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Call for Translations & Creative Works

In 1845, Sir John Franklin set sail from England with two ships and 128 men, seeking a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through the labyrinth of straits and channels now known as the Canadian Arctic. Neither Franklin nor any of his men returned to England alive. Following Franklin’s death, the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson composed an epitaph for a cenotaph erected for Franklin in Westminster Abbey. Tennyson considered these four short lines one of the best epitaphs he ever wrote:

Not here: the white North has thy bones; and thou, Heroic sailor-soul, Art passing on thine happier voyage now Toward no Earthly pole.

This epitaph captured the hearts of Victorian poets and antiquaries so thoroughly that one of Franklin’s nephews was able to compile a volume of 165 distinct translations of the epitaph, mainly into Latin and Greek. Inspired by these Versus Tennysonianos (“Tennysonian Verses”), published in 1882, we are seeking translations, adaptations, and creative reimaginings of Tennyson’s epitaph to be published as a part of a digital zine. 

Please send all submissions to [email protected] by November 1st, 2025, with all the components of your submission in an appropriate file format (e.g. use .docx files for the text aspects of submissions, and .png files of at least 2000x2000 pixels for images). Your submission should include: 

Your name. (If you prefer not to be named, you may omit #2 and you will be listed as “Anon.”)

A short biography of yourself (not more than 100 words). 

Your translation or adaptation—either text or images or both. 

A short translator’s note (not more than 600 words).

In the spirit of the original volume, we may print up to eight works by any given contributor. We welcome works in all languages and idioms, using all reproducible visual media. In particular, we seek translations that question the hero-worship underpinning Tennyson’s words and the imperialism that forms the foundation of nineteen-century polar exploration such as the Arctic voyages of Franklin. 

We cannot offer financial compensation to translators at this time. In acknowledgement of the harm done by British and American polar explorers to native communities of the circumpolar north—if there is sufficient interest to motivate the production of a physical volume—any proceeds will be donated to the Nunavut Food Bank, the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre, and the Oxen Network. Many thanks to Terror Camp for identifying these organizations. 

Rossier Exchange is back for 2025!

Rossier Exchange is a prompt-based gift exchange focused on Rossier, ie the relationship between James Ross & Francis Crozier of AMC’s The Terror Season 1 (2018)

Sign ups are now open on our AO3 Collection, and will remain open until June 14th!

Signups close: Sat 14 Jun 2025 11:55PM EDT Assignments sent: by Thu June 19th by 11:55PM EST Assignments due: Sat 23 Aug 2025 11:55PM EDT Works revealed: Sun 24 Aug 2025 10:00AM EDT

Poem 1 of December's daily poem challenge.