The SAQA Florida Region presents a multi-disciplinary collaborative project to celebrate Florida’s waters as part of the 2022 SAQA Annual Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida. Poets are invited to submit poetry related to Florida underwater life: fish, sea creatures, water and its movement or other related concepts. “We welcome poetry that is lighthearted, contemplative, descriptive, satirical or intended for social/environmental commentary or expressing any other point of view.”

This is such a unique and incredible collaborative project mixing poetry and textile art I wanted to know more, so I interviewed SAQA member and volunteer Bobbi Baugh to find out more. See my interview with Baugh and a link to submission guidelines below.

BAUGH: This is a collaborative project between textile artists who are members of Studio Art Quilt Associates and poets. SAQA frequently produces catalogs and anthologies of its members art quilts. Our hope with this project is to enhance the artistic quality by adding submissions from poets.

HOPKINSON: How/why was OyeDrum originally started?

BAUGH: The Global conference for SAQA will be held in St. Petersburg, Florida, In the spring of 2022. As the state hosting the conference, we are planning a number of exhibits and events to be part of that conference. Publishing a year earlier, in Spring of 2021, our book will help to stir interest in the event to worldwide SAQA members and introduce the creativity of the Florida region to textile artists everywhere. SAQA has as its mission the promotion of art quilts as a fine art medium and promotion and encouragement of art quilt artists. This fits into our educational purpose.

HOPKINSON: Who is your target reader audience?

BAUGH: People who are interested in textiles, people who are art lovers, people who are interested in Florida wildlife and underwater life.

HOPKINSON: What type of work are you looking for?

BAUGH: We are asking for short poems, using the length of a sonnet as a maximum. Shorter is fine. Visually, the book will feature images of underwater life created by the artists along with poems, sometimes both on a page together. So, short poems will be best.

Just a note of explanation: Poets are not being asked to respond to a particular textile artwork. (Even we haven’t seen them all yet! Still arriving.) Just trust your muse to inspire the work, and textile artists will do the same. The project volunteers will put them all together creatively.

HOPKINSON: What do you wish you’d see submitted, but rarely comes in?

BAUGH: I have received a lot of light-hearted work. I would love to dive deeper – works about what it’s like to be a fish or an underwater creature. These could be lyrical, contemplative or commentary.

HOPKINSON: What are some of your favorite lit mags/journals?

BAUGH: For journals and magazines I read SAQA Journal and Art Quilt Quarterly. I enjoy reading fiction and poetry in Sun. For poetry I am most likely to turn (and return) to favorite books.

HOPKINSON: What is your favorite part of being on staff with Fresh Fish?

BAUGH: All of the volunteers are SAQA members – about as energetic and creative a group of folks as one could find. Reaching out into the world of poets is a new venture for us. I am excited at the prospects of the collaboration.

HOPKINSON: Where can we send submissions?

BAUGH: SAQAFlaPoetryProject@gmail.com.

HOPKINSON: If someone has a question, how can they contact you?

BAUGH: SAQAFlaPoetryProject@gmail.com.

Click here to read submission guidelines.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: October 31, 2020

THEME: Poetry related to Florida underwater life: fish, sea creatures, water and its movement or other related concepts.

FORMAT: conference exhibit, print, ebook

SUBMISSION FEE: None

PAYMENT: None

FORMS: poetry

SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram

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