Call for Stories: 16 Days of Feminist Activism

About this call for submissions

The Center for the Study of Women and Society at the Graduate Center CUNY, in collaboration with the journals, Feminist Anthropology and Women Studies Quarterly, which has recently partnered with the Center for the Humanities at the Graduate Center CUNY, is sponsoring a call for stories related to activism in the year 2020. In recognition and celebration of the global initiative, 16 Days Campaign, the collaboration invites everyone who engaged with feminist activism throughout the 2020 year to submit their stories and join us in building a community around the purpose of activism and change.

We are welcoming stories on any activism-related topic, in any digital medium. Suggested topics, activist approaches, and mediums may include:

Topics

• Gender-Based Violence in the World of Work
• Gender-Based Discrimination/Violence
• Human Rights (Local, National, International)
• Labor Campaigns
• Racial Justice
• Police Reform
• Black Lives Matter
• Trans Rights
• LGBTQA+ Rights
• Climate Change

Activist Approaches

• Volunteering
• Grassroots Organization
• Letter Writing/Petitions
• Lobbying
• Litigation
• Boycotts
• Protesting/Demonstrations
• Selective Purchasing

Submission Mediums

• Written Prose
• Written Poetry
• Film/Video
• Paintings
• Music/Lyrical Performance
• Photography

*Stories must be provided in a medium that can be uploaded and featured in a digital form.*

16 Stories of Activism will be chosen and featured online via a digital platform, and across social media of all three collaborators. All stories that fit within the parameters will be hosted on the same digital platform. The 16 featured activists will be invited to speak briefly on their work at a final digital event, hosted by the CSWS and collaborators at the end of the 16 Days.

Call for Stories Timeline

Deadline for Stories

By Friday November 13th^th, activists should submit their stories/art work to the collaboration, including their name, social media handles (if applicable), university affiliation (if applicable), and a brief description of the submitted work. Submissions, along with all additional information including contact information, should be submitted via e-mail to the collaboration of the CSWS, FA, and WSQ at [email protected]. Please put “16 Days of Feminist Activism” in the subject line, along with your last name.

Acceptance of Stories

By November 20^th, all activists (if their submission meets the guidelines and criteria of the project) will be notified if they are one of the sixteen featured activists on the project. All other activist will have their work shared on our digital platform, but not featured. Featured activists will be notified of the date of their feature [see below] and will be requested to present at the final event of the collaboration on December 10^th [Time TBD].

16 Days Event

From November 25^th through December 10^th, each of the sixteen chosen activists will be featured across the collaborative’s digital platforms. The sixteen days will cumulate with a public and digital event where the featured activists will present on their stories and their artwork. This event will be recorded. Following the end of the sixteen days, all submitted stories will remain in a digital archive for future reference and access, hosted by the Center for the Study of Women and Society.

Submission Guidelines

• For narrative/prose stories: submissions should not be more than 1,500 words.
• For poetry: submissions should not be longer than 2-3 pages.
• For film/video: submissions should not be longer than 5-7 minutes.
• For paintings/fine art: submissions should not include more than 3 pieces.
• For music/lyrical performance/spoken word: submissions should not be longer than 3-5 minutes.
• For photography: submissions should not include more than 6-8 pieces.

*For other forms of media, please contact us before submitting*

The collaboration between the Center for the Study of Women and Society at the Graduate Center, CUNY, Feminist Anthropology, and Women’s Studies Quarterly looks forward to receiving submissions, and is happy to respond to inquiries from interested parties. We hope this collaboration will help to celebrate the incredible and ongoing work of activists in New York and around the country and the world, and that we can lift up those who have worked hard to lift up this year.

Questions may be addressed to Alex Johnson via email at [email protected].