Issue 2: In Between
Call for contributions
Deadline: 5pm, 11th July 2022
About the magazine
Racism, nationalism, ethnicity, intersectional identities, and belonging are at the forefront of current Irish political discourse and artistic practice. Unapologetic is a multidisciplinary, literary, cultural, and artistic response to the social issues and creative opportunities of contemporary Ireland, offering a reboot and upheaval. The forms which such an upheaval might take are not always authorised by orthodox ideas on what constitutes ‘culture’. With irreverence, we invite contributors to be Unapologetic - in both thought and form - regarding how they wish to express themselves in this contemporary moment.
With this magazine, we want to capture a historical moment post BLM, marriage referendum, and repeal the 8th as we are now moving to a new definition of what it means to be Irish. All these intersectional ideas of change are contributing to the modern discussions of contemporary Ireland. This magazine will give people from minority and diverse backgrounds a space to be unapologetically themselves while simultaneously highlighting the social issues we see and experience in Irish society today. Your voice matters.
Unapologetic is about creating a medium that showcases the cultural richness of the multiple heritages defining contemporary Ireland and unrepresented in modern discussion. Seeing that these voices are absent, Unapologetic seeks to cherish them through celebratory and critical engagement, putting them in conversation with one another.
Unapologetic aims to be a collective, a medium, a space, and a community that works towards a vision of a better Ireland–where Ireland’s intersecting social issues can be explored. Our goal is to create an artistic, lived experiences , and collaborative space (meitheal or harambee) where academics, activists, and artists alike can share their love for activism and change.
Theme and prompts
For us, In between is about the space between spaces. The gap that is created through the existence of contradictions, fluidity, hybridity, liminality, and intersectionality. We ask you to contemplate these themes from a local or international lens. We have written some prompts and themes to help you with the writing process.
● “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.” - Walt Whitman
● Gender, sexuality, and journeys of self-discovery (gender and sexuality as fluid, social constructs).
● Definition of Irishness (migration and cultural and ethnic identities).
● 2020 saw a rise in social activism and an awareness of inequalities. Now that the world is opening up again, will this momentum keep going?
● Climate change (the gap between understanding and action, global versus local contexts, cultural contexts).
● Why is Intersectionality needed to understand social issues? (feminisms, housing crisis, mental health)
Submission Requirements
Important notes:
● The work must be original and cannot have been previously published. This rule includes personal blogs.
● We ask that you comply with these requirements as much as possible. If a requirement is an obstacle for you, please reach out to us.
● This magazine is peer-reviewed; please comply with the reviewers remarks as much as possible.
● The Unapologetic team is working hard to secure funding to pay you for your work. As soon as we secure funding, you will be paid for your work.
General requirements:
● All written pieces must be submitted in .doc format.
● Use the following file name convention: LastName_FirstName_Category. For example, Doe_Jane_Poetry
● Maximum of 3 submissions per person.
Review process
● Submissions will be peer-reviewed by academics, activists, and artists. There will be one (1) round of revisions for works on the cusp of being accepted to the magazine.
● We ask that you respect and comply with the reviewers recommendations. If you feel any recommendations were unfair, reach out to us. We will happily discuss the remarks with you.
Category specific guidelines:
Poetry
Please format poetry how you imagine it printed.
Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Academic Essays
● Maximum length is 800-1200 words.
● 1.5 or 2 spacing.
● A readable font like Arial or Time New Roman.
● Academic pieces should use the recognised referencing format Modern Language Association (MLA). Please see OWL Purdue for referencing guidelines: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html
Visual Art, Music, Photographs
● Image files may be submitted via email (depending on file size).
● For more guidance on artwork and creative pieces, see the Art specific call for contributions.
Audio, Other Electronic Media
● 10 minutes Maximum.
● .mp4 format Only.
An introductory text to accompany electronic media to give the audience a better understanding of the work and its significance to the selected theme.
Contributors’ Rights
After publication, Unapologetic retains nonexclusive rights for the continued use of your work in electronic form. You may republish work published in the journal as long as you credit Unapologetic with the original publication.
The magazine is not limited to the prompts. If you are inspired to respond to this call and have any other ideas that you feel are relevant to the magazine, please email us at narrativeschanging@gmail.com and we would be happy to discuss possible ideas or answer any questions about submission formats and the submission process.
Go and see where your notebook and pen take you
— Unapologetic Team