WHAT IS THE THEME?
Issue 8 of the zine is an exploration of FOOD.
Food is central to our lives and has endless different meanings to each of us. Through this zine, we hope to gather writing, art, and more from our wider community on our relationships to food; how it nourishes our minds and bodies individually, as well as bonding us to our closest friends and chosen family. It will also be an exploration into how food allows us to create and participate within the community itself, and a consideration of the socio-economic, political, and historical contexts that produced our food and contemporary food cultures.
We know that food is so much more than just sustenance. From the creation of shared traditions, memories, and relationships to revealing the realities of economic disparity, hunger and malnutrition, exoticisation, and othering, so much of ourselves is reflected in acts of food preparation. Whether we follow a recipe or intuition, slow cook, pressure cook, or stir fry, roast or bake, we can see who we are, where we grew up, and to whom we trace our ancestry. In other words, food is thoroughly cultural.
This issue of the zine will be accompanied by a community map which situates the submitted contributions. Through this, we hope to expand our definitions of location, how we might find ourselves in relation to one another, perhaps make connections, and acknowledge where there may be gaps in our food stories and histories. To this end, we ask all contributors to locate their work in some way:
Did the story you’re sharing take place in a familiar space? Maybe your grandma’s kitchen, or your local kebab shop? When did it happen? Are you still making the same meals? Or, perhaps, are you dreaming of a food future? There’s no limit to where your work can be situated; the map will be built around you and your stories.
WHAT CAN I SUBMIT?
We are asking for your stories about food: what you love, what you hate, the meals you quickly gather together to feed yourself after a busy workday. Who taught you how to cook these meals? Which memories of family meals have stayed with you? What reflections can you share on experiences of not having enough food? How elaborate can your dinner parties get? What’s your potluck go-to? What’s your favourite meal deal combo?
We’ve outlined - though not exclusively - some thematic categories for you to consider when submitting work:
Of course, we anticipate that most work on food will encompass more than one – if not all – of these categories. They are simply starting points for any research, reflections, art, writing, or other interventions, you may wish to carry out, seeds that we hope will inspire a diverse range of submissions. Please feel free to work beyond the scope of the above categories; we can’t wait to see what you come up with!
WHAT FORMAT SHOULD MY WORK BE IN?
We can accept any form of writing and visual art that can be published. This includes articles, poetry, fiction and non-fiction prose, interviews, recipes, and more; illustrations and photographs are also highly encouraged, as well as documentation of any moving image, sculpture, or performance works that fit the theme.
Sound and video works (under 3 minutes) are also acceptable for the digital zine.
WHO CAN SUBMIT?
To date, our zines have been open to anyone who identifies as South Asian, part of the South Asian diaspora, or the wider South Asian community. For this issue, we are opening submissions up to everyone, as we understand that contemporary food culture often transcends borders in ways we want to acknowledge and celebrate. We particularly encourage folks experiencing intersectional forms of marginalisation to apply, including (but not limited to) those from the Global South, those of marginalised races/ethnicities, genders, sexualities, or castes, and those with disabilities.
To put together the map that accompanies this zine, we will ask all contributors to locate their submission in some way, whether in terms of geography, culture, or time.
HOW DO I SUBMIT?
Please follow the link to complete the submission form: bit.ly/TRCFoodZine.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER GUIDELINES?
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Any writing should be submitted as a Word document (.doc or .docx) for ease of editing
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Any visual work should be submitted as a JPEG or PNG, as appropriate for the piece. If any other formats are required, please get in touch.
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Our editorial team can assist with writing, editing, or translating, as required. Just let us know!
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We can accept one submission per person
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Once the submission deadline has passed, we will aim to get back to everyone within 3 weeks to let you know if your pitch has been accepted, and if any edits are required before publication
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Both finished and unfinished work will be considered. If your work is unfinished, please submit a pitch to the form and, if accepted, we will get back to you with a deadline by which the work must be completed. The editorial team will be available to assist with any ongoing work ahead of publication, so be as ambitious as you’d like with your pitch!
The zine will be published at the end of April 2023.
ARE THERE ANY FUNDS AVAILABLE?
The Rights Collective is a volunteer-run community collective. While we regret that this edition of the zine is not fully funded, we have allocated some past grant money to create a small fund of £800 for those who need it. You do not have to provide us with any explanation or reason for requesting a stipend but we invite you to think about your needs. We hope this fund will help those who would not otherwise be able to submit, such as unhoused folks, students and young people, people working in the gig economy, people without generational wealth or disposable income etc. To request a stipend, simply tick and fill in the relevant boxes on the form and someone will get back to you with more information.
WHAT IS THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS?
End of day in your local time zone, 31 December 2022.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch at: chandrima.therightscollective@gmail.com.
