Submission Guidelines:

Open to all writers.
Must be 99 words or 99 syllables (see list above).
Must include the theme “fire.”
Must be original and not published elsewhere (including personal blogs or social media).
Accepted May 1 through May 31, 2023, ending at midnight.
Writers may submit up to three entries of one style or a mixture.
Submit all of your submissions (up to three) at one time in the body of a single email. Do not send attachments.
Submissions are only accepted at: campfirejournal@gmail.com. Include the submission in the body of the email.
All submissions will receive a notification of receipt. Not all submissions will be selected.
Terms of publishing are provided upon acceptance.

When it comes to word count, writing programs can count differently. There’s some that count certain punctuation, such as the em dash, and others that count hyphenated words as one.

Therefore, we recommend using Microsoft Word or WordCounter.

The same is true about syllable counters. For syllables, use Syllable Counter.

Carrot Ranch Literary Community

Around the Campfire is a bi-annual publication of quality fiction, creative non-fiction, memoir, and poetry in the specific styles of 99 words or 99 syllables (Double Ennead).

The literary journal is published in partnership between Gitty Up Press and Unicorn Cats Publishing Services.

🔥 2023 is the first issue. The debut theme is “fire.” 🔥

The estimated publishing date is October, 2023.

A Double Ennead is a syllabic form created for the Carrot Ranch Literary Community. The site features 99-Word stories, and I thought 99-Syllable poetry would be a great addition.

The Double Ennead comprises five lines with a syllable count of 6/5/11/6/5, (33 SYLLABLES per stanza) 3 STANZAS EACH = 99 SYLLABLES, NO MORE, NO LESS! Punctuation and rhyme schemes are optional and up to the poet.

Example:

“Farewell to Another Year”

frigid morn, Autumn kissed—
quiescent fields glow,
tempered with an aura of seasonal flow
the wheel of the year turns
another month lost

under the sun’s frail rays,
hardwood shadows fade,
while frost browned grasses sing anthems to the wind
naked tree limbs tremble,
upright to the end

death’s undulations voiced
leaves fall… orange rain,
bird requiems pay deference to the dead
another harvest done,
spring dreams fill my head

© Colleen M. Chesebro