In 2021 Kashmiri artist Mudasir Gul painted a large-scale graffiti work in Srinagar of a Palestinian woman beside the words ‘We are Palestine.’ He was subsequently arrested. While facing genocide in 2025, Palestinian writer Mariam Mushtaha calls for the world’s attention on Sudan, she writes, ‘Gaza and el-Fasher are not social media trends. They are not distant headlines or passing tragedies. They are wounds in our shared humanity.’ Also on a wall, this time in Gaza City, the words ‘Free Kashmir,’ were photographed in 2013. 

Writer, scholar, elder, Angela Davis speaks of networked systems of solidarity between liberation movements. She reminds us that liberation efforts must be synchronous, as it always has been, pointing to Black, Palestinian and Indigenous struggles. Those in power are quick to erase our sistered and shared solidarities, quick to push cynicism, and sell hopelessness. Because what can be more hopeful than people showing care, in impossible circumstances. 

The systems of oppression and surveillance may silence people, create despair, exert control and push bodies to stay vigilant. Yet, people and communities resist despite the risks, sometimes loudly, sometimes in muffled voices masked in humour, creating art and practicing care for each other. The ongoing genocide in Gaza showed us how people took to the streets and sailed across seas when their idea of justice was trampled. For the first time in history, over 450 delegates from 47 countries took sail in the largest civilian run flotilla to break the Israeli siege in Gaza. This direct action didn’t happen in a vacuum, it became possible through conversations inspired by the unique values, knowledge, and commitments that people hold close to their hearts.

For many more, their bodies resisted through numbness and tears. It was a silent act of resistance, maybe, the world was not safe enough to hold their rage. And if you had noticed the risks of speaking about oppression, you would have also seen the power and rise of safe, alternative spaces for conversations that matter to us.

If the body is a site of protest, conversation is a placard that conveys our inner world. This call is an invitation to stitch the placards together to honour the powerful stories of those who took meaningful steps, even small, to make everyone believe in shared humanity. We come together to pass down the stories of oppression and resistance that are part of our intimate conversations. Our hope is for this archive of conversations to keep the persistent waves of resistance alive and remembered, generating new streams of connectivity.  

Pitch Guidelines

We are seeking pitches for work that documents conversations and exchanges on transregional resistance, solidarity and action. These can take shape as:

• Interviews and facilitated conversation 
• Visual exchanges using photo and art 
• Archived conversations 
• Oral and audio/video stories 
• Transcripts of facilitated group conversations  
• Other forms of conversational exchange that you are interested in pitching  

Recognizing that there may be varied levels of risk people face when engaging in resistance work, options for confidential or safer submissions are available, reach out to us and we can talk more.

This series is co-edited with writer and narrative practitioner, Fouziya Tehzeeb, with Vijaya Chikermane at Writing Women, and Conversational Curators sharing anchor pieces and curating submissions from their networks. Anyone can also pitch!     

Pitches must include:

• A working title, description of the conversation you want to document, the people or groups engaged, and how this work connects to the theme of transregional resistance
• We are keen to cover different forms that solidarity has taken such as campaigns, teaching, writing, art, and other ways of organizing; challenges or risks; how commitment is sustained and how does it inspire; how resistance struggles are connected across regions
• The method or form the conversation will take, and why this method works for you
• A proposed timeline for when the full piece may be submitted 
• A proposed length and word count for the piece, suggested under 2000 words 
• Short bio of the writer(s), sharing connections to the theme, or links to previous work

We are excited to read your ideas, please do not rely on AI chatbots to write your pitch. Your thinking will be far more interesting.

Process and Estimated Timeline:

We will let you know if your pitch has been selected or not by March 03 2026, after which we will work on a development and release timeline. Once you have submitted your piece we may go through an editing process before publishing. All selections will be paid $50 usd or equivalent in local currency, and published on our online magazine.

Email your pitches to people@writingwomen.co by February 23 2026