Alphabet City Submissions

Water

Alphabet City no. 14 (2009). Water is the chemical matrix required for life, the molecular chain that connects all organisms on this planet. Today the Earth's water–transportation conduit, industrial feedstock, agricultural necessity–is coming under new pressures. From the nano (eg, the migration of pharmaceutical molecules through the hydrological system) to the macro (a ballooning global population combined with climate change means intensified competition for this already scarce resource), water is at risk. Examining every aspect of H2O, from the mythic to the infrastructural, WATER considers the current state of this most vital substance. We invite submissions on these and any other aspects of water.

Air

Alphabet City no. 15 (2010). The thin layer of atmosphere that clings to the surface our planet is a limited and corruptible aether. Air is in constant, restless migration around the globe, connecting us in the most intimate fashion. Air currents now bring Saharan sands that turn China yellow and smog from Chinese factories hovers over Los Angeles. Smog itself has a rich history, literary and otherwise, since we have been cloaking our cities in it since at least the 19th century. Air has thus long been the ultimate commons. Breathing air an autonomous function of the brainstem, but keeping the air breathable requires acts of political will. The current state of the planet's air poses a challenge to international governance in an era that has seen globalization erode the regulatory capacities of nation-states. We invite submissions on these and any other aspects of air.

SPORTS

Description coming soon.

SCHOOL

SCHOOL description coming soon.

CHINA

CHINA description coming soon.

Alphabet City

Alphabet City challenges us to rethink ideas central to our lives. With each edition writers and artists address a single theme from many perspectives, revealing its processes and possibilities.

Alphabet City appears every October in the form of an anthology co-published with The MIT Press, an arts and ideas festival in Toronto each October, and alphabet-city.org. AbC invites proposals for each of these venues. Space in the anthology is limited, and submissions for FUEL should be made–through our online registration site:

projects.alphabet-city.org

For the best chance at consideration, proposals should be sent as soon as possible. Anthology proposals should be received by January 2008. Proposals for the festival and web site should be received by April 2008.