AACT Open Call for 100 Stories - Vol 1
Project Introduction
AACT’s 100 Stories is a literary project with its first open call released in May 2021 which aims to encourage community members to share their voices and personal experiences as Asian diaspora living in Canada. By collecting 100 stories from the public that embrace the everyday lived experiences of Asian immigrants, their inner thoughts and feelings, their individual, familial, social, and cultural challenges, as well as their milestones, AACT’s vision is to holistically capture Immigrant experiences of Asian individuals and communities in Canada; and, disseminate their stories to diversify mainstream narratives while highlighting the complexities and intersectionalities of identity through their authentic and genuine experiences.
VOLUME 1: I AM 1.5. GEN…
Living between cultures, you immigrated to Canada as a dependent during childhood or adolescence and experienced navigating and negotiating between cultures at an early developmental stage in your life. As a 1.5 Gen, your identity is informed by the place of your birth and the place of your upbringing, by your cultural heritage and by the place you learned to call home. How have the experiences of migration and dislocation shaped your world-view? What is your relationship between place and belonging, between territory and memory, between authenticity and assimilation?
We are looking for writers of all levels to share their story as part of the 1.5 Generation. We are interested in hearing from you about how moving to a new country with your parents or caregiver has shaped your identity, your sense of belonging, and your life story.
In our literary publication, 100 Stories, we wish to explore the term “Asian-Canadian” by troubling the stereotypes often associated with it and provide authentic accounts of immigrant life based on the stories of those who have lived it. As part of the 1.5 Generation, you are uniquely positioned to address and speak to the personal experiences of life at the intersection of multiple cultures. What experiences resonate with you and linger on evocatively into adulthood? The moment when you stepped into a classroom where everyone speaks in a language you struggle to comprehend, or when you self-consciously brought out a lunch your mother painstakingly prepared that looks and smells different from the lunches of your classmates. We look forward to reading your story whether it be a real-life account, or a creative fictionalized interpretation based on true events.
To apply by June 16th, please fill out the Application Form by selecting “Apply Now”.
STORY SUBMISSION DETAILS
Languages:
Story submissions may be in any language, preferably English or Chinese – Mandarin/Cantonese (due to editorial capacity)
Accepted Story Formats:
Flash fiction (500 to 1,000 words)
Short stories (1,500 to 5,000 words)
Short essays (750 to 1,500 words)
Poetry
Webtoon/comic strip (3-panel comic min., 1 to 5 pages – standard page size: 8.5 x 11 inches)
*text-based stories may be accompanied by illustrations/images
Acceptable File Formats:
Pdf, Word Document, Jpeg or png for illustrations/images
FAQS:
Q: Do I have to be a professional writer or have a literary portfolio to submit a story?
A: No. We encourage anyone to submit a story who has an interest in writing or a desire to share their story with us and the general public. Every voice matters!
Q: Will all story submissions be published?
A: We would love to share everyone’s story. However, Story Selection and Publication will be determined based on merit and alignment to our provided writing prompts and project vision.
Q: Will I reserve the rights over my story?
A: Yes. All authors will own the copyrights to their story.
Q: When will I hear back from AACT about my story application?
A: Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis. All applicants can expect to hear back regarding the results by one month after the submission deadline at the latest.
Q: When and where will my story be published?
A: Stories submitted and selected during an open call window will be published all at once on our Online Publication Platform. We will have two volumes released in September and February of each year.
Q: What if I have a great personal experience that I would love to share but I think I am not a strong enough writer?
A: Send us your story anyway! We will be happy to work with you to get it ready for publication.
Q: Will I get paid if my story is selected?
A: The online features of stories are not paid; however, the selected writers will be invited to give talks - paid per CARFAC guideline.
Past AACT Open Call
AACT x Asian Heritage month: Conversation with Elders (May 2022)
Asialicious x AACT: Food and The City (Nov 2022)
The Bitten Peach: Decolonizing Queer Asians (May 2023)
