[Reader-list] Call for Submissions: Anthology on Children and War

[Chintan Girish Modi]

>From http://jlpowers.net/children-and-war/

  Children and War <http://jlpowers.net/children-and-war/>

*J.L. Powers*

www.jlpowers.net, jlpowers at evaporites.com

 May 17, 2010

 *Children and War*

*(working title)*

 When American politicians mention the “hidden costs” of war, they are
referring to inflation, higher taxes, and medical care for veterans of U.S.
wars. Even when we invoke images of human suffering, children and teenagers
are often the forgotten part of the story.

Yet who can forget images of the Vietnam “baby lift,” when Amer-Asian
children were flown out of Vietnam to the U.S. to be adopted by American
families? Who can forget the horror of learning that Iranian children were
being sent on suicide missions to clear
landmines?[1]<http://jlpowers.net/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/paste/pasteword.htm?ver=327-1235#_ftn1>Who
wasn’t captivated by stories of the “lost boys” of Sudan, who traveled
thousands of miles alone through the desert, seeking shelter and safety?

Children, like adults, lose their homes and families during war. They may
travel for miles, alone or with others. They become refugees and victims of
rape; they are recruited as soldiers; they suffer from PTSD, starvation,
malnutrition, disease, and disability. In a recent report, UNICEF stated
that from 1985-1995, over 2 million children had been killed in war; 4-5
million had been left disabled; over 12 million had become homeless; more
than 1 million had been orphaned or separated from their parents; and over
10 million suffered psychological
trauma.[2]<http://jlpowers.net/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/paste/pasteword.htm?ver=327-1235#_ftn2>Their
experiences affect the next generation as well.

This anthology, to be published by Cinco Puntos Press in 2012, will explore
all angles of children’s and teenagers’ experiences in war. The core of the
book will be personal essays, memoirs, journalistic accounts, and historical
narratives, both previously published and original pieces. It may also
include photos, artwork, posters, and other debris that depicts the effects
of war on children and teens. Though the book will be primarily non-fiction,
we may include some fiction, and we are willing to consider pieces about
both current and past wars. “War” is defined liberally to include both
“official,” declared wars as well as secret, unofficial wars, such as those
carried out by governments on civilians in places like Chile, Argentina, and
Zimbabwe. All submissions, queries, and suggestions should be sent to J.L.
Powers at jlpowers at evaporites.com by June 1, 2011. Pieces of up to 6500
words are fine. If a piece has a higher word count, please email and ask me
about it–exceptions can be made. All acceptances are conditional. The
publisher exercises final editorial control over which pieces will be
included. All contributors will receive payment.
------------------------------
[1]<http://jlpowers.net/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/paste/pasteword.htm?ver=327-1235#_ftnref1>Steven
Stalinsky, “Iran’s Top Strategist, In His Own Words,”
*The Sun *(New York) 14 February 2007.
http://www.nysun.com/foreign/irans-top-strategist-in-his-own-words/48638/

[2]<http://jlpowers.net/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/paste/pasteword.htm?ver=327-1235#_ftnref2>UNICEF,
“The State of the World’s Children 1996,”
http://www.unicef.org/sowc96/1cinwar.htm.