Sinister Wisdom: Body of Land
Call for Submissions

Sinister Wisdom’s Body of Land issue will take readers to a different place—the continent of so-called ‘Australia.’ Body of Land seeks to showcase diasporic and First Nations lesbian, bisexual, queer, trans and gender-nonconforming perspectives in so-called ‘Australia’. As individuals both situated at the intersection of marginalised identities, we want this issue to provide an outlet for lesbian/queer voices that are too often overlooked in a context where whiteness dominates queer representation. Thus, we hope this anthology will carve out a space for these voices to fill the pages of an established publication like Sinister Wisdom.

The theme, Body of Land, was chosen as a framework for exploring the significance of ‘place’ from diasporic and First Nations lesbian/queer standpoints in so-called ‘Australia’, with ‘land’ acting as a throughline between disparate experiences and histories. We define diaspora as communities with cultural ties outside of the lands on which they reside; as individuals with experiences and feelings of cultural difference and/or unbelonging within the hegemonic culture of so-called ‘Australia.’ We also seek definitions of diaspora that are not solely conceptualised through a lens of loss and nostalgia for ‘home’, but are considered through the lens of dynamic creativity, heterogeneity, fluidity and re-invention.

As a settler colony, ‘Australia’ occupies the unceded Lands of First Nations People, who, as the original Custodians, have cared for, thrived and created on this deeply storied continent for millennia. We thus recognise that this diaspora exists on stolen lands and benefits from systems that actively oppress Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and we hope to engage with art and writing that meditates on bonds of solidarity with First Nations Peoples.

This issue aims to highlight works that consider the interplay between cultural and lesbian/queer identities and how this informs notions of belonging. How are bodies treated differently in different geographies? What are the physical limitations that are imposed on racialised queer bodies? What are the emotional landscapes that accompany the restrictions and/or freedoms of movement? How do histories of lesbian/queer migration, exile, displacement shape dis/connection to land, self, community and place? How are queer communities created and navigated within diaspora/s? How are ideas of ‘kinship’ asserted, expanded and/or complicated across geography and time?

Body of Land also seeks work that explores queer erotic worlds, how our desires are influenced and satiated. How do we, as lesbians and queer people, relate to each other and to our bodies? What are the societal and culturally imposed shames that we have overcome? What shapes do our lusts trace? How do we negotiate lesbian/queer desire across cultures and geographies? What does it mean to belong to a body?

Through these provocations, we seek a deepening of understanding of lesbian/queer diaspora and First Nations perspectives. In doing so, we seek to draw attention to the importance of cultural specificity and multiplicity in shaping lesbian/queer experiences.

This project hopes to establish Sinister Wisdom as a publication here in so-called ‘Australia’ and equally, to showcase lesbian, queer and feminist storytellers of the Pacific region to Sinister Wisdom’s current readership. In this way, this issue aspires to be the beginning of a much broader project of transnational queer solidarity and community-building.

We seek submissions of prose (fiction, nonfiction, creative nonfiction, hybrid), poetry, comics and art. We welcome written pieces in any language as well as multilingual works. Previous publication experience is not required. Submissions are accepted through Sinister Wisdom’s Submittable. Writers may submit a maximum of five poems, two short stories or essays, or one longer piece of up to 5,000 words. Artists may submit a maximum of 3 pages of visual art or comics. Deadline for submissions: February 28th, 2025.

If this project sparks your interest and/or if you have any questions, please get in touch! We look forward to reading your work. Our contact details can be found below.

Darla Tejada
0467542883
darla.tejada1111@gmail.com

Darla Tejada is an emerging writer and student living, working and playing on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Archer, Kill Your Darlings (KYD), Sinister Wisdom, the National Gallery of Australia and Artlink. As a Filipino dyke, she is interested in art and writing that engages in/with Institutional Critique, particularly as it pertains to how systems and structures shape our experiences and imaginings.

Pelaya Arapakis
0421330411
pelaya.arapakis@gmail.com

Pelaya Arapakis is a lesbian musician, arts worker and emerging writer living and creating on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country. She is a third-generation Greek migrant whose writing explores queerness, memory and culture.