"Imagining Ourselves"

The anthology called "Imagining Ourselves" will be a collection of art and writing from women that deals with the subject "What defines the new generation of women?"
IMOW is encouraging Arab women to submit creative work (artwork or writing) in order to ensure their representation in this global project, especially at this critical time. IMOW encourages women from different backgrounds to submit work on this subject, not only artists and writers. Although they accept submissions from all women, they are particularly interested in the points of view of young women (defined as under 35 years old). Please forward this to anyone you feel may be interested in participating in this project. The call for submissions is included below and a copy in Arabic is enclosed. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2003. You may also visit the project's web site http://www.imow.org/imagining/ for more information.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Thank you very much for helping to spread the word about this important project and encouraging the representation of women from the Middle East in the upcoming anthology.
Best wishes, Nada Shalaby Volunteer, Imagining Ourselves Project golnahar@yahoo.com
[Editor's Note: H-Gender-MidEast cannot post attachments or Arabic script. List members should write to Nada Shalaby directly for the Arabic Version]
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS (Arabic Version Attached in PDF Format) Submissions accepted in any language
FINAL DEADLINE: June 1, 2003
What is Imagining Ourselves? Imagining Ourselves is an anthology of visual and written work from young adult women all over the world affirming the creative strength of this new generation, and defining the experiences and themes relevant to women in this age group.
Submit Your Work! The Authors of Imagining Ourselves are looking for a diverse, international cross section of young adult women leaders from mothers to artists, from scientists to farmers. Your work, whether visual or written, should respond to the following questions:
Most importantly: What defines your generation? What is different about the experiences of women in your age group, as opposed to those older or younger than you?
Other questions: How do you see your world? How do you see yourself as a woman in your world? What is the world you wish to create?
We are seeking unusual perspectives which portray the environment, ideas, and aspirations of young women from around the world and which help us draw connections between the diverse experiences of these women. Send us your striking photographs, bold poems, fascinating drawings, funny essays. be inventive!
SAMPLE THEMES TO CONSIDER INCLUDE:
Body (fashion, disease/illness, sports, sensuality/sexuality, dance and movement, pregnancy...)
Identity/Borders (All the cleavages which divide us: Nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, language...)
Power (Political systems, human rights, power in the household, between lovers, personal empowerment)
Spirituality (religion, ritual, deity/deities, what's bigger than us...)
Family (ancestors, mother/daughter connections, parenthood, childhood, marriage...)
Work (the office, the farm, the factory, our material possessions)
Land/Earth (Food, nature, ecology, animals, physics/physical science)
Connections/Community (Friendships, romantic relationships, community groups, collective experiences)
Invent Your Own!
GUIDELINES
All submissions must be accompanied by the contributor information sheet which follows, including the following information: a biography of at least two paragraphs about the artist/writer, including name, title of work submitted, age and birthdate, nationality, detailed contact information, an explanation of how the work submitted relates to the the themes of the book, and legal release. We are looking not only for interesting art, but interesting women!
Visual Art: A broad range of mediums will be accepted, including paintings and drawings, documentary photographs, experimental photographs, computer and digital images, calligraphy, comics, textiles, sculpture, architectural drawings and mixed medium. All visual arts work must be two-dimensional. If your work is an oversize painting, sculpture, or other three dimensional format, please submit a photo or print of the work. Entries will be accepted in digital or print form.
Written Submissions: A broad range of styles will be accepted including poetry, short stories, essays, interviews, lyrics, and dictated verbal accounts. Poetry and lyrical submissions should not exceed three double-spaced (or six handwritten) pages; all other forms should not exceed 12 double-spaced (24 handwritten) type-written pages. Submissions will be accepted in any language. Wherever possible, we encourage the author to also include an English translation.
Legal notice: Unpublished work is preferred. If submitting previously published work, please be sure that you own all rights to the material. Please also indicate where and when the work was published. Submission of a work constitutes a grant of a royalty-free license to the International Museum of Women. This means that you give the International Museum of Women permission to use your work as part of the Imagining Ourselves project. Thus, we will be able to reproduce, publish, translate, distribute and display your work, in whole or in part.
SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE: All work must be received through email or by post by June 1, 2003.
What is a Young Adult? We are principally looking for work that speaks to experiences of contemporary young adult women that is, a group of in their early stages of making their mark on the world, in the beginnings of careers and families and other adult responsibilities. We have defined this as ages 35 and below, but are well aware that women who fall above 35 may well have work relevant to the project. To determine if you are eligible, simply ask yourself, "Am I a young adult?" or "Am I a young woman?" If you think the answer is yes, by all means, please contribute. If you think the answer is no, then we would encourage you to to submit work reflecting on the contemporary experiences of those who are now young adults, perhaps fleshing out what may be different or similar in the world for young adult women today.
For more information or to submit a work, contact: Paula Goldman, Co-Editor International Museum of Women P.O. Box 190038 San Francisco, CA 94119, USA. Phone: (415) 543-4669