Call for Submissions:
Gathering – An Anthology of Grief, Ritual and Remembrance

 

Edited by Rayanne Haines

How do we gather when someone we love dies?

Gathering – An Anthology of Grief, Ritual and Remembrance is seeking submissions for a forthcoming anthology of creative nonfiction and poetry exploring multicultural end-of-life ceremonies, grief rituals, and artistic mourning practices. This collection will gather work from diverse voices that document, question, and honour the ways communities navigate death and remembrance.

Submission Deadline: November 1, 2026
Estimated Publication: Fall 2027

About the Project
This anthology examines grief not only as an emotion but as something shaped by ceremony, culture, art, spirituality, and community. We are particularly interested in:

• Cultural and familial end-of-life traditions

• Non-institutional or non-colonial grief practices

• Rituals practised in homes and communities outside formal religious institutions

• The impact of colonialism on mourning ceremonies and cultural practices

• Reclaiming or reimagining ceremony

• Stories of artistic responses to grief (song, textile, visual art, altar-making, storytelling, performance, etc.)

• Anticipatory grief and long-term remembrance practices

This project aims to create a meaningful cultural artifact that strengthens grief literacy, builds cross-cultural understanding, and honours ceremony as a form of collective care.

We recognize the complexities of ambiguous loss, and disenfranchised grief. Reflections of ceremonies exploring this kind of loss have a place in this anthology.  

Who Should Submit
We invite writers of diverse cultural, spiritual, and religious backgrounds to share personal stories, research-informed creative work, and lived experiences. Writers based in Canada only.

• A minimum of 60% of contributors will be based in Alberta.

• The remaining contributors will be selected from across Canada.

• Indigenous writers and writers from global majority communities are strongly encouraged to submit.

• We welcome both emerging and established writers.

Why This Anthology Matters
In a time when many are navigating layered personal and collective losses, this project seeks to create space for gathering and shared witness. By documenting diverse grief practices and ceremonies, we aim to preserve cultural knowledge, elevate underrepresented voices, and foster dialogue within and across communities.

Grief is universal, but how we carry it is familial and cultural. This anthology is an invitation to speak into that space


Click on the link for full submission guidelines and to SUBMIT