CFP: Sesheta: Essays on Africana Autobiography

CALL FOR PAPERS: Book Chapters

Sesheta: Essays on Africana Autobiography

DUE: October 1, 2014

Narratives by Black women in the African diaspora offer a vast number of diverse voices in the human chorus. Sesheta.net<http://www.sesheta.net/> is an online database that features over 500 narratives by Black women from a range of times and places. Sesheta was a scribe of ancient Egypt. She was the goddess of learning, libraries, and measurement known as 'lady of the house of books.' Sesheta, the edited volume, will bring together a collection of essays analyzing Black women's memoir and autobiography from all over the globe. This volume will expose the dimensions of contrast and the shades of similarity in our lives and ideas.

Book chapters that analyze themes, trends, and tones of Africana autobiography are being accepted for a forthcoming edited volume that brings to light the depth and complexity of Black women's life writing. Authors of essays are encouraged to take full advantage of the rich collection of 500 narratives available in the database. Focused consideration of the published volumes in the online library will help identify historical patterns and enable authors to suggest directions for future storytellers.

The deadline for submission to Sesheta: Essays on Africana Autobiography is October 1, 2014. Comparative and collaborative book chapters are especially welcome, as are chapters that explore themes in several locations of the international network of authors.

This collection will facilitate a comprehensive dialogue about disparate times (ancient, modern, millennial), places (Africa, North and Latin America, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and Australia), and themes that frame many texts (such as survivor, vixen, activist, rebel, matriarch, icon, and professional profiles). Submissions should be written in essay form and accessible to a general audience, as the collection is meant to generate discussion among elders, book clubs, and academic circles, but also will be useful for youth and young adult readers looking for guidance about how to live and write as Africana women. Although authors should keep a range of audiences in mind, only well researched, extensively documented, and professionally edited chapters will be accepted for the collection.

Submit complete chapters to Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans sevans@cau.edu<mailto:sevans@cau.edu>  by October 1, 2014

* Format document in Word, 12" font, double space, and length should be no more than 6,000 words including notes. Citation: Chicago style. Include a minimum of 30 citations per chapter.

* Prepare manuscript for blind review (no identifying references in the text). Submit separate cover page with contact information and 200 word bio for each author.

* Previously published or simultaneous submissions are not accepted; however, existing research reworked for this specific collection will be welcome.

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Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans
Chair, Department of African American Studies, Africana Women's Studies & History (AWH)
Clark Atlanta University. 200w McPheeters-Dennis Hall. 404.880.6352
professorevans.net<http://www.professorevans.net/>
sevans@cau.edu<mailto:sevans@cau.edu>