Issue One: The Maghreb in/and History

“MOORINGS” is a print journal founded by members of the Medi-Café creative writing project alumni. For its first issue, Moorings takes cue from all the key historical, cultural and artistic issues related to the literature, oral and written, of the Maghreb, and which has a long history rooted in the Maghreb’s famous diverse artistic and cultural traditions.

Maghrebian literature is becoming an institutionalized body of study and debate within the spheres of education and interpretation. Maghrebian literature in English, though, has the sense of being relatively young, almost unripe in its theme and forms, yet which seems to rapidly contribute to the most recent accompaniments to global literary society.

“Moorings” mirrors its writers’ drive for self-articulation, creative expression and the hunt for a common identity, which are central constituents of the Maghreb’s cultural geography. Such cultural geography of Maghrebian literature is characterized by rich and numerous traditions and contexts. The fact is that while it is easier to talk in this context about a unified self, creativity on such a huge geographic scale takes place in different dialects, drawing on a mixture of ethnic, national, and regional traditions; The Maghreb is a combination of many countries, polities, and styles. Moorings literary journal is projected to arrest these varied traditions, now disseminated globally through English, while at the same time recognizing the things they have in common.

MOORINGS features writers in fiction, non-fiction and poetry. All styles are welcome! You could send us submissions of up to 5 previously unpublished poems, (non)fiction test (800 words maximum). Each issue will touch on a theme that should bring us closer to the understanding of the Maghreb.

Our theme for our 2010 first issue is The Maghreb and/in History. The submissions should embark upon issues of Maghrebian identity construction through its history, and feature poems, non-fiction works and stories that fall within the scope of colonial history, of artistic, literary and cultural representation of the Maghreb’s history, and historiography and the degree of its interaction with and influence on political, social and cultural spheres.

Any other topic that falls within the flexible reach of this theme is accepted. We very much welcome non-Maghrebian writers and encourage them to share their experiences, stories and views via this literary veranda.

For submission information and guidelines, contact us at: mooringsliteraryreview@gmail.com