Call for Papers: Women's Voices in War Zones, 05/03

WOMEN'S VOICES IN WAR ZONES: A WRITING CONTEST

Since Sept. 11, 2001 there has been constant public reference to concepts of terror, war, and security, but little debate about their meaning, which differs from place to place and person to person. And the voices of women and girls, both within the US and in the rest of the world, have been conspicuously absent from the discussion.

To bring forward women's ideas on this subject, and enable them to be heard in the public arena, Women's WORLD, a global free speech network of feminist writers, is initiating a writing contest which will be co-sponsored by the US weekly, The Nation. The topic is Women's Voices in War Zones. While the attack on the World Trade Center and the looming war in Iraq form the central drama in the US, in the West Bank, terror means house demolitions, curfews, and random shootings; in Israel, it means suicide bombings; in the Congo or Uganda, it means ethnic war and machete mutilations by roving gangs; in Columbia or Chechnya, it means kidnappings and paramilitary attacks. The list could go on. Meanwhile other kinds of security crises particularly affecting women occur beneath the radar of public consciousness, like the AIDS epidemic, the subsistence crisis, and mushrooming domestic violence.

Eligibility: All women are welcome to participate; age and citizenship are no barrier. We are particularly interested in seeing work from writers, activists, students, and immigrants or refugees.

Rules: Submissions must be previously unpublished personal essays of 1000 words or less, in English, that address one or more of the following questions:

What does the term "war zone" mean to you? Do you live in a war zone or state of terror? Is it personal or public? Who is or are the aggressors? How do you resist? What keeps you going? Where does your hope or security lie? How do you imagine bringing this terror to an end? Does your government or society or family provide you with security or is it a source of your unease?

We will read only one entry per person. All entries must also include either a one page vita with contact information, or a short biographical statement with the writer's full name and contact information: mailing address, phone or fax numbers, and email address.

Deadline: Submissions must be received by 5 pm (Eastern Standard Time) on May 1, 2003. Winners will be announced in early June.

Prizes: Prizes will be given to women in three categories: 1) residents of the US; 2) residents of other countries; 3) immigrants or refugees in any country. There will be three first prizes of $250 each, and three second prizes of $100 each. Winning essays will be announced to the press; published on the The Nation and the Women's WORLD websites; and circulated to global email lists.

Copyright: By sending us an essay, contestants automatically give Women's WORLD the right to publish it in any form and to license others to do so, whether or not the essay wins a prize.

Address: Submissions can be sent by email to the following address: ratna@wworld.org; by fax to 212 947-2973. Women' WORLD, 208 W. 30th St., #901, New York NY 10001. Email submissions preferred

Sent from: Rosemary Sayigh, Independent Scholar (Lebanon) <rsayigh@cyberia.net.lb

Information about the contest is also available at http://www.wworld.org