Due to many requests, we are extending the due date for submitting contributions to:
Sunday, Oct. 23
We welcome all stories of joyful births, and any and all stories of the postpartum period.
For details see June 27 post below.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
News!
Bearing Witness is on the "We Recommend" list at Toronto's The World's Biggest Bookstore!
And, 10 copies are now available in the Toronto Public Library.
We received a wonderful, heartwarming story from one of our contributing authors, Lesley Dasilva:
"I had forwarded a copy of Bearing Witness to my friend in Massachusetts last August. When I visited her a month later in September I had asked her if she read the book and she told me no. She has polyps and had been trying to conceive for a couple of years with no success. This same friend texted me last December letting me know she was pregnant. I made a joke saying that it was the book but I knew she hadn't read it and when I said that she corrected me and told me she had read it after I left. So in a matter of three months she got pregnant. I think the book helped calm her mind and open her up more fully to the feelings of empowerment that Bearing Witness so beautifully expressed. I think it's important for women to know they are more than what society or others perceive them to be...your work is critical and I am glad there will be two other books to remind us."
And, 10 copies are now available in the Toronto Public Library.
We received a wonderful, heartwarming story from one of our contributing authors, Lesley Dasilva:
"I had forwarded a copy of Bearing Witness to my friend in Massachusetts last August. When I visited her a month later in September I had asked her if she read the book and she told me no. She has polyps and had been trying to conceive for a couple of years with no success. This same friend texted me last December letting me know she was pregnant. I made a joke saying that it was the book but I knew she hadn't read it and when I said that she corrected me and told me she had read it after I left. So in a matter of three months she got pregnant. I think the book helped calm her mind and open her up more fully to the feelings of empowerment that Bearing Witness so beautifully expressed. I think it's important for women to know they are more than what society or others perceive them to be...your work is critical and I am glad there will be two other books to remind us."
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
2011 Call for Authors
Following the success and excitement of our first anthology, Bearing Witness: Childbirth Stories Told by Doulas published by Fox Women's Books, we are inviting contributions to the next two books in the series:
Bearing Witness: Joyful Birth
and
Bearing Witness: Postpartum Wisdom
Deadline: October 17, 2011
What to Submit
1. First person perspective narrative stories or poetry.
2. Submissions should speak about the doulas perspective and role.
3. Style guide: All submissions must have a title. Word count 5 to 5,000 words. Please submit work in a MS Word document, double spaced, Times New Roman, 12pt font.
4. Contributors must respect client privacy. Please do not use real names or situations that are so specific that they are easily associated with a particular individual. For stories that are specific, contributors are solely responsible for obtaining written permission from the individuals discussed within your submission.
5. Please include a short biography of a maximum of 50-100 words including any contact information you would like to appear in the book(s) if accepted.
6. Contact Information for Editors. Please provide your mailing address, phone numbers and email with each submission. If your contribution is accepted we may need to reach you on short notice.
7. We will accept more than one submission per contributor and encourage you to submit to both proposed new books if you are moved to.
Importance of Narrative Stories
The feedback we received on the first Bearing Witness book is the strength and honesty of its narration. We want to build on those strengths with the subsequent books. This increases the opportunities that our stories will be used within institutional and training programs including recommended reading lists for our sister doulas. As with the first book in the Bearing Witness series, these books will be targeted toward doulas, midwives and expectant families, in addition to women's studies programs, introductory midwifery courses, and women's health courses in allied health studies schools.
We are looking for personal stories told in the first person of how you felt, what you saw, funny stories, things that made you shake your head, things that kept you up at night, your reasons for persisting as a doula or why you quit, what inspires you, what you carry with you and think about with regard to your clients, your joys, difficulties, why you only do home birth or hospital birth, or support postpartum families or only birthing families. We want to hear it all. What it is like to be a doula, to work hands on with women and birthing families in such a traditional and supportive role within the modern obstetrical and midwifery models; to bear witness to their journey, their suffering, their joy and their transformation into mothering. We want you to rant, to philosophize, to share what your gut tells you, to share your visions of birth and postpartum. We appreciate very real, tangible stories of your own experiences, in your own words and voice and from the perspective of the very unique and valuable role that doulas play.
Where to send your submission
Please send your submissions by attachment to Lisa Doran lisa.doran@barefoothealth.ca.
Acceptance of your submission
1. The General Editors for the work are Lisa Doran and Lisa Caron. The Editors will review all the submissions for editorial content and consistency within our theme and will choose suitable submissions for our final draft to be submitted to Fox Women's Books.
2. Payment for the articles, if accepted, are honoraria of one copy of the book(s) that contain your submission.
3. We will contact you by January 1, 2012 if your submission is to be part of the collaboration.
This can be a notable publication addition to your CV/resume and broaden your publishing credits. Contributors to our first book have found that Bearing Witness opened new opportunities within their communities to promote their doula practice and have held book readings and book signings as well as media interviews.
Please consider contributing to this series of collaborative stories that will help explain and define the role of a doula within the circle of care that women choose in modern maternity care. Help contribute to the discussion through your submission, as we endeavor to enlighten the reader to the experience of being a doula, our motivations, our dreams for birthing women and our strong and unique collective voices.
Warmly,
Lisa Doran and Lisa Caron, General Editors
lisa.doran@barefoothealth.ca
lisacaron@sympatico.ca
Bearing Witness: Joyful Birth
and
Bearing Witness: Postpartum Wisdom
Deadline: October 17, 2011
What to Submit
1. First person perspective narrative stories or poetry.
2. Submissions should speak about the doulas perspective and role.
3. Style guide: All submissions must have a title. Word count 5 to 5,000 words. Please submit work in a MS Word document, double spaced, Times New Roman, 12pt font.
4. Contributors must respect client privacy. Please do not use real names or situations that are so specific that they are easily associated with a particular individual. For stories that are specific, contributors are solely responsible for obtaining written permission from the individuals discussed within your submission.
5. Please include a short biography of a maximum of 50-100 words including any contact information you would like to appear in the book(s) if accepted.
6. Contact Information for Editors. Please provide your mailing address, phone numbers and email with each submission. If your contribution is accepted we may need to reach you on short notice.
7. We will accept more than one submission per contributor and encourage you to submit to both proposed new books if you are moved to.
Importance of Narrative Stories
The feedback we received on the first Bearing Witness book is the strength and honesty of its narration. We want to build on those strengths with the subsequent books. This increases the opportunities that our stories will be used within institutional and training programs including recommended reading lists for our sister doulas. As with the first book in the Bearing Witness series, these books will be targeted toward doulas, midwives and expectant families, in addition to women's studies programs, introductory midwifery courses, and women's health courses in allied health studies schools.
We are looking for personal stories told in the first person of how you felt, what you saw, funny stories, things that made you shake your head, things that kept you up at night, your reasons for persisting as a doula or why you quit, what inspires you, what you carry with you and think about with regard to your clients, your joys, difficulties, why you only do home birth or hospital birth, or support postpartum families or only birthing families. We want to hear it all. What it is like to be a doula, to work hands on with women and birthing families in such a traditional and supportive role within the modern obstetrical and midwifery models; to bear witness to their journey, their suffering, their joy and their transformation into mothering. We want you to rant, to philosophize, to share what your gut tells you, to share your visions of birth and postpartum. We appreciate very real, tangible stories of your own experiences, in your own words and voice and from the perspective of the very unique and valuable role that doulas play.
Where to send your submission
Please send your submissions by attachment to Lisa Doran lisa.doran@barefoothealth.ca.
Acceptance of your submission
1. The General Editors for the work are Lisa Doran and Lisa Caron. The Editors will review all the submissions for editorial content and consistency within our theme and will choose suitable submissions for our final draft to be submitted to Fox Women's Books.
2. Payment for the articles, if accepted, are honoraria of one copy of the book(s) that contain your submission.
3. We will contact you by January 1, 2012 if your submission is to be part of the collaboration.
This can be a notable publication addition to your CV/resume and broaden your publishing credits. Contributors to our first book have found that Bearing Witness opened new opportunities within their communities to promote their doula practice and have held book readings and book signings as well as media interviews.
Please consider contributing to this series of collaborative stories that will help explain and define the role of a doula within the circle of care that women choose in modern maternity care. Help contribute to the discussion through your submission, as we endeavor to enlighten the reader to the experience of being a doula, our motivations, our dreams for birthing women and our strong and unique collective voices.
Warmly,
Lisa Doran and Lisa Caron, General Editors
lisa.doran@barefoothealth.ca
lisacaron@sympatico.ca
Friday, April 1, 2011
Book reviews, reading lists, next call for authors
Today I was greeted in the mail by DONA's International Doula magazine. To my delight, this issue includes a review of none other than, Bearing Witness: Childbirth Stories Told by Doulas.
AND...
To date, Bearing Witness is recommended reading for:
- The Simkin Center at Bastyr University http://www.seattlemidwifery.org/simkin-school/birth-doula-texts.html
And required reading for:
- PALS http://www.palsdoulas.org/become-a-doula/required-reading-list/
- Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, Toronto
- Healing Arts Learning Organization (HALO), Kitchener ON
Do you know if Bearing Witness is on more reading lists?
And coming soon...
As we announced at the Ina May Gaskin Conference last weekend in Toronto (see our last post), our publisher is asking for the next book in the Bearing Witness series. Watch for the call for authors for two books: Joyful Birth, and The Postpartum Period Through the Eyes of a Doula.
Spring has sprung!
AND...
To date, Bearing Witness is recommended reading for:
- The Simkin Center at Bastyr University http://www.seattlemidwifery.org/simkin-school/birth-doula-texts.html
And required reading for:
- PALS http://www.palsdoulas.org/become-a-doula/required-reading-list/
- Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, Toronto
- Healing Arts Learning Organization (HALO), Kitchener ON
Do you know if Bearing Witness is on more reading lists?
And coming soon...
As we announced at the Ina May Gaskin Conference last weekend in Toronto (see our last post), our publisher is asking for the next book in the Bearing Witness series. Watch for the call for authors for two books: Joyful Birth, and The Postpartum Period Through the Eyes of a Doula.
Spring has sprung!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Midwife Ina May Gaskin in Toronto
We are hosting world renowned midwife Ina May Gaskin in Toronto!
Our own contributing authors, Isabel Perez and Julei Busch had a vision to bring Ina May to Toronto. Isabel was trained as a midwife by Ina May as you may recall from her interview with Crescence Krueger, A Life in Birth. Isabel contacted Ina May and Lisa Doran and I happily took on the monumental task of organizing the conference.
Join us as Ina May speaks to pregnant, pregnant-to-be and new families on Friday night, March 25, and to birth professionals on Saturday, March 26, 2011.
For more details and to register to to our website http://birthconferences.com
Seating is very limited.
Hope to see you in March!
Our own contributing authors, Isabel Perez and Julei Busch had a vision to bring Ina May to Toronto. Isabel was trained as a midwife by Ina May as you may recall from her interview with Crescence Krueger, A Life in Birth. Isabel contacted Ina May and Lisa Doran and I happily took on the monumental task of organizing the conference.
Join us as Ina May speaks to pregnant, pregnant-to-be and new families on Friday night, March 25, and to birth professionals on Saturday, March 26, 2011.
For more details and to register to to our website http://birthconferences.com
Seating is very limited.
Hope to see you in March!
Required Reading Lists
Bearing Witness is officially on 2 REQUIRED reading lists so far:
PALS (a large doula organization in the northwest US)
http://www.palsdoulas.org/become-a-doula/required-reading-list/
Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine
Watch the list grow as we learn of other organizations who have added the book. We have no way of knowing all the lists it could be on. Please let us know if you hear of any. Thank you!
PALS (a large doula organization in the northwest US)
http://www.palsdoulas.org/become-a-doula/required-reading-list/
Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine
Watch the list grow as we learn of other organizations who have added the book. We have no way of knowing all the lists it could be on. Please let us know if you hear of any. Thank you!
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