"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...