Deadline: Sept. 15, 2017.
Unoma Azuah and Michelle Omas call for submissions to their Mounting the Moon project, a collection of queer Nigerian love poems.
The Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act proposed in 2006 and passed in 2013 raised debates over sexual and gender rights in Nigeria. Homophobia and transphobia erupted in the public sphere. Threats and attacks against LGBT writers, activists, as well as anyone suspected of being a “deviant” skyrocketed.
At the same time, demands for respect and equality also intensified. In spite of the dangers, LGBT activist groups have sprung up almost everywhere in the country. Celebrities and community leaders are speaking up for the rights of LGBTQ citizens. Bloggers are fighting misinformation and sharing news. And creative writers are increasingly tackling LGBT themes openly and sympathetically.
Homophobia and transphobia have not only tried to render the Nigerian LGBT community invisible. They have also tried to erase it physically. However, the suppression of the community will not succeed if the community keeps asserting its presence. In addition to organizing and lobbying, LGBT folks have to write the invisibility into visibility. Write your stories.
This Mounting the Moon project, a book of Queer Nigerian love poems, seeks to highlight the positive aspects of being a Queer Nigerian. It will remind the community of its existence and provide comfort at this time in history. So send in LGBT-themed Nigerian poetry to queernaijalovepoems@gmail.com. Editors Unoma Azuah and Michelle Omas seek poems of queer love, queer identity, and queer struggle.
Poems can be written in English and/or Pidgin English. They can be in any form and any length, up to a maximum of 200 lines. You may submit as many individual works as you wish. And include a brief bio (max. 150 words) with each submission.