Zubaan Publishers Research Grants for Young Researchers from the Northeast, 2022-23 Final Grantees Announcement 

Last month we called for applications for the Zubaan Publishers Research Grants for Young Researchers from the Northeast, 2022-23, as part of Fragrance of Peace. Through this work, we hope to fund projects exploring narratives of historically marginalised women’s, queer, feminist, and oral histories from the region.

We were thrilled by the response to our call from young writers, researchers, and artists from the Northeast who submitted well-thought-out proposals with several exciting ideas. We thank you for your effort and for sharing your stories with us.

After the difficult yet necessary task of shortlisting the grantees, we have selected the following final grant recipients:

1. Anshu Chhetri
2. Arpita Chakraborty & Nasrin Shahnaz
3. Chhaya Namchu
4. Esther Vaipei
5. Haidmateu Zeme N
6. Jayashree Narzary
7. Jobeth Ann Warjri
8. Joshua Sailo
9. Mimi Pachuau
10. Nangsel Sherpa
11. Naomi C. Nonglait
12. Nicky Chandam
13. Nokho Nyekha
14. Renu Koyu
15. Rishav Thakur
16. Rituparna Neog
17. Romik Sai
18. Schulu Duo
19. Swarnim Subba
20. Synshar Pde

We congratulate our grantees and keenly look forward to their forthcoming projects under this grant!

Writing is For Everybody: A Mentored Workshop Final Participants Announcement

We received an overwhelming response to our call for applications for the Writing is For Everybody mentored workshop to be conducted as part of our Fragrance of Peace project. The applicants were young budding writers who explored their writing for the first time with several promising ideas. We thank you for the effort and thought you put into your applications— this made selecting the final participants challenging for us. 

However, we were lucky to have the help of a strong and informed jury, and this final selection is the result of their evaluation of the writing samples. We’re delighted to announce that the following applicants have been selected for the Workshop:

Non-fiction:

1. Aashima Prasad
2. Anaum Pandit
3. Khairunnisa Aga
4. Taskeen Nazir

Fiction:

1. Daphisha Makri
2. Kesang Thakur
3. Rodingpuii
4. Rumuz
5. Shizuku
6. Stuti Mamen

Congratulations— we look forward to your participation in the Workshop! It is curated by Ather Zia and Parismita Singh, with our speakers for fiction, Mamang Dai and Annie Zaidi and Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, and Asiya Zahoor being speakers for non-fiction.

We thank all applicants once again and wish you the best of luck and hope you will continue engaging with Zubaan’s work and keep an eye out for future workshops and other opportunities from us.

 Writing Is for Everybody: A Mentored Workshop

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 20 JULY 2022

[Find a PDF version of this call here]

Zubaan Publishers and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, under the Fragrance of Peace project, are organizing a writing workshop for women, queer, trans and non-binary persons from marginalized communities across India. This workshop, one of the first in a series, attempts to support new writers while questioning and challenging the hierarchies in which written literature is situated. Following our work with researchers and writers on documenting oral histories in the Northeast, we hope to expand the space for new and emerging writers from oppressed and marginalized communities and create solidarity-building platforms through the power of writing one’s own stories. 

The act of writing is fundamentally socio-political. Who is writing and what/who is being written about parallels existing power dynamics and structural inequalities. It is therefore unsurprising that writing has historically been the privilege of those who bear markers of dominant identities. As an organization involved in producing knowledge, we believe in using our networks and resources to facilitate exchanges where people can share their stories and devise ways to talk about their realities on their own terms. 

Writing is For Everybody: A Mentored Workshop is a free online workshop and short-term mentorship program that recognizes the hierarchies in the realm of writing and attempts to challenge these by making the writing process accessible under the mentorship of writers Parismita Singh and Ather Zia.

Workshop Structure

 The selected applicants will be invited to join the workshop along with a draft version of a piece they are currently working on. Participants will attend two sessions in September over one weekend (dates to be decided), led by four authors and the curators. These sessions will work toward deconstructing various stages of the writing process. We will also have an optional and brief in-house session on publishing feminist literature.

