Guidelines for Submission of Prose, Poetry, and Art to Survivorship
Content
Articles that we choose for publication fall into two general categories; personal and social commentary.
Personal narratives are selected for their ability to evoke empathy with the experience, not necessarily through graphic details but through emotional or descriptive content. Stories of successful survivorship are inspiring examples we like to share with others -- earning a living, going to school, applying for a job, interacting with survivor and non-survivor friends, health issues, gender and sexuality issues, etc. Articles about the particular effect of abuse are also welcome.
Historical, political or philosophical themes are good topics, as are commentaries on current events. We are interested in ideas of ethics, character, and society as they are effected by systems of abuse. Book, video, movie, and exhibit reviews are great. Remember to include information about publisher, artists, availability, price, etc.
Each Quarterly usually has two to five articles on a particular theme; the other articles are on a variety of subjects. Your article may not appear for several issues because of these constraints.
General Information
We really prefer submissions by e-mail, because then we don't have to retype the material and there is less chance for errors to creep in. Send material to editor@survivorship.org
If you cannot use e-mail, type or print very legibly.
Include the name you wish to us to use, an e-address or postal address where we can reach you, and two to four sentences of biographical material.
Print out the form below and send one signed copy with your submission of prose, poetry, or art.
Poetry and Artwork
When you proof your poetry, be especially attentive to punctuation, capitalization, and spacing. We want to publish it as you meant it. It's doubly important to make sure your poetry, including punctuation, is legible. Short poems are especially welcome because they help solve our lay-out problems.
Please send good quality photocopies or black and white photographs of artwork. Send art submissions with a stiff backing and mark the envelope: DO NOT BEND. If you send photos and want them returned, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope and a note requesting return. Do not send originals: you risk them getting lost.
Copyright Information
You keep the copyright of your original work and give Survivorship the right to publish it in their newsletters, reprints of newsletters, and on the Internet. If somebody wants to reprint an article from Survivorship, they must ask you, not us. In order to publish your work, we need you to sign and return the permission form below.
Here is how the law differentiates: "Copyright in each separate contribution to a collective work is distinct from copyright in the collective work as a whole, and vests initially in the author of the contribution. In the absence of an express transfer of the copyright or of any rights under it, the owner of copyright in the collective work is presumed to have acquired only the privilege of reproducing and distributing the contribution as part of that particular collective work, any revision of that collective work, and any collective work in the same series."
If you are quoting from other peoples' copyrighted work not in the public domain, include references and copyright information from your source. If your quote is lengthy, we need to ask permission for publication. There is, however, a "fair use" provision of copyright law which allows certain limited quotes for the purposes of criticism, analysis, and news reporting. In these cases you can borrow up to 300 words of prose, unless the original work is so short that 300 words constitutes a too substantial portion of the original.
Song lyrics or poems are specifically exempted from this fair use provision, however, so you must report your source and get permission for reprinting copyrighted material. Even with public domain material, include credit information.
Libel Issues
Survivorship publishes material that deals with the dynamics of abuse and recovery. We do not identify perpetrators or groups of perpetrators. Please be aware that we cannot risk litigation. A good guideline to remember is that if a party is defamed and identifiable, the material is libelous, according to law. As regards "fair comment and criticism," which we do wish to include, the material in question must be an evaluation, opinion, or appraisal, not a statement of fact. The facts upon which your opinion is based, however, must be stated, and the opinion expressed without malice. (Malice, meaning spite or desire to do damage, is differentiated from anger, which is acceptable).
Editing
We edit to make grammar and punctuation fairly consistent between articles. We also edit for length and to make pieces fit the layout.
We know that many survivors, simply because they are dissociative, have trouble with sequence, tense and coherent organization of thoughts. This has to do with their adaptation to abuse, and not with intelligence or education. Your ideas are the part that is invaluable; the form can be worked with until your ideas come through clearly. Nothing will be published until you are satisfied with it.
If you have any questions, please contact us at editor@survivorship.org or Survivorship, Family Justice Center, 470 27th Street, Oakland, CA 94612.
