Call for submissions: Mapping mental illness in the north

NEWS RELEASE

OPEN MINDS QUARTERLY

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Open Minds Quarterly, a literary magazine dedicated to writers with lived experience of mental illness and mental health challenges, is publishing a special topic issue in Summer 2016 exclusively devoted to the voices of writers in Northern Ontario.

They are seeking personal essays, critical essays, poetry, and short stories about the experience of mental health recovery in the north.

All pieces will be reviewed and the final selections will appear in the special issue, scheduled to be released in late summer 2016.

"We are looking for people who have lived here, [and] people who do live here, and who are in recovery from a mental health challenge or who have survived mental illness, whether it's in the present day or past," said Dinah Laprairie, the magazine’s editor.

The special issue hopes to feature a range of experiences, from the lack of accessibility to health care services in the north, to the value of the proximity to the great outdoors.

"We're able to get out of the city a bit easier than perhaps somebody in downtown Toronto, who has to travel a lot further distance to be able to experience the healing benefits of nature."

How to Submit:

• All pieces must fall in line with the magazines regular submission guidelines. You can find them on their website at www.openmindsquarterly.com/submit/
• Submit your work to Open Minds through their online submission portal at www.openmindsquarterly.com/portfolio/northernontario/. In your introductory letter, please be sure to mention that you are submitting to the special Northern Ontario issue
• All pieces will be reviewed and responded to with an acceptance or a decline, no matter the outcome. If there are more pieces accepted than space available, they may consider publishing some in later issues.

The submission deadline is December 31, 2015.

This special issue is part of a larger project funded by the Ontario Arts Council’s Northern Ontario Arts grant.

To find out more about the special Call for Submission visit www.openmindsquarterly.com, or connect with Editor, Dinah Laprairie, at 705-222-6472 ext. 303 or openminds@nisa.on.ca.

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