PROJECT UPDATE 29 APRIL 2024: We are delighted to have sent out notification of our full acceptances – amazing work out of over 500 submissions. Congratulations to everyone! We really look forward to working on the anthology with our publisher Arlen House over the coming months!
PROJECT UPDATE 21 APRIL 2024: We have started the process of responding to each submission individually. We received over 500 submissions and we appreciate your patience – we know how hard it is to wait to hear back! We will continue responding over the coming weeks and thank you all once again.
PROJECT UPDATE 13 MARCH 2024: Due to the success of our open call for the Brigid 1500 funded Holy Cows project, we received a huge number of submissions from across the world. We are honoured that you have trusted us with your work. We will now be in touch with everyone who submitted during the month of April 2024. Thank you for your patience!
SUBMISSIONS UPDATE 13 Feb 2024: HOLY COWS: THE RED BOOK OF KILDARE is now closed for submissions. The panel is truly grateful and overwhelmed with such a wealth of work from all across the world. Expect to hear back from the panel by March 15th.
CALL OUT: We are looking for personal responses to the themes of the Sacred Feminine, Brigid, and the Heritage of Kildare. (Responses might explore the themes as linked, or as individual themes.) The anthology will be published by Arlen House and launched at Kildare Readers Festival October 2024 as part of Brigid 1500 Celebrations. We hope this anthology will become a source book and a tonic. All genres of writing and visual art welcome. Collaborative submissions also welcome.
Be honest; tell your truth. Crash the clichés! Surprise us.
Submission Guidelines: Please read and follow the below guidelines carefully!
How to submit:
- Submit unpublished work (online or otherwise) by email to HolyCowsRedBook@gmail.com as an attachment.
- All submissions are read anonymously so please do not have any personal identifiers on your manuscript or art work (any work that does can not be considered for the anthology)
- Please put Poetry or Prose or Visual Art in the subject title – as appropriate to your work.
- Include a brief 50-word biography in the body of your email.
What to submit:
- Prose: up to 2,000 words, in .doc, .docx, or pdf.
- Poetry: up to 3 poems (no longer than 40 lines, excluding title) in .doc, .docx, or pdf.
- Visual Art: submissions in jpeg. 2MB; 300 dpi; minimum 2000 pixels in width and height.
When to submit: Submissions will be accepted between Monday 22nd January and Monday 12th February 2024 only. No work can be considered outside these dates.
Submissions Response:
- All submissions will be acknowledged by email.
- Successful applicants will be informed by email before Friday 15th March 2024.
- The decision of the editorial panel is final.
- The editorial panel is not in a position to enter into correspondence about submissions or to give any feedback.
- Successful applicants will receive a small fee for their work and one paperback copy of the anthology.
This Project is gratefully funded by a 2024 Brigid 1500 and Kildare County Council Community and Creative Arts Grant.
Shauna Gilligan Writer 
Does the work have to be about the sacred feminine AND Brigid and Kildare or would an experience of the sacred feminine that has taken place somewhere else be acceptable?
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Hi Mary Gene, Thank you for taking the time to comment. The call covers three themes – sacred feminine, Brigid, and Kildare – so submissions may speak to all three or one or two of themes. I hope this helps!
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May we submit one prose piece and 1-3 poems?
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Multiple submissions are permitted, e.g. poetry and art/ poetry and prose. Many thanks for your interest!
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Great idea. A question: Are you open to both fiction and non-fiction prose?
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Thank you for your comment. Yes, the call is open to fiction and non-fiction. All types of prose within the word limits.
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Hi Shauna, Could you please clarify the size of the image for a visual art work. Is the 2MB; 300dpi max or min size required?
Is 2000pixels minimum 2000 width x 2000 height?
thank you
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Thanks for the question. I’ll come back with more detail, but send on what you have and I’ll be back once I consult with the panel.
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Hi again, it’s not the work itself but the image of the work the MB measurements refer to, so maybe think of it as the size of the file. The pixels is the dimensions itself, which is the minimum required. Thanks a mill.
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Can the poem be previously published? It doesn’t say it can’t.
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Thanks for the question. The guidelines specifically say unpublished work only: “Submit unpublished work (online or otherwise) by email to HolyCowsRedBook@gmail.com as an attachment.”. Best of luck!
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Hi Shauna. Is there a time deadline on Monday,12th or is anytime before midnight okay. Thanks.
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See previous reply. Thanks again for the comment and interest.
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Hi Shauna. Is there a time deadline on Monday, 12th or is any time before midnight okay? Thanks.
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Before midnight on 12th is just fine. Thanks for the question!
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Hi Shauna, I am an Indian writer, not of European ancestry/ residence. Will you accept submissions for this anthology from international writers?
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Thanks for the comment. We welcome all submissions on any or all of the three themes as outlined in the submissions call. We look forward to your submission.
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Hi Shauna,
Should all poems be in one document or separate files each?
Thank you.
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Thanks for the reply. Either will do – just please save the files by using the titles of the poems.
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I am unable to find any result (acceptance/rejection) for submissions. Have decisions now been made? I’d appreciate an update. Thanks.
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Final decisions will be made prior to end of this month (April) as per update, so please don’t worry if you haven’t heard from us yet. You will. We will respond to each person who submitted! Thank you for your patience.
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