A Poetry Anthology of Karbala — The Epic of Imam Hussain (as)

This anthology retells the epic of Karbala in verse chronologically: from the journey toward Karbala and the events that set the tragedy in motion, through the encampment and the night of Ashura, to the successive farewells and the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (as) on the Day of Ashura, where the collection closes. Read in order, the poems are meant to read like an epic and carry you through the entire narrative of Karbala as one continuous work.

Seventy-two poems, for the seventy-two. We are gathering seventy-two poems, one for each of those martyred alongside the Imam (as).

How submissions work. Poems are organized into categories by event, personality, or martyrdom (a category for the departure from Madina, one for the mothers of Karbala (as), one for the eve of Ashura, and so on). Each bucket holds a small, fixed number of slots. Current submissions per slot will be indicated so you can choose wisely to write to different buckets and increase the likelihood of your poem to be accepted for a bucket. Choose the bucket your poem belongs to. We deliberately collect more than we publish, so submitting to an open bucket is an invitation to be considered, not a guarantee of selection. Editors sequence the final selection into a single, cohesive epic.

What we're looking for. Poems in any form; narrative pieces tied to a specific event or martyrdom, or lyric poems centred on a single personality. Form poems and free verse are all welcome. Write in English, with reverence; let the grief and the dignity carry the line. We preserve the text of your poem exactly as you write it.

Length. No more than two pages per poem, many will be shorter. Longer poems will only be considered as exceptions. Three poems per submission.

Original work & rights. Original, previously unpublished work is preferred. If your poem has appeared elsewhere, you must hold the rights to license it and disclose the prior publication. Accepted poets sign a written grant of publication rights for the anthology and retain copyright in their own poems.

Recognition. Contributors receive a byline and short biography in the book and complimentary copies of the published anthology, planned for Muharram 2027.