Submissions Open for VS' Roll Call: A Black Poetry Radio Hour

Roll Call is a 4–5 episode miniseries of the VS podcast dedicated to the past, present, and future of Black poetry. It will be a submission-based, anthology-style show collecting audio-based, hour-long, content from Black poets, scholars, and creators from across the diaspora—that could be you! 

We are offering  a space to explore histories both hyper-local and transnational, to spotlight urgent and emergent conversations in contemporary poetry, and to trouble the Black literary imagination across boundaries of identity and time. No prior experience in podcasting, audio production, or editing necessary!

We envision a series in which episodes span both content and form! Some examples of possible episodes:

• Interviews with Black elders in your local writing community
• Poets responding to archival audio footage of poets from the Black Arts Movement
• A roundtable reading and discussion with Black femme Afro-futurist poets
• Solo and collaborative sound poetry experiments.  
• An episode that looks to multiple sources to try to answer the question, “What is Black trans poetics?”

Individual contributors will be paid $1,000 per episode. Additional costs of production will be covered by the Poetry Foundation, upon approval. VS cohost and Forward Prize winner Danez Smith will select the pitches with a group of Black poets who have been guests on VS. The VS team will match hosts with an audio producer and each episode will have editorial guidance from Smith and  Still Processing cohost and Black Futures editor Jenna Wortham. 

We aim to offer five episodes that dive into the legacy and possibility of Black poetics, all dreamed, researched, and created by you, with funding and production support from the Poetry Foundation. If you have an idea for an episode, or are interested in being a producer for this project, then please send a submission via email to [email protected]!

Submission Details
Your submission should include as much of the following as possible:

• Name(s), email(s), pronouns(s) and short bio(s) of host(s)/producer;
• Geographic location; 
• If you are pitching an episode:
  • A description of the episode including format, title, and potential interviewee(s); 
  • A paragraph on why you want to make this episode(s)/how it expands our understanding of Black poetic tradition and innovation;
  • a 1–3 min sample audio introduction to the episode (a voice memo is fine!)** 
    • ** If you are unable to access recording equipment, we will consider the submission of scripts no longer than 1,000 words.
  • A paragraph on why you want to be involved in this project;
  • Optional inclusions: self-identification of race and/or ethnicity, self identification of gender, links to samples of your work 
• If you are applying to produce:
  • Links to past audio work, a resume, or description of past audio work, if applicable.
  • A paragraph on why you want to be involved in this project;
  • Optional inclusions: self-identification of race and/or ethnicity, self identification of gender, links to samples of your work 

Submissions should be in English and hosts should plan for majority-English audio.

Email submissions and questions to [email protected] 

Deadline to submit: January 17, 2021

—The VS Team