Short form Submission Call
Period Priority Project
Introducing the Period Priority Anthology – a ground-breaking collection of narratives, poetry, essays and reflections illuminating the diverse experiences of individuals in Newfoundland and Labrador with regards to menstruation, for release in 2025. Edited by Rhea Rollmann and Leisha Toory.
For too long, menstruation has remained veiled in societal stigma and silence. Now, we're breaking this silence and elevating voices from our community to celebrate and raise awareness about menstruation.
We're inviting submissions from individuals of all backgrounds, genders and identities - with connections to Newfoundland and Labrador - to share their personal experiences, reflections, and creative expressions related to menstruation. From Indigenous perspectives to newcomer narratives, from childhood memories to workplace encounters – every story holds significance. We’re particularly interested in hearing from those whose experiences are often marginalized in discussions of menstruation: trans and non-binary/agender individuals, persons with disabilities, immigrant and newcomer experiences, and more. We only ask that contributors have some connection with Newfoundland and Labrador, as residents either now or in the past.
Join us in dismantling taboos, fostering dialogue, and advocating for period equity in Newfoundland and Labrador. Together, let's embark on the journey of creating the inaugural anthology dedicated to our unique experiences with menstruation!
Stay tuned for further details on how to submit your contribution and become part of this transformative initiative! Together, we have the power to make a meaningful impact.
As with all content at Engen Books, misogynistic, racist, ethnocentric, homophobic, or transphobic messaging will result in the submission being rejected and may result in the author being barred from future submissions. Authors should take care to avoid cultural appropriation or fetishization of historically marginalized and underrepresented groups and are responsible for avoiding the use of harmful stereotypes in their submissions. In an effort to support diverse voices and counteract the rise in culturally appropriative content being submitted, authors are invited to indicate if their work is representative of their lived experience or culture. While submissions are judged blind of name, editors will receive this information during the jurying process.
In an effort to streamline the review process, we ask that authors submit their stories by email to submissions@engenbooks.com as a .doc or .docx file, careful to adhere to the following guidelines. The email should include the author’s name and reliable contact information, relevant information regarding the author’s connection to Newfoundland and Labrador, relevant information regarding lived experience or culture, as well as the story’s title and a word count for the story. The story should be attached to the email, with the document name as the title of the story. The title should appear again at the beginning of the text, but we request that the author’s name not appear in the document, including in headers or footers, or in the name of the document. Submissions are juried blind, and the editors are only given information regarding representation where provided by the author.
Submissions will be accepted until September 30th, 2024, at midnight Newfoundland Standard Time. We thank all interested authors in advance for their submissions.
Here are some examples of the sorts of pieces we’d be excited to receive!
- Personal narratives and experiences that illustrate the diversity of menstrual experiences which exist in our world. These can be funny, angry, sad, joyful, contemplative – or a mixture of the above!
​
- Reflections or accounts – ideally grounded in personal experience – about the existence of barriers to menstrual equity in society.
​
- How do class, identity, race, disability and gender shape menstrual experiences?
​
- What effects has colonialism had on menstrual experiences? How can we work toward decolonizing menstruation?
​
- How is the social experience and social construction/portrayal of menstruation changing in today’s world?
​
- How are the experiences of trans, non-binary and gender diverse people affected by menstruation? Educate us, enlighten us, provoke and challenge us!
​
- Stories of joy, empowerment, enlightenment and transformation related to period equity and/or the menstrual experience.
​
- Short fiction or poetry which illustrate or engage with any of the above themes.
​
- This is not an exhaustive list! Feel free to reach out with other ideas or contributions connected to the overarching themes of this anthology
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the target audience?
For this specific collection, we’re going for an equivalent of PG to PG-13. Rather than limit our authors creatively, we encourage them to write from the heart and allow us to work with them to fine-tune the work after the fact.
​
What does it pay?
Authors are paid $0.01 CAD per word, to an upper limit of 7,500 words.
​
Are there minimum/ maximum word limits?
There are not minimum word limits. In the past we have had stories as short as 250 words. We have set 7,500 words as a maximum word limit, only because we anticipate many submissions and want to fit as many as we can in.🙂
​
Can someone submit more than one story?
Of course! We may take one or both! We have had the same author in the same collection multiple times in the past.
​
Who can submit?
Any Canadian author looking to celebrate great Canadian genre writing! There is also no age restriction. Anyone over Canadian Age-of-Consent (16 years of age) can submit and sign the print release on their own. Entrants younger than that will have to sign the print release with a parent of guardian.🙂
​
Who keeps the printing rights?
You do! Engen Books Ltd merely gains the right to print your story in this one collection. You keep the rights to your story and property: so if it takes off and becomes a huge hit, you keep all the benefits!
​
Do you accept reprints?
Yes, so long as you hold the copyright to allow us to publish it in the collection and the other criteria for the collection are met. Please tell us if you are submitting a reprint. We do give priority to new stories except in extreme cases.
​
How do I submit?
All submissions should be directed to submissions@engenbooks.com and should be sent from a reliable email address that you check regularly (we will contact all applicants through email with the status of their submission once the deadline has passed).
​
When do submissions close?
September 30, 2024 11:59 PM Newfoundland Standard Time.
​
Do you have questions?
Email them to submissions@engenbooks.com with the words PPP QUESTION in the subject line, we will answer you post haste!🙂
​
Happy Writing!
​
We regret that due to the volume of submissions we receive we will be unable to acknowledge receipt of entries. We will contact you after submissions close, usually within 30 days, to let you know if we accepted your work or not.
