Call for submissions for "She's Such a Geek"

[Frederick Noronha (FN)]

Subject: 
[RIDERS-TALK] Fwd: Call for submissions for "She's Such a Geek"

From: 
Susan Myrland  <mailto:smyrland at kT8vi8rHbUeUupC2taTiT-TtgBL7Nz0kUvItMNtITrZjRzHd97_csN001uWHRqrkVcm24vMkvh54.yahoo.invalid> <smyrland at kT8vi8rHbUeUupC2taTiT-TtgBL7Nz0kUvItMNtITrZjRzHd97_csN001uWHRqrkVcm24vMkvh54.yahoo.invalid>

Date: 
Sat, 19 Nov 2005 23:33:21 -0800

To: 
riders-talk at iT8wpORY7xqi3cQDmZ6OWDeNCAMbG4f0GJ68nTC6Indy5KQlNmYQ-LIWl-Quh2JIpu5tZDyYVAjzBho65uMKeUrI7XI.yahoo.invalid

Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders are editing an anthology of essays
titled She's Such a Geek; below is a copy of the call for subs (posted
with permission). Spread the word! 

Note that this anthology is open only to female writers. 

She's Such a Geek An Anthology by and for Women Obsessed with Computers,
Science, Comic Books, Gaming, Spaceships, and Revolution 

Slated for Fall 2006 

Geeks are taking over the world. They make the most popular movies and
games, pioneer new ways to communicate using technology, and create new
ideas that will change the future. But the stereotype is that only men
can be geeks. So when are we going to hear from the triumphant female
nerds whose stories of outer space battles will inspire generations, and
whose inventions will change the future? Right now. 

Female geeks are busting out of the labs and into the spotlight. They
have the skills and knowledge that can inspire social progress,
scientific breakthroughs, and change the world for the better, and
they're making their voices heard, some for the first time, in Annalee
Newitz and Charlie Anders' book She's Such a Geek. This anthology will
celebrate women who have flourished in the male-dominated realms of
technical and cultural arcana. We're looking for a wide range of
personal essays about the meaning of female nerdhood by women who are in
love with genomics, obsessed with blogging, learned about sex from
Dungeons and Dragons, and aren't afraid to match wits with men or
computers. The essays in She's Such a Geek will explain what it means to
be passionately engaged with technical or obscure topics-and how to deal
with it when people tell you that your interests are weird, especially
for a girl. This book aims to bust stereotypes of what it means to be a
geek, as well as what it means to be female. 

More than anything, She's Such a Geek is a celebration and call to arms:
it's a hopeful book which looks forward to a day when women will pilot
spaceships, invent molecular motors, design the next ultra- 
tiny supercomputer, write epics, and run the government. 

We want introspective essays that explain what being a geek has meant to
you. Describe how you've fought stereotypes to be accepted among nerds.
Explore why you are obsessed with topics and ideas that are supposed to
be "for boys only." Tell us how you felt the day you realized that you
would be devoting the rest of your life to discovering algorithms or
collecting comic books. We want strong, personal writing that is also
smart and critical. We don't mind if you use the word "fuck," and we
don't mind if you use the word "telomerase." Be celebratory, polemical,
wistful, angry, and just plain dorky. 

Possible topics include: 

      * what turned you into a geek 
      * your career in science, technology, or engineering 
      * growing up geeky 
      * being a geek in high school today 
      * battling geek stereotypes (i.e racial stereotypes and geekdom,
cultural analysis of geek chic and the truth about nerds, the idea that
women have to choose between being sexually desirable and smart,
stereotypes about geek professions such as computer programmers) 
      * sex and dating among geeks 
      * science fiction fandom 
      * role-playing game or comic-book subcultures 
      * the joys of math 
      * blogging or videogames 
      * female geek bonding 
      * geek role models for women 
      * feminist commentary on geek culture 
      * women's involvement in DIY science and technology groups 
      * stories from women involved in geek pop and underground
cultures. These might include comic book writers, science fiction
writers, electronic music musicians, and women interested in the gaming
world. 
      * women's web networks and web zine grrrl culture 
      * issues of sexism in any or all of the above themes 

Editors: Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders are geeky women writers.
Annalee is a contributing editor at Wired magazine and writes the
syndicated column Techsploitation. Charlie is the author of Choir Boy
(Soft Skull Press) and publisher of other magazine. 

Publisher: Seal Press, an imprint of Avalon Publishing Group, publishes
groundbreaking books by and for women in a variety of topics. 

Deadline: January 15, 2006 

Length: 3,000-6,000 words 

Format: Essays must be typed, double-spaced, and paginated. Please
include your address, phone number, email address, and a short bio on
the last page. Essays will not be returned. 

Submitting: Send essay electronically as a [MS Word?] Document or Rich
Text Format file to Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders at
sheissuchageek at ykX0_3gE1f02e54yUvpUF6rCsAJQxPrtON9NYozaln6xudSgwcEFEcKDUKbL6k_lQXKn3BKzVglE2t2tXbnkXw.yahoo.invalid 

Payment: $100 plus two books 

Reply: Please allow until February 15 for a response. If you haven't
received a response by then, please assume your essay has not been
selected. It is not possible to reply to every submission personally.