[oldboys] she's such a geek

[cornelia sollfrank <cornelia@snafu.de>]

Call for subs: She's Such a Geek

Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders are editing an anthology of essays 
titled
She's Such a Geek; below is a copy of the call for subs (posted with
permission). Spread the word!

http://www.kith.org/journals/jed/2005/11/15/3245.html

Sheâ•˙s Such a Geek

An Anthology by and for Women Obsessed with Computers, Science, Comic 
Books,
Gaming, Spaceships, and Revolution

Slated for Fall 2006

Geeks are taking over the world. They make the most popular movies and
games, pioneer new ways to communicate using technology, and create new
ideas that will change the future. But the stereotype is that only men 
can
be geeks. So when are we going to hear from the triumphant female nerds
whose stories of outer space battles will inspire generations, and whose
inventions will change the future? Right now.

Female geeks are busting out of the labs and into the spotlight. They 
have
the skills and knowledge that can inspire social progress, scientific
breakthroughs, and change the world for the better, and theyâ•˙re making
their voices heard, some for the first time, in Annalee Newitz and 
Charlie
Andersâ•˙ book Sheâ•˙s Such a Geek. This anthology will celebrate women 
who
have flourished in the male-dominated realms of technical and cultural
arcana. Weâ•˙re looking for a wide range of personal essays about the
meaning of female nerdhood by women who are in love with genomics, 
obsessed
with blogging, learned about sex from Dungeons and Dragons, and arenâ•˙t
afraid to match wits with men or computers. The essays in Sheâ•˙s Such a
Geek will explain what it means to be passionately engaged with 
technical or
obscure topics╉and how to deal with it when people tell you that your
interests are weird, especially for a girl. This book aims to bust
stereotypes of what it means to be a geek, as well as what it means to 
be
female.

More than anything, Sheâ•˙s Such a Geek is a celebration and call to 
arms:
itâ•˙s a hopeful book which looks forward to a day when women will pilot
spaceships, invent molecular motors, design the next ultra-tiny
supercomputer, write epics, and run the government.

We want introspective essays that explain what being a geek has meant to
you. Describe how youâ•˙ve fought stereotypes to be accepted among 
nerds.
Explore why you are obsessed with topics and ideas that are supposed to 
be
╲for boys only.╡ Tell us how you felt the day you realized that you
would be devoting the rest of your life to discovering algorithms or
collecting comic books. We want strong, personal writing that is also 
smart
and critical. We donâ•˙t mind if you use the word ╲fuck,╡ and we 
donâ•˙t
mind if you use the word ╲telomerase.╡ Be celebratory, polemical,
wistful, angry, and just plain dorky.

Possible topics include:

what turned you into a geek
your career in science, technology, or engineering
growing up geeky
being a geek in high school today
battling geek stereotypes (i.e racial stereotypes and geekdom, cultural
analysis of geek chic and the truth about nerds, the idea that women 
have to
choose between being sexually desirable and smart, stereotypes about 
geek
professions such as computer programmers)
sex and dating among geeks
science fiction fandom
role-playing game or comic-book subcultures
the joys of math
blogging or videogames
female geek bonding
geek role models for women
feminist commentary on geek culture
womenâ•˙s involvement in DIY science and technology groups
stories from women involved in geek pop and underground cultures. These
might include comic book writers, science fiction writers, electronic 
music
musicians, and women interested in the gaming world.
womenâ•˙s web networks and web zine grrrl culture
issues of sexism in any or all of the above themes
Editors: Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders are geeky women writers. 
Annalee
is a contributing editor at Wired magazine and writes the syndicated 
column
Techsploitation. Charlie is the author of Choir Boy (Soft Skull Press) 
and
publisher of other magazine.

Publisher: Seal Press, an imprint of Avalon Publishing Group, publishes
groundbreaking books by and for women in a variety of topics.

Deadline: January 15, 2006

Length: 3,000-6,000 words

Format: Essays must be typed, double-spaced, and paginated. Please 
include
your address, phone number, email address, and a short bio on the last 
page.
Essays will not be returned.

Submitting: Send essay electronically as a Document or Rich Text Format 
file
to Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders at sheissuchageek@gmail.com.

Payment: $100 plus two books

Reply: Please allow until February 15 for a response. If you havenâ•˙t
received a response by then, please assume your essay has not been 
selected.
It is not possible to reply to every submission personally.


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