CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Morgan State University Writing Center

Morgan State University Baltimore, MD

October 25, 2014-February 28, 2015

Untold Stories: Narratives of the Young Gifted and Gay

Edited By: Brian Stewart

About the book

In the fall of 2013, Alpha Iota, the Morgan State University Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. made a clear statement when it denied membership to an applicant based on sexual orientation. The complaint filed by Brian Stewart; an ambassador to the institution and former White House Intern, made national headlines when the public became aware of the gay slurs and expletives used by a member of the fraternity. The complaint would go on to position Mr. Stewart in the public spotlight, receiving both praise and criticism for speaking out on his experience. At the same time, between messages of support and threats to his well-being, Mr. Stewart began receiving stories from all over the country from persons who experienced similar situations. First, the stories were specific and came from current members of the fraternity and or deferred applicants—narrating their experiences while seeking to join the fraternity. Then, stories of everyday struggles with one’s own sexuality, family, school, and life-in-general began to pour in. While all of the stories praised Mr. Stewart and spoke of his courage in speaking out against the chapter, it was around that same time that the first idea--of the possibility of a book giving voice to the untold stories sparked by the incident, came to be.

Inspired by the personal experience as a victim of sexual discrimination and the literary anthology edited by Keith Boykin: For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Still Not Enough, Untold Stories: Narratives of the Young Gifted and Gay edited by Brian Stewart is an untraditional anthology of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) voices in the 21^st century. This book responds to the ideas of homophobia, sexual stigma, heterosexism, and sexual prejudice in regards to LGBTQ persons; by offering narratives of personal experiences that will help the reader understand hostility, oppression, and discrimination towards LGBTQ persons based on their sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.

Additional background can be found here the When Brian Smiles Blog

How to submit an essay

From October 25, 2014 until February 28, 2015, we will accept essays and other writings to include in Untold Stories. We are looking for insightful stories and or experiences centered around one or more of the following major themes: identity (in regards to sexual orientation and gender identity and or expression), family, school, and life in general. Submissions should be between 1000 and 5000 words. Send your submission to whenbriansmiles@gmail.com. Please include your name, email address, phone number, brief 1-paragraph biography and a jpeg photo with your submission. Anonymous submissions will be considered; however, we ask that you submit a pseudonym/alias to credit the work.

This particular anthology will include both established and non-established writers. Our aim is to tell the stories of everyday Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Queer, and Ally (LGBTQA) individuals who have faced and or are still facing adversity. While we plan to include submissions from known public figures, published authors, and talented writers who have overcome obstacles throughout their lives, we are particularly looking for millennials; recent graduate or undergraduate students, and those who have faced bullying or harassment. No matter how you identify, we are only interested in well-told stories that can educate and inspire others. Ultimately, we would like to include the stories of all persons so long as the stories are relevant to the purpose and the themes of the book. It is our intention that this book will: give voice to what it is like living in the 21^st century as a non-heterosexual individual, the challenges we face, and be an opportunity to tell our own stories.

Lastly, we don’t anticipate every story to have a happy ending, nor do we anticipate every essay to deal with adversity, harassment, or some sort of tragedy. We understand life is complex, and want this book to be both educational and inspiring. We want your stories to give voice to your real life experiences, and share those experiences with others. We want to provide you the opportunity to tell your story, just you and your experiences.

This book is expected to be published in April/May 2015.

This post has been updated to reflect the changes in submission deadlines as well as adding "gender identity and expression" throughout the post.