Vita Brevis Poetry Anthology, Volume IV
What is All This Sweet Work? is the fourth volume in Vita Brevis’ poetry anthology series. Having already explored pain, renewal, time, and nature, this collection turns its sights on love and loss, bringing together some of the best emerging and established poets from around the world.
For the first time in nearly five years, Vita Brevis is closed for submission. Read the full story here.
Love’s Philosophy – Percy Bysshe Shelley
The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one spirit meet and mingle.
Why not I with thine?—
See the mountains kiss high heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth
And the moonbeams kiss the sea:
What is all this sweet work worth
If thou kiss not me?
Volume IV is a poetic discourse on LOVE and LOSS from as many people and perspectives as possible. Love poems will be on the left page, loss poems on the right, and throughout the anthology, the reader will see the beauty, gentleness, and pain associated with both.
We’re looking for well-articulated, subtle, and sometimes surprising takes on these often-explored topics. Poetry highlights the nuances of life — the human messiness we can’t fully escape. Love poetry might be about the pain of love, and loss poetry might be about freedom. There are no expectations and there are no limits. Just write something that’s true.
How to Submit to the Anthology
Collect up to five poems that match the theme: Make sure your poems clearly related to either “love” or “loss” (as in the loss of love). If you have poetry that doesn’t match this theme, you can submit it to our online magazine. Also, make sure you look over our Terms and Conditions.Compose an emailInclude: a) Your author or pen name | b) A third-person bio shorter than 50 words | c) Up to five poems in a PDF or text in the body of the email (no doc or docx).
Vita Brevis Press. 