If I must die,

you must live

to tell my story

- Refaat Alareer, “If I Must Die”

In honor of the life and work of Palestinian educator and poet, Dr. Refaat Alareer, editor of “Gaza Writes Back: Short Stories from Young Writers in Gaza, Palestine,” Freedom University is seeking submissions of letters, short stories, and poems by undocumented young people in the United States. 

The goal is to create a publication titled “Freedom Writes Back to Gaza: A Collection of Letters, Short Stories, and Poems by Undocumented Youth to Palestine” that seeks to uplift the voices of undocumented young people in the United States, and highlight the interconnectedness of their experiences and struggles with those of young people in Palestine. 

The lives of undocumented young people in the United States and the lives of young people in Palestine are both marked by historical displacement, border walls, discrimination, segregation, racism, and violence. This collection of letters, short stories, and poems will let Palestinians everywhere know that they are loved and respected. Our hope is that this collection will offer creativity, beauty, friendship, and hope to Palestinians, as well as people everywhere who may identify with the themes of this collective work . We believe this conversation across oceans and borders will give all of us inspiration and determination to continue the struggle for a better world. 

Eligibility

We welcome submissions by undocumented young people under 42 years of age who currently live in the borders of what is now the United States. We define “undocumented” as immigrants with or without DACA or TPS, who do not have U.S. citizenship, residency, or visa status.

Guidelines

Submissions should take the form of poems, short stories, or letters written to an audience of Palestinian youth and young adults, and be no more than 1,200 words. All submissions must be original work that has not been published in any online or print format. Submissions must be in English (or translated into English), and all selected works will be translated into Arabic for publication. 

Suggested Themes

• Hope and solidarity

• Transnational kinship

• Resistance and resilience

• Colonization and forced displacement

• Border walls and separation from homelands and loved ones

• Ancestors and memory

• Racism and criminality

• Indigenous identities

• Poverty and labor

• Gender issues

• Human rights

• Any other theme or topic that writers are compelled to share with Palestinian youth

Selection Process

We hope to publish this book in a very timely manner, to reach Palestinians everywhere in this moment of mass violence and forced displacement. We thank all writers for the timeliness of their submissions and for their respect of the need for a quick turnaround. 

Submissions will be read and considered by a diverse panel of editors, including Dr. Laura Emiko Soltis (Executive Director, Freedom University), Dr. Emil’ Keme (Professor of Indigenous Studies, Freedom University), and Aly Wane (Member of Board of Advisors, Freedom University), as well as a panel of evaluators.

This project is a labor of love and solidarity. Any and all proceeds generated by this project will be equally directed toward Freedom University educational programming for undocumented youth in Atlanta and community-based organizations serving young people in Palestine.

Timeline

• The initial deadline has been extended.

• All submissions must be submitted by Monday, March 25, 2024 at 11:59pm EST. 

• Writers of accepted submissions will be notified by Monday, April 8 with feedback and suggestions for edits if necessary. 

• Final versions will be due on Monday, April 22 at 11:59pm EST. 

Submission Guidelines

To submit a poem, short story, or letter addressed to Palestinian youth, please email a PDF file of the work (and a Google Doc link for feedback by editors), along with a brief résumé or CV no longer than two pages that includes your full name, email, phone number, and city/state of residence, to: submissions@freedom-university.org.

Note: All possible efforts will be made to safely verify and protect the identity of the writers in the selection process. Writers may choose to use pseudonyms or first name and last initials in the final publication in order to protect their identity. 

Freedom University is an Atlanta-based human rights organization and underground freedom school for undocumented youth banned from equal access to public higher education in Georgia. We educate and empower undocumented youth by providing them tuition-free college preparation courses, college application assistance, and social movement leadership training so that they may participate more fully in the transformation of their world. 

To learn more, please visit www.freedom-university.org, or follow on Instagram @fu_georgia.