You may have seen the tweets online but we’re now making it official. We are publishing the Gaysi Zine vol. 2 this August. The response to the previous Zine was so overwhelmingly positive, we feel strongly encouraged to launch the Zine Vol 2 at a much bigger scale this time.
A very good friend and Gaysi colleague recently reread Amruta Patil’s ‘Adi Parva’ – Graphic Mahabharata. She brought our attention to some powerful lines.
“Stay with the story. To know if a tale is worth its weight in gold, check if it reveals itself threefold. In your bloodstream. In the town square. In the turning of galaxies. If it makes you giddy just to think of the scope of the tale: Gold”
These few lines had a profound effect on her and reminded us of the power of a story. A story so liquid it swirls in your bloodstream. A story so stimulating, it challenges the stereotypes and goes on to becomes the talk of the town. A story so mutinous that it changes lives and catalyses the very turning of the galaxies.
After the Indian HC struck down the 377 in July 2009, we have been seeing a lot of events/parties happening in metros and other big cities.. But the effect has not trickled down to small towns. For them, it’s still a dark place where their identities are questioned and their rights challenged at every step. This Zine aims to reach people living in smaller cities who have no access to private parties or public spaces and hence feel isolated from the queer movement. We hope, these stories will be ‘the stories worth its weight in gold’ for them. Our stories will be written for those who still believe that they are the only ones who are different.
Gaysi has a decent readership now (over 500 + new hits everyday) and a spectacular presence on Social Media. It has grown to become a widely recognized name in the recent months due to the popularity of Dirty Talk series of open mic evenings and the support of well known names in the Indian Queer circle, like author Parmesh Shahani, Director Onir, Mythology Guru Dr. Devdutt Pattniak, Activist Ashok Row Kavi etc. And Queer support groups like Humsafar Trust, LABIA, etc. It has been featured many a times in mainstream media like Time Out, DNA, Mumbai Mirror & Mumbai Boss. We hope, this would enable us to take the Zine to a LOT of people.
In this volume of the Zine, sexuality is not the sole focus. There’s more to us than our sexual orientation. We hope to share that with the world. We are looking at stories of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender & transsexual people, as well as the heterosexual people who influence our lives. We seek stories that challenge the perceived borders between straight & Queer or even gender.
Genres can be young adult, literary, romantic, erotic, humor, sci-fi, fantasy, crime, graphic art etc. Just about ANYTHING with words.
We want our stories to be funny and sardonic and sarcastic and deliciously satirical (or Satyrical) and to make pointed critiques that are sharp and effective without being just plain-old-whingey.
And that’s why we look to you.There are only three rules:
1. No homophobia/transphobia/misogyny. (Duh!)
2. No duplicate or plagiarized content. Your work must be 100% ORIGINAL.
3. We reserve the right to edit content to make it more readable. We will endeavour to keep the tone and feel of your submission intact. If the content needs a major overhaul, our editor (ME) will get in touch with you to discuss the edits.
What do you get?
Besides making you famous and giving you the taste of limelight. This is what we are offering, if selected:
1. Your entry will be printed in the Zine
2. Top 3 entries will receive Amazon or Flipkart gift voucher of Rs. 2000 each
And incase your entry does not make it to the Zine but we find it perfectly suited for Gaysi Blog, we shall reward you with Amazon or Flipkart gift voucher of Rs. 1000.
Copyright policy
Well it’s better to clear than be sorry. So please do read our copyright terms;
1. If selected to be published in the Zine, the content’s complete copyright will rest with Gaysi. Of course credit will be given to you, if the same is re-published in future. And yes, prior intimation of the same shall be sent to you.
2. In case you would like to re-publish the content on another online portal or offline medium, Gaysi’s prior approval is a must. If approved, Gaysi must be given due credit.
If you have any other query regarding the copyright policies, please feel free to email us (gaysifamily@gmail.com).
In order to be published by August, we have set our deadline for all submissions as May 12th May 25th June 15th. All entries must be emailed to gaysifamily@gmail.com with “submission for Zine 2” as subject.
