Essays On Change

Essays On Change

Website: http://www.arts.ca.gov/opportunities/acdetail.php?id=371244

 Simi Valley, CA, Unknown

For National artists

Open Call for Submissions – Essays On Change, Volume One

Submission Deadline for Volume One August 1, 2020

Essays On Change is a collection of writings that focus on our visions for our future, what needs to be done, and how we can be the change that must happen. Its genesis is the following paragraph, written on or about May 31, 2020:

“I wish I was young again in these days, the Thomas Payne voice able to come forward. I may have to summon it anyway, flocked with grey. The voice, the vision, not the doubting Thomas he became. To sit quietly right now is to say we believe in the system we have; to rally without a vision is okay, but a vision would be better. An inclusive vision, one which reaches beyond our human reality. A friend reminded me recently that the purpose of an argument is for both parties to come to an understanding of the other’s viewpoint. A learning experience that ultimately culminates in a broadening of ourselves. And within me stirs the knowing that to be “American” is to have a certain personal responsibility to keep the government in line – a government that was always, from its inception, a euro-centric gene pool attempting to emulate indigenous governance principles. It was never perfect, but the actual principles were very sound. We made this. We can break it and create something new. I can see little pieces. Like a once-grand idealism worn smooth over time, worn down, worn weak, but not extinguished.”

We agree on these fundamental understandings:

Our present system of government has reached the climax of its function, is in decline, and must be replaced with something new, whether we have a vision of what that new reality is or not;

Our present system of government ignores basic human rights and violates the liberties it was set forth to uphold;

Uncomfortable and inconvenient as it may be, it is time to address the failure of our democracy, identify the methods by which we can change it, discuss the paths we can take to do so, and have the conversations that will give birth to a new and more functional reality.

Essays On Change asks you to find your voice and share it. How can we make the events of this time more than an exercise in deploying the National Guard to silence protestors? How can we look beyond the singular event that has united us now and move toward the dismantling of the system that seeks nothing more than to maintain its own status quo? How can we take our lives back from the brink of martial law?

And what are the nuts and bolts? By what process, for instance, can we change the way we vote? One person, one vote…freedom to vote across party lines, and officials needing to have the popular vote, not just the electoral college? How do we address the failure of the two party system, and the fundamental flaws inherent in today’s political structure? Our leaders should not be “fighting to win”. They should be discussing the issues that affect our lives and our planet and coming away from these discussions better informed, better educated, better able to lead.

Essays On Change is an open call to all age groups, all levels of education, all colors, all nationalities, all genders. It is open to dreamers, artists, political analysts, attorneys, stay at home parents…share your vision, speak your truth, your desire, your blueprint for change. Because silence equals violence. We need a plan, a path, a way to walk out of this darkness, into the light, together. And it’s not going to come from the top down. It never has. It never will.

Essays On Change will be published print on demand and available at the cost of printing; .pdf downloads will be free or as close to free as possible. Please email your submission in a Word or Pages (Mac) document to redbirds_vision@hotmail.com

Some suggestions for writers – let’s create a work we can share with everyone – children, elders, people of all ethnic backgrounds – by using language suitable for all audiences. In the heat of your passion is the best time to write, so write it…let it flow…and then go back and edit. There are no paid professionals editing your manuscript, so please catch as many spelling errors as you can. If you can speak your truth in a single sentence, that’s beautiful. If you need three pages to illustrate the process of changing the way we vote, or four pages to clarify your vision for a completely new system of governance that none of us have ever dreamed of before, go for it. If your tribal nation has a time-honored way to manage conflicts, allocate resources, care for its members, please share. We are equals here. We are doing what our government has forgotten how to do. We are sharing, and listening, and learning.

Please make sure your document can be edited or if you do not have document software, paste your submission into the body of your email. Title your email Essays On Change. Please include any information about yourself that you are willing to share in print. You are welcome to submit a biography, a photo or photos. Be sure to include your real name or your pen name. We will be using Lulu.com to create the manuscript and would like to have it ready for publishing by September 1. Lulu.com is a print on demand publisher, meaning that when you order a book, it is then printed. There is no waste. Lulu also offers .pdf downloads which are either free or have a very minimal processing cost.

For more information please contact Corina Roberts at redbirds_vision@hotmail.com

To learn more about the energy behind this effort please visit www.RedbirdsVision.org

You can also find us on Facebook – Corina Roberts (Redbird), and through the Facebook pages Redbird and Chilao School. We may dedicate a Facebook group to this effort – if we do, it’ll be called Essays On Change.