, from 2007 to 2020. New federal data shows that the suicide rate among Black youth ages 10 to 19 surpassed that of their White peers for the first time in 2022. Increased suicide among the elderly is another crisis. In 2023 the U.S. surgeon General Loneliness and isolation are an epidemic. These are just some of the alarming statistics that indicate an urgent need to reach out and share our experiences.

Quality: We are looking for well-written, insightful, submissions. Vulnerability and honesty are important. No clichés, and no CHAT GPT generated stories, essays or poems. You will be asked to sign a form declaring the work you have submitted is your own original, personal writing.

Submission dates and details.

Submission opens March 1, 2025, and closes July 31, 2025. 

All work must be submitted through Submittable. No Submission Fee.

The proposed publication month is May 2026. 

Length: All submissions must be in Times New Roman 12 pt. font. 

5 poems or pages whichever comes first.

Stories, and essays length 7 pages. You can submit up to three essays or stories.

All work submitted must be original, no Chat GPT, AI… You must verify by declaring the work you have submitted is your own original work and there are no AI enhancements.

The 2025 Hillary Gravendyk Prize 

Sponsored by Inlandia Institute and published by Inlandia Books

One National and one Regional Winner will each be awarded $1000 and book publication.

The Hillary Gravendyk Prize is an open poetry book competition for all writers regardless of the number of previously published poetry collections. The manuscript page limit is 48 - 100 pages, and the press invites all styles and forms of poetry. Only electronic submissions accepted via Inlandia’s Submittable portal. Entries must be received online by April 30, 2025 at midnight Pacific Standard Time. Reading fee is $20. The winners will be announced late Summer/Fall 2025, for publication in 2026.

The competition was created in memory of the late Inland Empire poet, Hillary Gravendyk, who passed away in 2014.

HILLARY GRAVENDYK (1979-2014) was a beloved poet living and teaching in Southern California’s “Inland Empire” region. She wrote the acclaimed poetry book, HARM from Omnidawn Publishing (2012) and the poetry collection The Naturalist (Anchiote Press, 2008). A native of Washington State, she was an admired Assistant Professor of English at Pomona College in Claremont, CA. Her poetry has appeared widely in journals such as American Letters & Commentary, The Bellingham Review, The Colorado Review, The Eleventh Muse, Fourteen Hills, MARY, 1913: A Journal of Forms, Octopus Magazine, Tarpaulin Sky and Sugar House Review. She was awarded a 2015 Pushcart Prize for her poem "Your Ghost," which appeared in the Pushcart Prize Anthology. She leaves behind many devoted colleagues, friends, family and beautiful poems. Hillary Gravendyk passed away on May 10, 2014 after a long illness. This contest has been established in her memory.

The details: One contest, two prizes, each award is granted publication and $1000: All entrants will be considered for the National Prize, and entrants who currently reside or work in Inland Southern California, the “Inland Empire,” will also be considered for the Regional Prize (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, and any non-coastal Southern California area, from Death Valley in the northernmost region to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in the southernmost). If you believe you reside or work in an area that falls within the I.E., please select the “Yes, I reside in the I.E.” checkbox on the Submittable form, or if you’re not sure, please contact the Inlandia Institute at Inlandia@InlandiaInstitute.org.) In addition, the editors may select one or more additional books for publication.

Eligibility: Any American writer may enter the contest, with the exception of current colleagues and/or students, close friends, or family of the judge. Additionally, anyone currently serving in the Inlandia Institute in the last two years, either as an employee or on the Inlandia Institute Board of Directors, or is a close family member of the above, is not eligible.

Manuscript Requirements: Please submit 48-100 pages of poetry through our Submittable portal as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf. 

***Submissions are read without identifying information.***Do not include your name or any identifiable information on the manuscript itself.*** Do not include a cover page.***Do not attach an acknowledgements page.*** 

No revisions to the manuscript are allowed while the contest is running; however, if your manuscript is selected for publication, revisions may be submitted at that time. Please use a standard 11 or 12 point font. If there is a significant amount of non-standard formatting, please submit as a PDF to ensure formatting remains intact. Individual poems may have been published in journals, anthologies, chapbooks, etc., but the collection as a whole must be unpublished.

Submission fee: $20 per manuscript. Multiple submissions accepted but a separate entry fee is required for each manuscript submitted. Simultaneous submissions also accepted. If accepted elsewhere, please formally withdraw your manuscript from consideration via the Submittable portal.

Prize: Each winner will receive $1000, 20 copies of their book, and a standard book contract.

The manuscripts will be screened by MFA students from local colleges and universities.

Inlandia Institute is a literary nonprofit and publishing house based in Inland Southern California dedicated to celebrating the region in word, image, and sound. Hillary Gravendyk Prize winners have gone on to win other post-publication prizes, including Rachelle Cruz's 2016 God's Will for Monsters, which received an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation.

Hillary Gravendyk Prize winners to date include Meg Reynolds, Anna Zumbahlen, Jennifer MacKenzie, Elizabeth Galoozis, Will Barnes, Tiffany Elliott, Angelica Maria Barraza, Alexandra Martinez, Michael Samra, Jonathan Maule, Bronwen Tate, Adam Martinez, Michelle Peñaloza, Elizabeth Cantwell, Malcolm Friend, Rachelle Cruz, Marco Maisto, Kenji C. Liu, and Angela Peñaredondo.