My City, My Home: Writing contest seeks entries from women
"Where do I belong? What is the character of my city? Who decides where is the power? Who do we celebrate and forget?" The identity and role of a woman as part of a city is fraught with expectations, restrictions, trials, and in some cases even freedoms.
These are the questions and issues a writing competition of UK-based organisation Sampad South Asian Arts and Heritage hopes to address, said eminent dancer and art director Lubna Marium, while moderating a virtual press meet held last week.
The competition is seeking submissions from women: short fiction, poetry, non-fiction, diary entries, and just about any written format that explore women's relationship with the cities they inhabit.
Submissions need to be within 1,000 words and sent in by December 30, 2020. Women aged 16 and above from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the UK are eligible to participate.
All interpretations of "city and home" are encouraged.
Write-ups in English, Bangla, and Urdu are welcome; the judges will be bilingual and fluent in all three languages.
In the third week of October, writing workshops with Selina Hossain and other eminent writers will be introduced, along with informal meet-ups, which will continue to serve as safe spaces for women even after the competition ends.
The winning entries will be published in a book to be launched in Bangladesh in June, 2021, and top three writers will receive £200 pounds.
The initiative is unique because it offers a platform for artistic and emotional engagement between women from all backgrounds, free of cost.
One of the biggest British Asian art-based organisations in the UK, Sampad has teamed up with dancer and choreographer Sharmila Banerjee, writer and yoga professional Shazia Omar, Lubna Marium, theatre actor Jyoti Sinha and many others to host the event.
Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Sunnydale School, Brac, IUB, Naripokkho and other institutions are expected to participate.
Submissions and queries can be sent to sampad.org.uk/project/mycitymyhome2020/.
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