On January 30, during the first IWA Mentoring Call of 2021, the Immigrant Writers Association (IWA) announced the Call for Submissions for its third anthology.
After expressing our point of views on how immigrant build bridges in the first anthology co-authored by IWA members Building Bridges (published in 2019), IWA’s second anthology (2020) tackled the topic of how we Grow Together. And this year, 2021, we’re Moving Forward!
The IWA’s anthology titles are selected by IWA Board of Directors, based on suggestions from IWA members.

Please find more information below and contact us if you have questions. 

  1. Call For Submissions for Moving Forward Anthology
  2. What We Are Looking For
  3. IWA & Co-Author Agreement
  4. Ready to Join?
  5. Why Become a Co-Author of the Moving Forward Anthology?

1. Call for Submissions for Moving Forward Anthology

Draft Cover

We are looking for submissions for IWA’s third anthology: Moving Forward.

  • We we consider previously published work, we encourage immigrant writers to submit a new and original work for IWA’s 2021 anthology project .
  • Similar to the previous two anthologies published by IWA, each chapter will be from a different co-author (written in the preferred genre). 
  • You’ll find more details about eligibility, responsibilities, terms, and conditions, in the IWA & Co-Author Agreement. To confirm your interest in becoming a co-author of Moving Forward anthology, please read, sign, and initial each page of the IWA & Co-Author Agreement and send it to us by February 15, 2021. If you don’t know how to sign and initial a PDF file, you’ll find some suggestion at the end.
  • You don’t need to have your chapter ready by February 15, 2021. The chapter submission deadline is one month from the signed agreement date.
  • Image on the right is a draft book cover for the Moving Together anthology. As with IWA’s second anthology (Grow Together), the final cover of the 2021 anthology (Moving Forward) will be based on an original painting by internationally renowned artist David Kibuuka (custom order for this book).

2. What We Are Looking For

Like with the previous two anthologies, IWA is looking for works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that reflect the writers’ perspective – as Canadian immigrants – on the anthology topic: Moving Forward (for IWA’s 2021 anthology).

You’re free to choose your chapter’s topic, as long as it fits into the Moving Forward theme.
If you need some ideas as starting points, you’ll find below a list of suggestions that came from IWA members during the book launch event of the second anthology. Any of them could go well with IWA’s 2021 anthology theme Moving Forward:

  • Passage of Time
  • Rediscovering Yourself
  • Finding Your Place/Tribe
  • The Future Is Bright
  • Never Look Back
  • Career Switch 
  • Maintaining a link with your roots
  • The New Life
  • Making the Journey
  • Breaking through
  • Resilience and survival/overcoming.

3. IWA & Co-Author Agreement

Download the agreement for more details about the Co-author and IWA’s responsibilities regarding the Moving Forward anthology. If you have questions or require further information, please contact us.

4. Ready to Join…

… as a Co-author of the Moving Forward anthology project? Here are the next steps:

Grow Together
  • If you have an IWA Class A Memberhip: Send* us the signed agreement by February 15, 2021 and begin writing your chapter.
  • If you have an IWA Class A MemberhipSend* us the signed agreement by February 15, 2021, begin writing your Chapter, and upgrade** to Class A Membership by March 15, 2021, to be considered for this anthology.
  • Not an IWA Member? Please fill out the Membership Application first – choose Class A Membership – and we’ll follow up with you for the next steps.

*OPTIONS to send us the signed agreement if you don’t have a scanner:

  • Upload the agreement (PDF file) to PDF PRO > fill out the required details > sign the agreement online, add your initials on each page > save a copy of the final agreement > send it to us
  • If you have a printer: print the file > add the required details, sign, initial all pages > take pictures of each page (make sure each image captures the full page) > send them to us.

**To upgrade to Class A membership: let us know when you send the agreement (we’ll send you an invoice and payment options).

5. Why Become a Co-Author of the Moving Forward Anthology?

  • To increase your visibility as a writer.
    • As you see in the image below, the IWA’s anthology lists the co-authors names on the Amazon Kindle book page, which automatically links to your own Amazon Author profile. This way, people can discover what other books you already wrote or when you’ll publish new books. If you didn’t publish any book before, you’ll have the chance to create an Amazon Author profile and claim the IWA’s anthology as a book listed in your profile (since you’re a co-author).
    • Even if you didn’t contribute to the other IWA’s anthologies, people care discover your work. By reading any of them and checking the IWA’s Amazon author profile, they can discover the Moving Forward anthology… and your chapter!
    • New opportunities to get your name out as a writer,
  • To learn the steps required to (self-) publish and promote a book.
    • Since IWA is committed to support its members in their writing journey, we’re transparent about every step we take to get this anthology to the publishing line and beyond.
    • There will be monthly mentoring calls with the anthology co-authors. From our experience with the previous anthologies, the process might take longer than expected, and we want to make sure we help Moving Forward anthology to cross the publishing line by the end of 2021.
    • If you didn’t have a Class A membership with IWA before, you’ll receive a free copy of the book How I Launched My First Book to Top the Charts in 7 Countries: Book Marketing Strategies for a Tight Budget, to give you more details and tips about how to launch a book successfully.
  • Leverage the power of being part of a group of like-minded people who understand your struggles, are willing to share what they learned, support each other, ….

This is how your name will show on the Amazon book listing:

Looking forward to unfolding this journey together! 🙂

~ Gabriela Casineanu, IWA President

“Moving Forward” Anthology – Call for Submissions

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