Being Human in the Age of AI –
Project Description, Prompt,
and Complete Submission Guidelines

ABOUT THE PROJECT

St. Ambrose University College of Arts and Sciences, Galvin Fine Arts, and the Midwest Writing Center (MWC) are partnering on a series of events and a publication around the theme of “Being Human in the Age of AI.” (more on the theme below, including the prompt).

For this project, we are looking for submissions of poetry (30 lines max.) and flash prose (fiction or nonfiction, 500 words max.). Submissions are open September 1, and close on December 1 (see complete guidelines below). MWC will select the strongest works (approx. 20-30) for publication in an anthology, to be published by MWC Press in April 2025. All contributors to the anthology will receive $100 for their work in addition to two copies of the anthology, and the opportunity to record their work for a podcast. Selections will be announced in early January 2025.

Then, all contributors will have the opportunity to read their work during the “Speak Your Peace” event at Galvin Fine Arts on Friday, January 31, where they will have a chance to win up to $500 in a contest decided by audience members. Contributors will have the opportunity to record their works for a podcast prior to the event, and the event will be recorded live.

The anthology will be published in April 2025, and the contributors will be invited to read at a release event at Galvin Fine Arts (date TBA), where the first 100 people in attendance will receive a free copy of the anthology (copies will be available to purchase after that).

ABOUT THE THEME “Being Human in the Age of AI” (from St. Ambrose University)

The rapid and disruptive rise of Artificial Intelligence is transforming society and daily life. How does the AI revolution shape our understanding of what it means to be human? What are the potential benefits and threats of this incredibly powerful tool in a global society? How can individuals, businesses, governments, and communities use AI to create a more just and sustainable world?

PROMPT: Being Human in the Age of AI

We are seeking work that engages with all the entanglements that so-called AI (more accurately large language models and other algorithmic systems) have created in the present, and the shadows they cast over the future. For all of their hype and promise, they are also creating myriad problems for educators, creatives, and the environment. What does it mean to outsource so much of our critical thinking and communication skills to these models?

These technologies are presented as something entirely new, when in reality, they are algorithmic—like so many technologies that already dominate our lives—scaled up to an unprecedented size (which also has serious resource implications, in particular the massive toll on the electrical grid the servers used for AI need in order to operate).

While there is a great deal of optimism about their potential, currently their abuses are now manifold: deep fakes, theft of intellectual property, rampant plagiarism. The convenience of these tools is apparent, but what are the costs for sacrificing accuracy, ability, and to some degree our humanity, for that convenience? Think of issues like AI “drift” and “hallucinations” (ChatGPT’s inclination to make up information, or Google’s AI suggesting glue as a pizza ingredient, for just a couple examples).

So, for this project, please reflect not only these dynamics and how they are influencing our present, but also consider how they might shape our future.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS & PUBLICATION

• September 1, 2024: Submissions Open
• December 1, 2024: Submissions Close
• Early January 2025: Anthology selections and contributors announced
• January 31: Speak Your Peace event at Galvin Fine Arts, 6pm – anthology contributors record works for podcast and participate in live audience-juried reading
• April 2025 (date TBA): Anthology release reading – contributors read their works and the first 100 people in attendance receive a free copy of anthology 

PRIZES FOR “SPEAK YOUR PEACE” EVENT – JANUARY 31, 2025 at GALVIN FINE ARTS

• First Place: $500
• Second Place: $250
• Third Place: $150
• Fourth and Fifth Places: $50

Winners will be selected by audience members during the event. A panel of judges will only be called upon in the event of a tiebreaker.

SUBMISSION DETAILS & INSTRUCTIONS

• Please submit only one work per writer. No multiple submissions.
• There is no cost/fee to submit.
• Writers must currently reside in Clinton, Muscatine, or Scott Counties in Iowa, or in Henry, Mercer, or Rock Island Counties in Illinois to be considered.
• Any works found to be cruel, inflammatory, and/or derogatory by the editors will not be considered.
• Poetry: 30 lines max. Prose (fiction/nonfiction/hybrid): 500 words max. Works should be approx.. 3 minutes in length when read aloud.
• Manuscripts must be typed.
• No previously published works will be accepted.
• Submissions should be original works written to address the above prompt and the theme of “Being Human in the Age of AI.” Works that do not clearly address the prompt/theme will not be considered.
• No illustrations may be included.
• Submissions with more than one author will not be accepted.
• Translations will be accepted only if submitted with documented permission of the author. Author must also meet the residency requirement stated above.

A complete submission should include:

• All submissions must be sent to MWC at midwestwritingcenter@gmail.com with the subject line ““Being Human in the Age of AI Submission.” No hard copy submissions.
• In the body of the email, please include full name (with preferred pronouns), contact info (current address, phone, email, socials), and a brief bio written in the third person (50 words max.)  
• Work should be attached to the email; accepted file types: .docx, .doc, .rtf, .odt, .pdf. For works that have specific formatting, please include a .pdf version of the file. Do not send work pasted in the body of the email.

Guidelines for Works Using Any Form of Large Language Models or Generative AI Systems

We have borrowed some of the following text from New Michigan Press, as we share their sentiments and we believe their guidelines are in the spirit of this project’s theme:

“…We have no objection to writers submitting manuscripts to us that engage large-language-model AI systems or other sorts of algorithmic writing tactics(for instance, just to name a few, found poetics, Oulipian games, cut-ups, collage, autotranslation, or sonnets) as long as:

1. the writer is up front about their use

2. the project is awesome, interesting, surprising, and fruitful

To clarify: we are not interested in manuscripts that are entirely AI-written and mean to pass as human ‘stories’ or ‘poems’ or whatever. We are also not interested in boring, seamless-seeming AI generations. We want to see the writer’s hand, even if the writer is using tools like LLMs.”

Any works entirely generated by large-language-model AI systems will not be considered for the project.

OTHER INFORMATION

• Please note that approx. 20% of all selected works will come from current St. Ambrose University students.
• All writers will be notified of the results in early January 2025.
• All selected anthology contributors will receive $100 for their work, two copies of the anthology, recording their work for a podcast, and the opportunity to perform their work live at the “Speak Your Peace” event at Galvin Fine Arts on January 31, 2025 for the chance to win up to $500.
• The winners at the “Speak Your Peace” event on January 31, 2025 cannot be SAU employees (faculty, staff, full or part time)

Please contact Midwest Writing Center with any questions about the anthology, submissions, etc.: mwc@mwcqc.org | 309 732 7330

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