Jul 7th, 2006
You, Writing About School
Have you been thinking about writing something, but don’t know where to start or how to find an audience?
Just For Us is a fantastic publication from COLAGE that is written entirely by queerspawn.* I read every issue cover-to-cover as soon as it arrives.
New voices always welcome! Here’s the info:
Let your voice be heard! Contribute to COLAGE’s one-of-a-kind publication, Just For Us!
JFU is the only publication dedicated to the words, thoughts, opinions, and experiences of people with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender parents - and we want to hear from YOU.
Our next issue of Just For Us will be focused on school! We want to hear about your hallways, classrooms, teachers, extra-curricular activities, and more. Whether you’re still in school, already graduated, getting home schooled, attending public or private school, you have a story to tell the world about what it’s like for kids with LGBTQ parents.
Some questions to consider:
Are you able to be open about your family in school?
Do you ever hear about LGBT families in the classroom? What gets said, and what do you think about it?
What’s going on at your school to make it a welcoming place for everyone? Why did you decide to get involved?
If you are already out of school, do you have any stories or memories related to having LGBT parents?
How does your experience of school change as you grow? Do you think there are differences between elementary, middle, high school, and college when it comes to our families?
Submissions may take almost any format - share your personal stories, essays, interviews, poems, artwork, reviews, or send us pictures of yourself or your family. We will work with you to make sure your story is told in your own words, the way you want it - you, the contributor, have final approval of your piece before it goes to print. You can submit a finished piece or let us interview you - it’s up to you. Please limit your pieces to two-dimensional and 500-750 words or less. Each submission should include a brief bio, and a picture (digital images are preferred!).
Deadline for submissions is August 11th so get your thoughts down on paper and let your voice be heard! To contribute to JFU, or if you have questions about being a contributor, contact us at jfu@colage.org. Looking forward to hearing from you all!
Seriously: don’t be intimidated. Go for it.
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* Full disclosure: I write a regular column called “Spawn Talk” in Just for Us.
Here are previous columns:
“Lessons from my First Protest”
“A Space of Our Own”
“Seeking Menstrual Wisdom from Dad”
“Twenty-Six Years: Those Magic Words”
“Different Doesn’t Mean Bad”
“Faith, Wisdom, and Conditional Acceptance”