the book of hellos & Goodbyes
An Anthology of Moments to Remember
submissions will open december 21
a sister anthology to unsent love letters published 2022
“Somewhere between hello & goodbye, there was love. So much love.”
- f a r a w a y
Do you remember when you first said hello? Do you remember that final goodbye? Do those moments replay in your mind like scenes from a film?
What if I were to ask you to tell me those stories of hellos and goodbyes?
What moments come to mind?
Hellos and goodbyes are the threads that weave our stories together. They hold the weight of new beginnings and the lingering echos of parting, each one a small universe of emotion.
Write them down. Let those moments live for longer than a brief second in your mind.
I invite you to share your true hellos and goodbyes— to capture them in the form that speaks to you, be it poetry, prose, narrative, or your own unique interpretation— and share them here.
In this anthology, we will use these threads to knit a tapestry of the human experience— and in turn— connect those from all over the world to say—
These moments are worth remembering.
Submissions for the Winter chapter will open Dec. 21, 2024 - March 20, 2025.
Spring chapter submissions will open next.
Submission Guidelines:
Winter Chapter - Collection 1 of 4 - Submissions will OPEN Dec. 21, 2024 - March 20, 2025.
Spring Chapter - Collection 2 of 4 - March 20 - June 21, 2025.
Summer Chapter - Collection 3 of 4 - June 21 - Sept. 22, 2025.
Autumn Chapter - Collection 4 of 4 - Sept. 22 - December 21, 2025.
Submission is free.
There is no financial compensation for inclusion in this anthology.
Submission is not a guarantee of acceptance.
Please limit your entries to ONE Hello and/or ONE Goodbye per chapter.
There is no age limit.
At all times you retain copyright to your work and can publish it elsewhere.
You may submit text in any language, however, you must include an English translation.
You agree to allow minor editing to your work, in the case of spelling/grammar/clarity/ excessive explicit language. If the submission needs substantial editing, you will be contacted by email with suggestions to edit and re-submit the original draft. If you do not agree to edit or to have editing done on your work you may withdraw your submission.
You agree that your submission does not include fraudulent, unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, offensive, pornographic, profane, sexually explicit or indecent content.
Entries must be the writer’s original and unpublished work.
AI or Chat GBT use is not permitted.
There is no minimum word count.
Text submissions can be up to 2,000 words, however, longer submissions will still be considered.
All submissions will be read by R. Clift and ~80 total will be chosen to be included in this anthology.
Text submitted must not infringe upon anyone’s copyright.
Text submissions that are deemed to be works of plagiarism will not be considered.
By submitting, you give R. Clift Poetry permission to quote excerpts of all selected text submissions in external communications, advertising media, individual prints, and social media/email marketing.
All personal details provided will be collected in alignment with our Privacy Policy: https://rcliftpoetry.com/privacy-policy
Since this will be a fairly large publication, we cannot provide free paperback copies to authors included in the anthology.
All authors included in the anthology will receive a free ebook of the publication.
You may request to withdraw your submission at any time before December 31st, 2025.
You understand that these some of these submissions are based on anonymity, no full names will be published in the book. Every author and those written about will be referred to only as first names, initials, nick names, or pen names.
You will be allowed to disclose your own piece and inclusion in the anthology publicly, but you understand that R. Clift will not reveal the authors of these submissions unless express permission is granted.
Submission of a written piece implies the author’s acceptance of the submission guidelines and terms and conditions located in the submission form.
If your piece(s) is selected to be published, you will be notified by email. At the time of release, you will receive a free eBook copy of the book.
