40,000 Words: Submit your essay for a unique book on empathy for the opposite sex
"Imagine the next month as a member of the opposite sex."
In honor of International Women's Day on 8 March 2012, male and female writers from cultures around the world are invited to submit a 250-700 word essay reflecting on what that experience would bring to you, and what you would miss.
Your essay contributions will be compiled and edited into an innovative and engaging 40,000 word book, tentatively titled ”40,000 Words: global perspectives on being women and men in 2012”.
Please register your intention to submit an essay contribution to the book by 8 March 2012
More information
WHAT’S THIS INITIATIVE ABOUT?
40,000 Words is an initiative from the WE Alliance, a global collaborative group of social entrepreneurs in women’s empowerment (*) initiated by http://Ashoka.org in June 2011.
The purpose is to co-create a collaborative digital book, to achieve a collective global impact in multiple layers, including:
- Launching the WE Alliance online with a global online dialogue around cross-gender empathy
- Co-creating a meaningful historical artifact through a concrete global collaboration
- Engaging our members and their supporters around a common global campaign, and
- Raising operational funds to support WE Alliance collaborations, our member projects, and their online allies through a revenue sharing online sales strategy.
WHO ELSE IS GETTING INVOLVED?
WE Alliance member innovators around the world are strategically seeking 100+ culturally diverse submissions from male and female writers in the following categories:
- Established bloggers
- Journalists/thought & business leaders
- Youth (ages 12-20) and
- others (especially men) whose perspectives will add value to the book.
Once you pre-register with the form below, you will receive a follow-up message with super simple instructions for sending in your submission by email, and some other cool info about the book you’ll want to know.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
1. All submissions must be received by email no later than 8 March 2012 and must include:
- a 250-700 word essay which reflects on spending 1 month as a member of the opposite sex
- a (max) 75 word bio of you (the author), including any links you wish to include
2. You may write in English OR in your native language
3. You are welcome to publish your essay on your own website if you have one, even before the book is launched (ideally in honor of International Women’s Day on March 8!), and to let your readers know that the book will be available at the end of April 2012.
All we ask is that you email us the link so we can use it to help build some buzz.
4. Once the book is published (in late April) contributors and potential supporters in your network will be invited to (optionally) benefit from 25% of the proceeds on books you sell, as well as help raise funds for your favorite women’s empowerment initiative featured in the book, through personalized sales links.
YOU MUST REGISTER YOUR INTENT TO CONTRIBUTE to the 40,000 Words project by completing the short form below as soon as possible. Once you've registered you'll be able to see the list of who else is planning to contribute. (To maintain a balance of voices, we may need to close submissions for certain categories as the submissions deadline approaches.)
The final deadline for pre-registration AND for all writer submissions by email is on International Women’s Day (8 March 2012.)
We look forward to including your words in this unique mosaic of global voices!
Please use the WE Alliance facebook group to ask any questions that aren't covered at the links above, or send an email to teamwelab@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
(*) The WE Alliance is a group of leading social innovators working in women's empowerment all over the world, that advocates and supports the acceleration of women’s progress, equality and justice.
Our collective objective is to effectively ignite feminine energy in co-creating a new future for the world, with full respect for both men and women and all of their shared and respective qualities.
Our goal is to engage in and nurture cross-dimensional innovation that impacts humanity at every level, for shifting the rate of change in women’s progress, participation and fulfillment around the globe.
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