reminder: Queering Sexual Violence submissions due 5/1!

(reposting -- and please pass the word! --xox, Jen)

It is getting down to the last few days for submissions, however, I will accept them throughout the month of May. I have some people who needed extensions so I can wait a bit if you need one as well. Also, if you have a piece that has been published before that can be reused that you think might be perfect, please feel free to submit that as well! Hope to get a piece from you!!

Queering Sexual Violence

An anthology of LGBTQ writers, survivors and activists confronting heterosexual privilege and the gender binary system while creating a dialog about the limitations of the anti-sexual violence movement.

Edited by Jennifer Patterson

Queering Sexual Violence seeks 20- 25 LGBTQ writers who are interested in submitting pieces that confront the current state of our anti- sexual violence climate. Part memoir/ part criticism/ part call to action, this anthology seeks to address the limitations of a society that is not only unequipped to deal with rape culture but also unable to look at it without the lens of heterosexual privilege and through the interests of a gender binary system. The anthology seeks to address the holes in anti- sexual violence prevention, organizing and recovery work while motivating the community to embrace a more radical perspective, in order to foster sustainable change.

For general purposes, the definition of Sexual Violence defined in this anthology is as follows:

Sexual Violence is an unwanted or non- consensual act, whether completed or not, that is sexual in nature and violates a person physically, emotionally, spiritually and/or politically.

To be more clear, Sexual Violence can be a range of non-consensual sexual exchanges, from unwanted interactions on the street, to rape (from either a stranger or within a relationship) to incest to invasive sexually based comments in regards to ones gender presentation or identity, among many other things.

The pieces submitted should be of the writer’s personal experience and explore the intersections of ability, sexuality, race, class, religion, citizenship, gender identity, sex, age, ethnicity and how these either magnify or minimize your experience/ work and your history with sexual violence.

I believe that organizing from the center of our many different and overlapping marginalized communities could do nothing but improve the current anti- sexual violence movement.

Possible Ideas for Pieces:

What does consent mean to you and how do you explore it in your sexual experiences? Has your experience shaped the ways in which you navigate your present relationships?

Did you come out after you experienced sexual violence? What kind of impact did this have on your future relationships or anti-sexual violence work?

How do you think transphobia and homophobia play out in sexual violence and what kind of impact does this have on mainstream organizing?

Do people often attribute your queer identity to the fact that you have experienced sexual violence or abuse before coming out? Or has it never been an issue? How can we begin to have conversations that include primary prevention for people of queer identity that allow them to claim their identity separate from sexual violence?

How does your expression of gender being questioned or threatened lead to feeling sexually violated?

Have you worked in anti- sexual violence organizing? What kind of experience was it for you and did you feel you were able to be both queer and an active participant? Did you feel welcomed and/ or valued in the process?

Have you experienced more “casual”, day to day sexual violations that have been threatening because of your sexual orientation or because you don’t fit traditional gender roles?

How does your race complicate your role as a survivor and/or community organizer? Where do you feel most at home?

What do you imagine is necessary for the future of anti- sexual violence work? What needs to change in the language, direction of prevention etc. in order for the work to be more inclusive and queer issues to be more centralized?

Do you find yourself drawn to larger non- profit organizations or grassroots efforts? Will we be able to create widespread change through one of the other more effectively?

When do you feel burnt out? When do you quit? And how do you start again?

I am looking for pieces 1200- 2000 words, Times New Roman Size 12, double-spaced in length. Upon publication, I will supply moderate compensation for pieces picked. Also, please provide a short bio (150 words or less) with your submission.

Please send submissions and/ or questions to queeringsexualviolence@gmail.com by May 1, 2010. For extension requests, please write.

Please also repost and circulate widely.

"Shedding the Skin of Shame, Bearing Our Bodies' Truths"

Call for Artists -- Please Forward Widely!

ARTISTS AGAINST RAPE:
"Shedding the Skin of Shame, Bearing Our Bodies' Truths"
October 18th, 2008
This dynamic event features local poets, artists and activists, speaking out against sexual assault and offers a unique supportive space for expression and community building. We are seeking volunteers help to make this event happen. If you are interested in volunteering for the event, our first meeting will be in July 2008. Check website for updates on meeting times.

SUMBISSIONS:
* To submit poetry, prose, flows, songs, and music, artists must send in a cassette or CD of their piece, along with a written copy of all words/lyrics. If work is received in written format only, the piece may not be considered for inclusion.
* Visual artists may submit work in the form of high-resolution (300dpi) digital images in the following formats: TIFF, JPEG, JPG.
* To submit dance pieces, please send a VHS, DVD or weblink of the entire piece.
* All performance pieces (i.e. poetry, dance, music/songs, dramatic sketches, etc.) must have a total running time of 5 minutes or less. The suggested length for performance pieces is 3-5 minutes.

