The IAWE promotes writing in English in Israel through IAWE publications and readings. We give support to local English-language writers, strengthen overseas ties for Israeli writers by translations and publicity, and participate in the Israel Federation of Writers Unions.
Since 1982, we have published an annual journal, the arc, a continuing literary showcase featuring members of the IAWE and other citizens and residents of Israel. Our newsletter, aChord, is available to all and is a means of connecting IAWE members with all who write in English. Our anthology, English Poetry from Israel, presents a sampling of poetry culled from the first several issues of the annual journal. Please scroll down to read more about these publications.
Our Association acts as a bridge between Israeli society and the cultures of other English-speaking countries. We promote translations of works from English into Hebrew, encourage translations from the main languages spoken in Israel into English, and we endeavor to create multi-lingual dialogues. Our members are active in honing and promoting the work of younger writers in English in Israel. Additionally, the IAWE hosts visiting writers from English speaking countries.
First published in 1982, arc is a continuing literary showcase featuring members of the IAWE (Israel Association of Writers in English) and other citizens and residents of Israel. Because editorship is rotated from one issue to the next, arc demonstrates how aesthetic tastes and concerns vary even within the English-speaking community of Israel. Please visit our arc archives here to learn about past issues.
arc: submission guidelines
arc is not currently open for submissions. The call for submissions to our next issue, when the time comes, will be sent to our mailing list (subscribe here). The guidelines for arc 30 may differ from those used for arc 29, which are shown below:
The theme for this issue is community in complexity. We encourage you to be creative in your interpretation of the theme. Citizens and residents of Israel are especially encouraged to submit work.
arc 29 is looking for:
Poetry up to 60 lines per poem. Please send in 3-5 poems.
Short fiction up to 1500 words
Flash fiction up to 500 words. You may send up to three submissions if the total word count does not exceed 1500 words.
Nonfiction essays up to 1500 words
Translated work from any language into English. Please make sure that you have permission to publish your translations.
Only unpublished work. Any work that appears on a personal blog or has been submitted in a workgroup is acceptable. Please send in only one submission per genre. Copyright remains with the author, but we reserve the right to republish your work in any form. Send in a Word file without your name on it. Include a short third-person bio under 75 words. Please include your name, street address, email address and telephone number in the body of your email.
The editors are under no obligation to accept any particular submission, and their decision is final. At this time the IAWE cannot pay contributors for work published. Each contributor will receive a copy of the issue.
Our newsletter, aChord, is available to all and is a means of connecting IAWE members with all who write in English. Click the covers below to view and download the issue. In “The Evolution of Our Title,” David Brauner, aChord’s editor, describes the logo of the newsletter:
“A chord is a straight line that connects two points on a circle’s circumference, creating an arc. Have a look at our oval logo and the aChord font and you’ll see chords. Unlike a tangent, a straight line that barely touches a circle and goes off into space, a chord creates space within a circle. That’s the place that our IAWE members will fill with short verse and prose, with glimpses into our writing lives and literary successes, and our joys in reading and publishing. aChord is also a pun on two words: a chord and accord. In a world filled with discord, our newsletter is hoped to be the IAWE’s sounding board for sharing our ideas and ideals in words and pictures among ourselves and with others out there. We also hope to see loads of lighter notes, chords that will achieve harmony and, indeed, a little more concord.”
English Poetry from Israel
Culled from the first several issues of arc, this anthology presents a sampling of poets writing in English in Israel. Of various backgrounds and native cultures, they left their homelands of their own choice, not because of a tragic past, hostile government or social persecution. And yet, at some level, they remain foreigners within this community: often a unique opportunity for independence and perspective.
Edited by Karen Alkalay-Gut, Lois Unger and Zygmunt Frankel. Cover illustration by Zygmunt Frankel.
Published by the IAWE, P.O. Box 39385, 61393 Tel Aviv, Israel. 72 pp.
ISBN 965 222 767 6