Following this, participants will be given 2 weeks to build upon their drafts using their learnings from the sessions. They will be encouraged to reach out to their respective mentors, who will support them through the writing process during this period. After this, a final feedback session will be held with the mentors on a mutually agreeable date, and the workshop period will close. In addition, participants will receive a letter of acknowledgment from Zubaan after completing the workshop.

The workshop will be conducted in English, for English language pieces, with due focus on the structures of power within the colonial language. We hope to conduct future workshops in other regional languages of the subcontinent.

Eligibility Criteria 

1. This workshop is open to women, queer, trans and non-binary people from marginalized communities, with a preference for those who have not previously attended writing workshops.
2. Since the workshop is catering to writers of creative feminist fiction and nonfiction, we require the writer’s draft piece of choice to fall under these categories.
3. Selected applicants must commit to participating in all the workshop sessions, reworking/revising their draft piece in consultation with the mentors, and attending a final feedback session with the team. 

To Apply

• Applicants should prepare an original feminist fiction or nonfiction piece of their own writing, of no more than 2500 words, in English. This could also be a piece they are currently working on.
• Fill out the application form and upload the draft work here by 20 July 2022.

[Note: If you are having trouble filling out the google form or have any queries about the workshop in general, please email contact@zubaanprojects.org with the subject line’ Queries for Writing Workshop‘.]

Shortlist and selection of grantees

All applications will be screened by a selection committee based on internal criteria. Selected applicants will be informed by the first week of August. The committee’s decision will be final.

Duration

The total duration of the program will be three weeks, starting from the two-day weekend workshop in September (dates to be decided), including the mentorship, reworking/revising of drafts based on feedback with a final session with the curators, and the Zubaan team.

Curators bio 

Parismita Singh:

Parismita Singh is a writer, artist, and educationist whose publications include the graphic novels The Hotel at the End of the World, Mara and the Clay Cows, Crab Chronicles, and a collection of short stories Peace has Come. 

Ather Zia:

Ather Zia is a poet, writer, and associate professor at the University of Northern Colorado. She is the founder of Kashmir Lit, an online journal of Kashmiri and diasporic writing. 

Zubaan Publishers Pvt. Ltd is an independent feminist publishing house based in New Delhi. We publish academic books, fiction, memoirs, popular nonfiction, and books for children and young adults under our Young Zubaan imprint, aiming always to be pioneering, cutting-edge, progressive, and inclusive. For more information, log onto www.zubaanbooks.com.

The Sasakawa Peace Foundation addresses the diverse and complicated issues that human society is encountering in the 21st century. SPF and Zubaan Publishers work together on projects linked with cultural production, writing, and literature in Northeast India. For more information, log onto www.spf.org.

Zubaan is excited to announce its association partnership with Durga for their upcoming virtual forum, NGAGE 2021 which focuses on deterrence of sexual harassment in public spaces.

Based in Bangalore, Durga is a citizen-sector organization, working since 2013 with the ultimate vision of creating gender equal spaces in India, deterrence of sexual harassment, and ensuring women’s safety. Next Gen Advocates for Gender Equity (NGAGE) by Durga is the first & largest of its kind virtual forum aimed at dissecting Gender Inequity. The forum serves as a thought-provoking platform for young citizens to understand that they can bring about great changes while they engage in meaningful conversations and make conscious efforts to bridge gender gaps.

This year, NGAGE 2021 is being held from December 10-12 and the forum will focus on Sexual Harassment Deterrence in Public Spaces. The forum will include 40 distinguished speakers from India and across the globe who are working towards creating safer spaces for all. The three day event being held online via zoom, is open for everyone!

 Follow Durga on Instagram  and Twitter for more details!

