I’m posting about an exciting literary contest, made possible by author Stephanie Dray. Stephanie’s debut novel Lily of the Nile releases on January 4, 2011, through Berkley Books and unveils the little-known story of Princess Selene, daughter of the famous lovers Queen Cleopatra and Roman general Mark Antony.

As a student of history herself, Stephanie wrote Lily of the Nile to encourage young women to learn from the past and to transcend the expectations of society to create a better tomorrow. To that end, she founded The Cleopatra Literary Contest for Young Women. It is an international writing contest aimed at discovering and mentoring aspiring young female writers.

The contest is divided into two categories for ages 13 through 18 and ages 19 through 22 and asks writers to expand upon the universal themes found within Lily of the Nile by creatively relating them to their own lives.  Categories include poetry, prose, creative non-fiction, and short stories. Contestants have the opportunity to compete for a grand prize in both age groups (choice between a Kindle Reader or a $100 prize) along with a month-long mentorship with Stephanie Dray as well as a personalized critique from NY literary agent, Jennifer Schober of Spencerhill Associates.  In addition, every finalist in the contest will receive an Ankh charm—the Egyptian symbol of life.

Additional information about Stephanie Dray and the Cleopatra Literary Contest can be found on Stephanie Dray’s website at http://www.stephaniedray.com/fun/literary-award/.  To help spread the word and make details of the contest available to as many young women as possible, a flier with rules and submission guidelines can be found here: http://www.stephaniedray.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Cleopatra-Contest-Flyer.pdf

The facebook contest page can be found here:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Cleopatra-Literary-Contest/107644759300921

 Also, if you are a poet, you can submit your poetry about sexism to hiphopjenn@gmail.com and it will be posted. The link to the blog is: http://www.interculturalencounters.com/jenn_s_outlook.html.

Enjoy!

James R. Connor University

Center, UW-Whitewater“Leadership and Collaboration in

Shaping the Future:

The Intersections of Gender, Race,

 Ethnicity and Sexuality”

Proposals are due by the October 30, 2009 deadline. The Conference Planning Committee will be evaluating proposals immediately following the deadline and decisions will be communicated in early January 2010.

On April 16-17, 2010, the UW-Whitewater Women’s Studies Program will be hosting the 34th annual Wisconsin Women’s Studies and 5th annual UW System LGBTQ Conference, bringing together academics, teachers, students, community leaders, activists, and others. The gathering is being co-sponsored by three UW System offices: the Women’s Studies Consortium; the Institute on Race and Ethnicity; and the Inclusivity Initiative.

The conference organizers seek proposals addressing research, scholarship, program development, pedagogy, curriculum, and/or community activism in the fields of Women’s, Racial/Ethnic, and LGBTQ Studies. A general focus on intersecting diversity issues and identities, as well as emerging and effective educational and organizational practices/processes, is encouraged. Best practices and case studies suitable for replication (or to be avoided) are especially welcome, especially as they relate to the educational advancement of our students and to the fields of Women’s, Racial/Ethnic, and LGBTQ Studies. We particularly encourage panels that represent approaches to topics which are collaborative, cooperative, diverse, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational.

Please use the on-line submission form below if possible. If you are not able to use the on-line form, you may download this proposal form as a Word document (Proposal Form) and return it as an e-mail attachment to wscoffice@uwsa.edu.

http://www.uww.edu/conteduc/camps/wsc/form.php

Call for Proposals, EDUCATING WOMEN: A Conference on the Status of Research on the Education of Girls and Women
for Professors, Students, Teachers, Activists, Researchers and Concerned Citizens, May 29-31, 2008, at Jane Addams Hull-House Museum,
The University of Illinois at Chicago, 800 Halstead Street, Chicago, Illinois 60607. Deadline February 1, 2008. More information at
http://www.cedu.niu.edu/blackwell/educatingwomen.html .

If you are interested in posting the above message if you would not mind emailing the Blackwell Museum back or if you have any question please feel free to email the museum at blackwell@niu.edu

Thank you for your time,

Paul Piraino
Blackwell History of Education Museum