Please include a short biography (300 words or less) and contact information with your submission. Pieces must be related to healing from and/or speaking out against violence, sexual violence and gender and/or sexual oppression. Due to space limitations, not all submissions may be accepted, and selection is at the discretion of the artistic committee. Performers will receive a modest stipend. All SUBMISSIONS due no later than AUGUST 15th. No exceptions!

For more information or questions, please email janetuphadye@sfwar.org or visit the SFWAR website at www.sfwar.org!

Call for submissions: Rain and Thunder

Here're the details on a couple of upcoming issues of Rain and Thunder: A Journal of Feminist Discussion and Activism.

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Rain and Thunder Collective
> Date: Tue May 13, 2008 4:47:56 PM US/Pacific
> To: rainandthunder@yahoo.com
> Subject: Rain and Thunder Call for Contributions
>
> Call for Contributions
>
> Take part and help spread the word! Write for Rain and Thunder!
>
> Issue #39: Body and Size Oppression
>
> Deadline: June 5, 2008
> What are radical feminist perspectives on body and size oppression?
> Body size and body image issues? How are these affected by our race,
> class, sexuality, etc? How does size and fat oppression impact and
> weaken our communities? What is the relationship we want to have with
> our bodies? How can we strategically resist and radically transform
> what society says about our bodies?
>
> Issue #40: 10-Year Anniversary Issue
>
> Deadline: September 1, 2008
> Send us your letters of congratulations & support as well as your
> words and thoughts: What has Rain and Thunder meant to you? How has
> the journal helped you thrive, inspired activism, and/or furthered
> your political process? What have been your favorite issues, themes,
> and articles? What would you like to see in the next 10 years of Rain
> and Thunder?
>
>
> Please take part and share your voice with Rain and Thunder!
> Contributions can be sent by mail to the:
>
> Rain and Thunder Collective
> PO Box 674
> Northampton, MA 01061
> rainandthunder@yahoo.com
> www.rainandthunder.org
>
>
>

Kicked Out - Call for submissions!

Passing the word -- Someone else noted that one needn't be a youth *now* to tell your story. Fell free to forward it on to anyone you think might be interested.

(Forwarded) Call for submissions:

Kicked Out is a new anthology, which uniquely seeks to tell the tales of former queer youth and current queer youth who were forced to leave home because of their sexuality and/or gender identity. This anthology will tell our collective stories of survival, weaving together descriptions of abuse, and homelessness with poignant accounts of the ways in which queer community centers offered sanctuary, and the power and importance of creating our own chosen families in the face of losing everything we have ever known. Kicked Out offers advice and wisdom to the queer youth of today from those who have been in their shoes.

Additionally, it provides the opportunity for readers to get a glimpse into the world of those queer youth who as a result of circumstance have to leave home, while simultaneously shattering the stereotypes of who queer youth are, and what they have the potential to become.

Kicked Out is a collection of stories of those of us who have survived the experiences of having to leave home as minors as a result of our gender and/or sexual identities; and it tells the tales of our queer survival. These are the stories of overcoming obstacles, not simply surviving but thriving in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity. Kicked Out will explore the diversity of our experiences across lines race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, and geographic region celebrating our differences, and showcases the ways in which they have contributed to our unique experiences.

Possible topics include but are not limited to:
How being forced to leave home as a minor continues to impact your adult life
What happened to you when you left home and how you survived
Words of wisdom for today's homeless queer youth-what you wished someone had told you
Survival through the creation of "chosen family"
Challenges of dealing with CPS or other agencies
Success through adversity- overcoming a troubled past

Submissions should be between 1,500 and 2,500 words in length and previously unpublished. Submit your piece via e-mail in .doc format to KickedOutAnthology@gmail.com. Multiple submissions per contributor are welcome. Please include a short biography and contact information with your submission. Submissions must be received no later than March 1, 2008; contributors are encouraged to submit early. Rights revert to the authors upon publication. Contributors whose work appears in the anthology will receive TBA free copy(ies) as well as ongoing royalties. Visit us online at www.myspace.com/kickedoutanthology

"Kicked Out" Call for Submissions: Edited by: Sassafras Lowrey*
Publisher: Homofactus Press
Deadline: March 1, 2008

*Sassafras Lowrey is a high femme writer, artist, and activist. Ze was forced to leave home as a teenager after suffering physical violence after coming out as queer. Sassafras found hir way to queer youth organizations and movements, which quite literally saved hir life. As an adult ze has never forgotten the impact those groups had on hir life and has volunteered regularly with the queer youth of today. Sassafras lives with hir partner, two cats and a dog in New York City.
Hir first book "GSA to Marriage: Stories of a Life Lived Queerly" is scheduled for release Summer 2008.

UCSC's Art of Healing

UCSC's Survivors Healing Center has put out a call for submissions for its "Art of Healing" event and exhibition. Deadline is 10/1 -- the performance and artist's reception are in early November.

More information and submission guidelines here.

The Survivors Healing Center has been working specifically with survivors of child sexual abuse since 1987...