The Zubaan-Sasakawa Peace Foundation Grants for Young Researchers from the Northeast

2021-22 Grantee Announcement

We received an excellent response to our call for applications this year, and while we were pleased to see the interest among young researchers, this also made our task of choosing grantees much more difficult. However, we were lucky to have the support of a strong and informed jury, and this final selection is the result of their evaluation of the proposals. We’re delighted to announce that the following candidates have been selected for the grant:

1. Stuti Mamen Lowang
2. Brishbhanu Baruah
3. Pranami Rajbangshi
4. Rachel Issac
5. Rimpi Borah
6. Sikha Das
7. Sneha Roy
8. Swati Baruah
9. Nayani Sarma and Juri Baruah
10. Kinriwiliu Ringkangmai
11. Lamneihoi Vaiphei
12. Monica Kanga
13. Sophia Lisam
14. Jerry Lucius Pyrtuh
15. Florence Laldinpuii
16. Hannah Lalhlanpuii
17. Lalchhanhimi Bungsut
18. Kamongla Longkumer
19. Kekhriesituo Yaotsu
20. Anisha Debbarman
21. Sanjana Chhetri
22. Anisa Bhutia
23. Sagareeka Pradhan
24. Ranu Kunwar
25. Chingkheinganbi Mayengbam and Ankita Goswami

Congratulations!

We’d especially like to thank all applicants for the effort and thought that they put into their proposals. We hope that you will continue to engage with Zubaan’s work, and keep an eye out for future grants or other opportunities from us; and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours.

UPDATE (10/09/2021): An earlier version of this list contained the name of two other researchers who have since given up the grant due to personal reasons. Taking this into account, this is the final list of grantees.

We will be looking for collaborators on our project on gender and labour in the upcoming year, some of which will be graphic or illustrative longform nonfiction work. Head to our website links for more on the project ‘No Space For Work’. Please note that there is no deadline for this call as such. You can send us your portfolios and we’ll reach out if/when there’s a collaboration that fits your style! Also kindly note, that we will not be responding to individual emails unless there is a specific graphic/illustrative work opportunity for you. You can send your portfolio to contact@zubaanprojects.org!

Participatory Visual Learning: A Through Her Lens workshop on Seeing, Understanding and Constructing the Visual – Call for Applications

[Find a downloadable PDF version of this call here.]

Zubaan is now inviting applications for Participatory Visual Learning, an online workshop that intends to explore key ideas of learning in visual cultures, and to develop the skills to articulate this understanding. The workshop seeks to open the term ‘visual’ to include media such as photography, illustrations, graphics, audio-visual material etc. This participatory workshop will look at questions of gender, representation, culture, identities, body politics and more. While no prior theoretical knowledge of visual culture is required to apply for this workshop, preference will be given to people working in grassroots organizations, communities, etc. in Northeast India.

Details

Facilitator: This workshop will be facilitated by Ruchika Gurung, an educator and researcher trained in film, media and culture studies. Ruchika is currently a faculty member in Whistling Woods International’s School of Media and Communication.

Number of sessions: The workshop will consist of 4 sessions spread across 4 weeks.

Dates and timings: 5-7pm on Saturday evenings, from 31 October 2020 to 21 November 2020.

Location: Owing to the ongoing public health crisis, the workshop will take place entirely over Zoom.

Fees: Participation in this workshop is free. Following the successful completion of the workshop, participants will receive a letter of participation from Zubaan.

The workshop will follow a participatory learning model, wherein each session will be geared towards participants using the learnings from the workshop to construct a narrative, and produce their own body of work. Each session will have a component dedicated to mentor feedback and review. From the basics of visual construction and its usage in research and documentation, to the focus on the role of identity and performance in art and media, and the way these materials construct narratives of gender, sexuality, caste, race and form, these sessions will be tailored to reflect the concerns of researchers working on the ground. 

With confirmed participation from women’s collectives and community women leaders (from earlier editions of Through Her Lens), the workshop is also designed to be a place to build on existing understandings of research and documentation through a multimedia approach, keeping in mind the existing political, ecological, social and economic realities, and provide an extended network of support through these platforms. 

