Survivor Anthology Project

Call for Submissions

Safe Passage is calling for submissions to our first ever Survivor Anthology! We are looking for poetry, prose, photography, and other artwork by survivors of domestic violence/relationship abuse in our community.

Your submission can be about your survivor story, but doesn’t have to be. We want to create a body of work that includes the diversity, creativity, and resilience of survivors’ experiences.

Our team will compile anthology submissions into an E-book, which we will host publicly on the Safe Passage website. The E-book will be easy to download and share! It is also our hope to launch the anthology in early 2024.

 

If you would like help with the submission process, reach out to our Anthology Team at anthology@safepass.org. We can help talk through your submission, assist with formatting, and more!

For information on how to submit to the anthology, please see the submission guidelines below.

Our staff is here for you.

If you would like to connect with someone about your experience of domestic violence or relationship abuse, please reach out to our helpline at 413-586-5066, or toll-free at 888-345-5282.

Our helpline is staffed Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Ready to share?

Submit your work to the survivor anthology online by clicking the link below.

Anthology Submission Form
Formulario de presentaciones para la antología

Not sure where to start? Our team put together a list of art/writing prompts to help fuel your creative journey!

Art/Writing Prompts
Indicaciones para las composiciones literarias y artísticas

Submission Guidelines

There is no one way to experience domestic violence and relationship abuse. There are survivors of every age, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, ability, religion, and background. Each survivor’s story is unique, and one goal of this project is to highlight that fact.

If you have experienced any kind of emotional/verbal, financial, technological, sexual/reproductive, spiritual/cultural abuse and/or physical abuse, we want to hear from you. Whether you are just coming to terms with the harm, or whether you are 20 years out from it, we want to hear from you. Whether or not you’ve been able to say the word “survivor” out loud, we want to hear from you.

If you think this anthology is for you, it is.

About the Anthology Team: We are a group of Safe Passage volunteers and staff who have come together to create this project. Some of us are survivors, others are not. We have different backgrounds and experiences, but we are all committed to this project as a way of uplifting stories that hardly get shared.

Please read the following guidelines carefully:

  • Who can submit: 
    • Anyone who identifies as a survivor of domestic violence and/or relationship abuse is welcome to submit work.
  • Types of work accepted:
    • Written: essays, stories, poetry, multi-genre pieces, etc.
    • Visual artwork: photography (including photographs of three-dimensional artwork), paintings, drawings, etc.
    • Hybrid pieces (containing visual art AND written elements)
  • Length of submissions:
    • Text ONLY: Up to 8 pages total for prose; Up to 4 pages total for poetry and/or multi-genre pieces.
    • Visual artwork: Up to 4 pages.
    • You may submit more than one piece (i.e. several poems or photographs), as long as it meets the above page limits. Please compile multiple submissions into ONE file. 
  • Submission formatting:
    • Text ONLY: .doc/.docx, .pdf, .txt files
      • Prose submissions preferred formatting: Double spaced; 12pt font in Times New Roman or similar type.
      • Poetry submissions preferred formatting:  Single spaced; 10-12pt font in Times New Roman, Georgia, or similar.
    • Visual artwork (including hybrid pieces with text): .jpg/jpeg, .png, .pdf files
      • One piece of artwork per page.
    • Please include the title of the piece(s) in the submission file.
  • Language requirements:
    • We currently accept submissions in English and Spanish (no English translation needed).
    • We do NOT accept submissions that use any hateful and/or discriminatory language directed at individuals or groups. Submissions using this type of language will be disqualified.
  • Please DO NOT INCLUDE:
    • Any contact information on your submission file (address, phone number, full name, email, etc). Your first name may be used throughout your submission.
  • Other guidelines:
    • You are welcome to submit pieces that have been previously published, so long as you have permission to do so from the original publisher.
  • When submitting, please consider your own safety and wellbeing. 
    • On the submission form, you will be asked for your name AND for the name you wish to publish under. You may use a pseudonym or publish anonymously.
    • Your personal information will not be shared outside of the anthology team without your explicit permission.
    • We advise you to not use identifiable names in your submission.  If your submission contains identifiable names, locations, or other details, we recommend changing them.
      • Our reviewing team can provide feedback and suggestions around changing names of people/locations/etc. in your submission.
  • Deadline for submission: November 20, 2023
    • Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis, and you will hear from us no later than December 11, 2023.
  • How to submit your entry: