Contributors Sought for Teen Grief Project
January 21st 2010 20:38
Call for Submissions
As I was perusing Craigslist this morning, I came across a call for submissions for a teen grief book and thought this would be a great writing opportunity to mention on my blog. While I've personally had more than my share of grief experiences, my losses didn't occur during my teens--though I know that for many others, they did. That's why I'd like to share this opportunity with my readers.
If you've lost a parent or other loved one during your teen years (whether you're still a teen or an adult who experienced grief while in your teens), this might be a good opportunity for you to share your story, experience some healing, and in the process possibly help someone else who is battling grief right now.
Grief Relief Book in Planning Stages
After I found the ad, I shot an e-mail off to the Craigslist mailbox, telling the advertiser that I'd be willing to post info about the opportunity to my blog if I had a direct contact e-mail address. To my surprise, I received an almost immediate reply (from the advertiser and not an automatic notification from Craigslist about a closed mailbox)--a very refreshing occurrence from Craigslist!
Fran Hall responded, telling me a little more about her project:
My friend and I both went through this as teens and now volunteer working with other kids who have experienced the death of a parent/parents. We especially would love to hear from teens themselves, as well as from people who are now adults who lost someone close when they were adolescents. Finding teens I think is going to be the most challenging part of doing this so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
In a later e-mail, Fran elaborated further on her project:
Also it's probably worth mentioning in the post that this is not intended to be a cliche, uplifting type of book even though I'm sure some stories will be which of course is great. However, some people may have had horrific experiences like being left with an abusive surviving parent for instance, or maybe their surviving parent neglected them. (Horrible I know, but it happens!) We want to hear the good, bad and the ugly because we need kids in every circumstance to know that they are not alone. That is the main goal.
The Original Ad
Just so you have all the info, here's the original Craigslist ad:
Did you experience the death of a parent or other close loved-one when you were a teenager or young adult? Do you remember the isolation and the feeling that you were different from everyone else you knew? We're editing a collection of non-fiction stories about death and grieving that will act as a support group for teens/young adults that feel that they have no one to relate to. The book will be geared for adolescents and we want to hear your stories.
We are looking for the following types of contributers:
1)adults who experienced a major death when they were teens/young adults
2)teens/young adults who experienced a major loss
We hope to create a resource that will help normalize the feelings that a grieving adolescent experiences. Stories can be uplifting, funny, devastating, or whatever... just as long as it's from a place of honesty. The goal is to help teens through their grieving process, in whatever that means to them, so we are not looking for contributors to give advice or share tired cliches like 'time heals all wounds' or ' I know they're in a better place'. We merely want honest and heartfelt stories that reflect personal experiences.
We are looking for the following types of contributers:
1)adults who experienced a major death when they were teens/young adults
2)teens/young adults who experienced a major loss
We hope to create a resource that will help normalize the feelings that a grieving adolescent experiences. Stories can be uplifting, funny, devastating, or whatever... just as long as it's from a place of honesty. The goal is to help teens through their grieving process, in whatever that means to them, so we are not looking for contributors to give advice or share tired cliches like 'time heals all wounds' or ' I know they're in a better place'. We merely want honest and heartfelt stories that reflect personal experiences.
Contact Info
If you think you might be interested in contributing to this book project--as either a writer or an interviewee--contact Fran at the following e-mail address: griefreliefbook@yahoo.com.
Since the project is still in the planning stages, Fran is currently collecting info from all those who are interested in contributing and plans to contact and interview each one at a later date. Contributors will likely receive compensation for their stories, though the amount hasn't been determined yet, since it's so early in the process. If this sounds like a project you might be interested in, drop Fran a line.
Here's to getting your story out there!
Good luck!
Jeanne
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Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
Thanks for posting this. Definitely something for me to look into. Great post and great help as always
~Dianna
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
You're more than welcome! Always glad to help a fellow writer find a suitable venue for her work.
Tell Fran I sent you.
Thanks for the visit!
Jeanne