It aims to instil in researchers an understanding of these visual constructions, and enable them to use this understanding to complement their research practices in ways that also discard stereotypes about what ‘traditional’ research methodology constitutes.

Eligibility criteria

• Applications are open to women, queer, trans and nonbinary individuals from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura. Those from the regions of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kurseong are also welcome to apply.
• Applicants must be 18 years and above.
• The workshop will primarily be conducted in English, therefore familiarity with the language is ideal.
• As mentioned earlier, no prior theoretical knowledge of visual culture is required to apply for this workshop, but preference will be given to people working in grassroots organizations, communities, etc. in Northeast India.

To apply

Send in your CV and a 200 word cover letter* that details your reasons behind applying for this workshop by Wednesday, 21 October 2020.

Interested people are required to send in their details to BOTH of the following email ids: projects@zubaanbooks.com and herlens.exhibition@gmail.com. The last date of submission is Wednesday, 21 October 2020. Please put “Application for Participatory Visual Learning Workshop“in the subject line.

[Note: If you’d like to send in any other material — audio, video, visual — to supplement your application, please feel free to do so.

*You can also send in an audio clip or a video recording detailing your interest instead of a cover letter. Please limit it to 60 seconds or less.]

Selection of participants

All applications will be screened by a selection committee. Only selected participants will be contacted further, and the committee’s decision will be final. Selected candidates will be informed via email by Tuesday, 27 October 2020.

Outcomes

As mentioned above, participants will be required to produce a body of work during the workshop that reflects their learnings and journey. The final materials produced, with support from the mentorship programme, will be displayed in an online exhibition under Through Her Lens. 

A note on copyright

Regarding the material that is produced, all participants will share the rights of the work produced by them as an outcome of this workshop with Zubaan Publishers Pvt. Ltd. (ZPPL) for publishing the selected material on their website, social media, related accounts and communication materials, which will be used in accordance with the company’s Privacy Policy. All participants will be given due credit for any material used. The participants will also be free to use this material in their future work, with due acknowledgement to ZPPL and the workshop.

A contract will be signed with each participant following selection regarding this. 

Visual art is a powerful and effective way to draw even the ‘apolitical’ into thinking about issues that are difficult to stomach, and provoke strong discomfort. That is the idea that underpins this project. The Alphabets, a collaboration of various artists across India and Nepal, are typographic posters that illustrate different facets of impunity that initiate discussions contributing to our collective understanding of the same. Read more and view the alphabets here.

Zubaan and IDRC’s SVI project emerged from the cross border collaboration of feminists, academics and researchers across South Asia. Following the legacy of its predecessor, the Stepping Stones and Body of Evidence projects also exist in the context of a larger network that spans countries and cultures—they form a part of IDRC’s Give Youth a Voice initiative that spans the 5 South Asian countries of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. 

South Asia is home to the largest youth force in the world, which faces unique vulnerabilities exacerbated by their geographical and social locations (gender, religion, class, caste, ethnicity, etc). However, they are also best positioned to use the various creative mediums at their disposal to meet the challenges that sexual violence and impunity pose, head on. In this way, they become the drivers of social change. This initiative therefore seeks to support programmes led by the youth in these countries to help them play a critical role in strengthening their communities and societies.

While the youth engaged by the Stepping Stones and Body of Evidence projects (India and Nepal) used performing arts like theatre and slam poetry as a medium to challenge structures of impunity, our sister projects across South Asia looked at youth led research, community-led outreach programmes, art, music and cognitive behaviour therapy sessions with at-risk youth as ways of confronting these structures. 

Read more about this initiative and the work of the 8 organisations implementing it in greater detail here. 

The Zubaan-Sasakawa Peace Foundation Grants for Young Researchers from the Northeast 

2020-21 Grantee Announcement

We received an excellent response to our call for applications and while we were pleased to see the interest among young researchers, this also made our task of choosing grantees much more difficult. However, we were lucky to have the support of a strong and informed jury from the region, and this final selection is the result of their evaluation of the proposals. We’re delighted to announce that the following candidates have been selected for the grant: