20 Somethings

A collection of 20-29 poems from writers ages 20-29ish. The poems will be paired with essays relevant to the culture of modern double-decadians.

UPDATE 8 AUGUST: I've had to take some time offline to move and fix my computer. I decided to hold back the project from the current cycle of WeBook voting so that we could present something more polished than what we've got right now. I have not cut off submissions, even though we have 10 times more than the minimum number of poetry entries for this project. Why? You never know when something great is going to pop up. Also, we still need non-fiction entries.

Once I get to whittling down the entries to the final list of pieces the respective authors will be notified. My final list is probably going to have 35 entries, 25 primaries and 10 alternates (in case the author cannot be contacted)

Keep in mind that your opinion can still be heard with this project. Just send me a message if you think a piece (other than your own) really stands out from the crowd.

We do have a large number of entries, and I understand that makes the project difficult to navigate. Hang in there, slog through, and I'm sure the WeBook people will make all the technical adjustments necessary to make everything run smoothly.

Thanks,
-The Management.

What I'm looking to do is put together a poetry collection that captures a strange demographic. The experience of the modern 20 something is unique to our age (as I imagine it has been for every generation over the past 200 years or so). I'd like to capture the spectrum of experience. I'm specifically looking for introspective poetry, pieces that capture the struggle of an age in which the divide between youth and adulthood is unsure, values are complicated, and regret is inevitable. The poetry does not have to be biographical, but should express itself through themes familiar to the experience of 20 somethings. The definition of poetry is loose, I'll consider artsy prose, if you feel so inclined to submit them as part of the poetic portion of this project.

Each poem will be accompanied by an essay discussing the topic or sentiment of the poem as it relates to those who entered adulthood around the start of the millennium. Topics can vary, examples: love, relationships, aging, expectations, work, technology, and so forth. I want to try to capture the tone of the time, the world young people are coming into. The speed at which technology is increasing has changed the way we interact with the world. America has a 50% divorce rate, what is love today? What is promiscuity? With modern travel, what constitutes a family and how are families formed? What role does religion play? How do these things pertain to people in their twenties? Essays do not have to be written by the same author as the paired poem, but the two writers (if different) should certainly discuss their themes and work closely together and with me to ensure the quality of pairings and to limit redundancy of essay topics if not the poetry itself. Oh yeah, essays can be biographical.

Requirements: Basically, if you were born between 1975 and 1988, then you're eligible for this project. All poetry will be considered, however I think that 100-1000 words will probably be the sweet spot. Essays should range between 1000 and 5000 words. Honestly, if you're plopping out 5000 words on a topic then you should probably just go ahead and write a book about it... show off. I should warn ahead of time that I mostly hate poetry, but at least you know you'll get an honest opinion. Total length of the book will probably be between 60 and 100 pages, depending on how long the individual pieces end up being. Less

Sign-Up or Login to Start Writing

Book Info

Project Forums

OVERVIEW

20 Somethings

20 Somethings

Start Reading