Writing Through Cancer

NEW!  CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:  

My Body, My Health: Women’s Stories:  essays, short fiction and poetry submissions for volume on women and health

Description:

Women’s health became a key issue for the women’s liberation movement in the 1960s as women began to explore every aspect of themselves: their traditional roles, their expanding opportunities, their bodies, even their genitalia. And health continues to be an issue of keen interest for feminists, as women struggle for proper diagnoses; advocate for their ill children, parents, partners and themselves; address males attempting to control their health (as exemplified in the recent congressional hearings on birth control); and demand clinical trials that test new drugs on women, not just men.

 Yet few women’s stories about their experiences with health issues are shared beyond workplace women’s rooms, grocery store checkout lines and kitchen tables. Sorrowful and infuriating, hilarious and humiliating, our stories must be told, because women’s health concerns have been denied, ignored, misdiagnosed, and belittled. Today, as women are taking back control of their health and wresting their bodies away from the medicalization of what used to be natural, our stories — of successes and failures — will help others do the same.

This anthology will serve as a soapbox for women of all sexualities, races, classes, ages, and abilities, from which to tell their tales of health and illness, care giving and receiving, recovery and degeneration, birthing and dying. It is a soft shoulder and a bullhorn, a cup of chamomile tea and a concoction that will knock your socks off. We hope you have a feminist story or two you want to share with us in the form of an essay, short fiction piece, or poem. We are particularly interested in creative approaches to the overall theme of women and health.  We will be submitting the book proposal concurrent with editing the anthology.

Suggested topics of interest — as they relate to women’s health

Aging, death and dying
Discrimination and violence against women
Environmental health
Alternative care, self care and caregiving
Historical perspectives
Identities, relationships and sexuality
Illness and disease
Intersections of women and health
Media influences on women’s health
Medical systems
Healthcare insurance
Nutrition
Public policy and politics
Health activism
Reproductive choice and health
Addictions
Women and sports

Submission Guidelines

Authors may submit one or two pieces to be considered for inclusion in the anthology.

Previously published works can be submitted, and international contributions with universal health themes are welcome.

Essays and stories may be no more than 15 pages or about 4,000 words.

Submissions must be made electronically.

If you submit two pieces, please include them in ONE Microsoft Word document

Please use the following formatting:

– Double-space prose, single space poetry

– Indent start of paragraphs to the first tab

– Make proper use of italics and quotation marks for titles.

– Include your full name, phone number, email address and street address on the first page of your manuscript, and your full name and page number on each subsequent page.

– Include the title of each piece in the body of the page, at the top of the piece.

– If you use references, please use MLA style. Information can be found here:http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/. Please keep references to a minimum (no more than 3 – 5 per submission).

– Please do not use any other formatting.

Please attach your submission, in MSWord, to an email and send it to both:

Jodie Lawston: jlawston@csusm.edu  and  Kit-Bacon Gressitt: kbgressitt@gmail.com

Deadline for submissions: June 28, 2012

Questions? Email Kit-Bacon (kbgressitt@gmail.com) or Jodie (jlawston@csusm.edu).

Cancer Survivorship

Lias Dale, a graphic design student at The Manchester College in the UK is working on a project, part visual image and part written narrative, to explore the emotions of cancer survivors.  Her intent is to produce work that offers a positive message about cancer survivorship, one that also helps to create awareness of the emotional side of living with cancer.   The project will result in 4 – 6 posters and a book, documenting the stories and experiences of cancer survivors.  All proceeds from the book will be donated to a UK cancer charity. Lisa is collecting stories, poetry, or essays that reveal the emotional experiences that accompany cancer.  Those submissions included in her book will remain confidential or include any acknowledgements a contributor specifies.If you are interested in contributing to Lisa’s project, please contact her at lisa_mariedale@hotmail.co.uk .  Deadline for submission is mid-April, 2012.

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ONLINE RESOURCES

“Cancer Patients Find Healing in Writing”– a KPBS interview with Sharon and members of her Scripps Green Cancer Center writing group:  http://www.kpbs.org/news/2008/feb/28/san-diego-cancer-patients-find-healing-in-writing/

www.1uponcancer.com (cancer resource site by health writer, Rachel Pappas)

www.allheartmatters.com (narrative medicine; illness narratives authored by James Borton)

www.asbestos.com (information on cancers caused by asbestos–Mesothelioma Doctors - the most up to date and comprehensive information regarding Mesothelioma on the web –working closely with Carl Jewett and the Veteran’s Assistance Network to provide needed help to veterans.)

http://saratbaker.wordpress.com/  (Word Medicine from Georgia writer, Sara Baker)

http://www.blogforacure.com/  (online community for cancer survivors)

http://www.breastinvestigators.com (an informational website and social network where members share their expertise on the prevention, early detection, treatment, survivorship and advocacy of breast cancer.

www.brendastockdale.com (healing & wellness resources by the author of You Can Beat The Odds)

www.cancerpoetryproject.com  (poetry by those whose lives have been touched by cancer)

http://www.cancertreatment.net/ (resources on cancer treatment)

www.caringbridge.org (online journals for those dealing with cancer and other debilitating illness)

www.fightlikeamother.com (a young mother & cancer survivor writes)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Power-of-Memoir-Writing-Your-Healing-Story (Linda Joy Meyers)

http://www.ffcg.org  (Foundation for Caregivers, a philanthropic organization working to improve the quality of life for present and future generations of caregivers and care receivers)

www.healingicons.org (using art as a way of healing with Heidi Darr-Hope)

www.healingjourneys.org (provider of the “Cancer as a Turning Point” two day conference, resource newsletter)

www.journalafterbraininjury.wordpress.com (journaling for people with brain injury and their family caregivers)

www.oneyearofwritingandhealing.com (an inspired site by Diane Morrow)

www.pinkpoetry.org  (Australian site of poetry by cancer survivors)

http://suediaz.com/the-warriors-wall/ (a site for war veterans by Sue Diaz, award winning journalist)

www.survivorsreview.org (an online magazine for cancer survivors’ writing)

www.ultra-sounds.org (website featuring creative submissions of writing, art or video by anyone touched by cancer.  For more information and submission guidelines, go the the website.)

http://www.wellnessandwritingconnections.com/ (resources on writing and health)

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To recommend online  resources for cancer survivors and individuals living with other debilitating illness or life hardship,  please email Sharon at sharon@sharonbray.net  with your suggestion.