by mainbrain@brainmillpress.com | Oct 5, 2018 | Activism, disability, Feminism, grief, Identity, latinx, LGBTQIA+, Racism, Representation, Resist, sexism, Voices, writer's life
Open October 5-19, 2018
“We are constantly being told not to be angry. As a black woman especially, I hear it from all corners. To be angry is to give in to stereotypes of the shrill feminist, the mad black woman. To be angry is to trade intellect for emotion. To be angry is to be irrational and violent. To be angry is to be like them. To be angry is to lose. But none of that is true. I am angry because I love. I am angry because what I love is being harmed. I know why my people matter, why the environment matters, why human rights matter, why justice matters. And I know that this all deserves love. I know that it deserves protection. And I know who is fighting to deny it what it deserves. I know that when that which we love is being harmed — to not be angry would be unconscionable. […]
What if we took that anger beyond the internet? What if we took it into the streets more than once every two years? Into our boycotts? Into our strikes? Into the voting booth? What if we took that anger to our city council meetings? What if we took it to their campaign events and press conferences? What if we took it to our school boards and our workplaces? What if we took all this anger born of righteous love and aimed it?”
—Ijeoma Olou, “We women can be anything. But can we be angry?” Medium.com
Don’t pull punches.
Essay pitches will be reviewed and responded to within 24 hours by Brain Mill Press staff.
This call is for femme writers, writers of color, LGBTQIA+ writers, First Nations writers, and disabled writers.
If your pitch is selected, you will be given a mutually-agreed period of time to write your essay. You will receive editorial feedback on your submitted piece, a negotiable contract granting Brain Mill Press the limited right to reproduce your piece on Voices, and payment at industry-standard rates upon publication. You will retain all other rights to your work.
Contact Brain Mill Press at inquiries@brainmillpress.com with questions.
top photo by Gabriel Matula on Unsplash
by mainbrain@brainmillpress.com | Oct 5, 2018 | You Have a Body
Open October 20 to November 5, 2018
“Your body is not your art, it’s your paintbrush. Whether your paintbrush is a tall paintbrush or a thin paintbrush or a stocky paintbrush or a scratched up paintbrush is completely irrelevant. What is relevant is that YOU HAVE A PAINTBRUSH which can be used to transfer your insides onto the canvas of your life — where others can see it and be inspired and comforted by it.”
— Glennon Doyle Melton
We use our bodies to move throughout the world. We decorate them with clothes, jewelry, and tattoos, but sometimes that’s not enough to make them ours. It’s hard to accept the body we’re in, and it’s even harder for those of us with bodies that don’t show up in magazines, or whose bodies don’t agree with us, or whose bodies have been used against us. Reconciling the way people view our physical form and the way we view ourselves can be a complicated and bewildering process.
When has your body disagreed with you? When has the world disagreed with your body? What do you do to make your body yours? Do you dance, dress up, eat healthy, and get piercings? When were you first made aware of how your body takes up space in the world? Why was this so important? Brain Mill Press is seeking your advice, experiences, reflections, and anecdotes in the form of personal essays under 1,750 words to publish on Voices.
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Essay pitches will be reviewed for suitability by Brain Mill Press staff. If your pitch is selected, you will be given a mutually-agreed period of time to write your essay. You will receive editorial development and feedback on your submitted piece, a contract granting Brain Mill Press the limited right to reproduce your piece on Voices, and payment at industry-standard rates upon publication. You will retain all other rights to your work.
Your essay and profile will be promoted on our social media outlets. Your essay will contain your headshot and bio, as well as information you may wish to include about recent work and your website and social media links.
Brain Mill Press strongly encourages submissions from people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ writers, First Nations writers, and disabled writers.
Contact Brain Mill Press at inquiries@brainmillpress.com with questions.
Top photo: Black and White on PxHere
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