Moon Fail, Cat & Apex Win: November Call for Submissions from Arab &/or Muslim Writers
Many of you may be aware of e-moon60's recent racist, Islamophobic rant in which she indicated the depth of her contempt for Muslims and immigrants, among others, then deleted the over-500 comments taking her to task for her conduct. If not, you may want to avoid reading it while you're eating, to say the least.
Many people have been eloquent in response about their own experiences with attitudes like Moon's: karnythia has a good list here, Spontaneous Derivation has a linkspam here.
Discussion is ongoing about how the community is going to handle Moon's status as GOH at Wiscon. I am scouting around for what the best spot is for Wiscon people to discuss the response centrally and will update this post once I find where is best to have it (although of course feel free to discuss in comments.)
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In response to this situation, yuki_onna, the editor at Apex, has made the following announcement:
I would like to announce that the November issue of Apex will be an entirely Arabic/Muslim issue. It will be beautiful. It will showcase writers of Arab descent and Muslim writers. (I am aware that many folk not of Arab descent are Muslim, that's why I'm structuring it this way, so that writers from either culture or both can be part of the issue.) It will show how Islam is as much a part of the human experience as any other faith or story system that writers of the fantastic draw from. It will be a small thing, in the grand scheme. It will not save the world. But it will exist, and perhaps in its own way can stand beside the recent ugliness in the SFF world as something bright and good.
I am looking for material, but most especially poetry, from Muslim authors and authors of Arabic descent. Let's make it easy: if you think you might "count," then you do. Southeast Asian Muslims, yes. American Muslims, yes. Anybody with a connection to the cultures of Islam, yes. The subject of your works can be anything you like, but I am only looking for authors with connections to Islam and/or the Arabic world. Please do not send reprints, we have that covered.
I want to do what I can. This is a thing I can do. I believe it will be extraordinary.
(Emphases mine: the second link goes to Cat's clarification that all persons coming from predominately Muslim cultures are encouraged to submit.)
Please pass along this call for submissions to your f-list (preferably by linking directly to Cat's post, so that any questions can be directed to her) and directly to Arab and/or Muslim writers of your acquaintance who may wish to participate. Let's fight the derail and the hate with art.
(If I owe you an email, an update, or a mailing, I am very sorry, and promise you I am working on my backlog. Law school has consumed my face and started on my neck.)
Many people have been eloquent in response about their own experiences with attitudes like Moon's: karnythia has a good list here, Spontaneous Derivation has a linkspam here.
Discussion is ongoing about how the community is going to handle Moon's status as GOH at Wiscon. I am scouting around for what the best spot is for Wiscon people to discuss the response centrally and will update this post once I find where is best to have it (although of course feel free to discuss in comments.)
***
In response to this situation, yuki_onna, the editor at Apex, has made the following announcement:
I would like to announce that the November issue of Apex will be an entirely Arabic/Muslim issue. It will be beautiful. It will showcase writers of Arab descent and Muslim writers. (I am aware that many folk not of Arab descent are Muslim, that's why I'm structuring it this way, so that writers from either culture or both can be part of the issue.) It will show how Islam is as much a part of the human experience as any other faith or story system that writers of the fantastic draw from. It will be a small thing, in the grand scheme. It will not save the world. But it will exist, and perhaps in its own way can stand beside the recent ugliness in the SFF world as something bright and good.
I am looking for material, but most especially poetry, from Muslim authors and authors of Arabic descent. Let's make it easy: if you think you might "count," then you do. Southeast Asian Muslims, yes. American Muslims, yes. Anybody with a connection to the cultures of Islam, yes. The subject of your works can be anything you like, but I am only looking for authors with connections to Islam and/or the Arabic world. Please do not send reprints, we have that covered.
I want to do what I can. This is a thing I can do. I believe it will be extraordinary.
(Emphases mine: the second link goes to Cat's clarification that all persons coming from predominately Muslim cultures are encouraged to submit.)
Please pass along this call for submissions to your f-list (preferably by linking directly to Cat's post, so that any questions can be directed to her) and directly to Arab and/or Muslim writers of your acquaintance who may wish to participate. Let's fight the derail and the hate with art.
(If I owe you an email, an update, or a mailing, I am very sorry, and promise you I am working on my backlog. Law school has consumed my face and started on my neck.)