Call For Writer Submissions: Black Women Speak on Gender Ideology
Paid Writing Opportunity for 'Gender-Critical' Black Women
She Holds The Line: Black Women Speak on Gender Identity
A Printed Anthology Book
I am inviting submissions from black women to share personal stories, essays, visual art, and poetry on the subject of the modern transgender movement and its impact on our lives and wellbeing.
This anthology focuses on counterculture perspectives that would normally be silenced, censored, or considered controversial.
I am looking for stories by Women of African Descent who:
Have received backlash or “cancellation” for openly expressing your opinions or for simply trying to host a female-only space.
Have been medically harmed as a result of “gender affirming medicine” and/or discovered your own adoption of gender identity to be self-harming.
Have been exposed to male violence, harassment, or intrusion in female-only spaces which welcome self-identified women.
Feel silenced by friends, family, partners, and/or workplace colleagues.
Have had your black womanhood weaponized against you in response to your politically incorrect opinions about gender identity politics.
Are lesbian or bisexual and feel outcasted from WLW communities due to your nonconforming views and experiences.
A diverse range of perspectives is welcome, including black women of all backgrounds, sexual orientations, carceral status, age, class, and history with trans identities (i.e. detrans/desisted).
Various writing styles are welcome, provided that your lived experience is a core element of your piece. Visual Artists are welcome to submit either a comic strip depicting your story, or a piece of visual art to accompany your writing.
All submissions must be 100% original, written entirely in your own words, and unpublished anywhere else.
Writers & Artists who are selected to be published in the anthology will receive compensation of $50 and a copy of the book upon release.
After the book has been published, writers may be invited to gatherings and other special opportunities for contributors of this anthology. You can find a link to the application below, as well as further details about the book.
Please subscribe to receive updates about this project’s progress and book launch.
Application Guidelines:
Submissions are due on Nov. 1st by 11pmEST
Essays, Personal (Non-Fiction) Stories, and Poetry are welcome.
Visual Artists may submit a comic strip, or a piece of visual art alongside writing.
All works must be 100% original, created by you, and unpublished anywhere else.
Your own lived experience must be the focus or a key element in your work.
.doc or .docx files only for writing submissions; .pdf files only for artwork.
3,000 word limit
To apply, please fill out the form and submit your writing here.
About the Editor:
Nevline Nnaji AKA “N3VLYNNN” is an Author, award-winning Filmmaker, Pole Dance Artist, and Wellness Maven. Her documentary film, Reflections Unheard: Black Women in Civil Rights, is the first and only film of its kind to focus on black women’s experiences and contributions during the political movements of the 60s and 70s. Nevline regularly publishes on her blog, N3VLYNNN, exploring memoir, personal essay, poetry, and scholarly works related to race, gender, sexuality, and culture.
Publishing Information:
My intention is for this book to be shared with diverse communities, used as a tool to spark discussion in educational settings, and treasured by women of African descent who may not see themselves reflected in current media, social or political discourse.
I’m requesting “first print” and “limited exclusive” publishing rights for all anthology contributions. This means that the piece of writing you submit for this anthology cannot have been published anywhere else prior to your submission, and it can’t be published anywhere else other than this anthology for 12 months after the book’s initial release. You retain copyright for your work at all times. These details will be reflected in the publishing agreement for selected writers.
She Holds The Line will be published in print and ebook formats, and released worldwide. This project has received funding to be self-published by the Editor, but this is subject to change. The exact publishing route is yet to be confirmed.
She Holds The Line: Black Women Speak on Gender Identity is a working title.
Selection Process:
If your piece has been selected, I will reach out to you directly via email to confirm your contribution to the anthology and make any final edits as necessary.
From there, you will need to sign an agreement which grants publishing rights to your written piece, and provide payment / mailing details for your compensation.
Please note that this work is built off the strength of community, and the spaces I hold for black women are protected. In addition to sharing this project with the general public, I also reached out to women from my established networks.
If I did not personally invite you to submit for this project, or if you are new to my work and we have never been acquainted, I may request that we briefly chat on a video just to get acquainted before moving forward with an official publishing agreement.
Author Name:
This project is designed to amplify voices of black women who are willing to be seen and witnessed in their truth. Real names and Artist names (that you are known by) are highly preferred. However, you’re welcome to publish under a pseudonym if you feel more comfortable doing so. If your story and message is particularly relevant to this book, it will still be considered for publication.
For questions, please contact n3vlynnn@gmail.com
Please share this post widely with your networks!
Thanks so much. 🌺
This is amazing, looking forward to reading this. <3
What a great idea. The book will be so valuable for black women particularly, but also for all women with gender critical, and varying, views. Excited to read this book, an important addition to our growing movement and writings.