884 Content Call

International Edition - Eastern Europe

Deadline for all Content Call to be considered for print is Sunday, 16th of February 2025 unless otherwise stated.

Please reach out to the respective section emails or leave a comment below to claim a prompt. The prompts are simply guidelines, if you have other ideas that relates for the theme, you can of course still reach out and pitch your articles!

Art Photography — photography@palatinate.org.uk

Art Photography is welcoming all sorts of photography for our Eastern Europe print. For previous international prints we've had street and landscape photography and old family photos – but we welcome all styles of photography, all mediums (film and digital) and photos old and new. Submissions welcome even if you're not a photographer or don't have ties with the region! Any questions, please feel free to ask.

Features — features@palatinate.org.uk

This week, we are looking for articles that tie into the Eastern European edition of print. We want to hear personal stories and reflections that explore themes of identity, nostalgia, and change. To help, here are a few suggested prompts:

• How has your city or town evolved over the years? What remnants of the past remain, and what has been lost? Reflect on the intersection of nostalgia and contemporary realities.

• Has moving to Durham changed how you feel about your home country? Has it reshaped your identity or the way you integrate the two cultures? Share your experiences of adaptation, belonging, and cultural contrasts.

• From old traditions to forgotten relics, how does history still influence your daily experience? Whether through family stories, architecture, or unexpected moments, explore the presence of the past in the present.

However, we would like to stress that these prompts are just suggestions and so feel free to write whatever you feel is most important to you, and your experience with Eastern Europe. Like always, we would love the pieces to be personal and reflective. For this edition, we’re looking for pieces around 800 words, with 850 being the maximum. Have fun writing!

Film & TV — film@palatinate.org.uk

Hello! Our next print will be an internation edition focusing on the region of Eastern Europe.If you are struggling for ideas, feel free to take one of the prompt below by commenting or emailing us at film@palatinate.org.uk.

1. The works of Andrei Tarkovsky - This could be an analysis/review of a specific Tarkovsky film like “Stalker” or “Solaris” or a discussion of his legacy and impact on filmmaking. Lot’s of freedom to go very specific and talk about certain films or go wider and talk about the general themes in his filmography.

2. Representation of Eastern Europe in film and TV - Could look at the physical representations of Eastern Europe and films/TV shows which are set there considering how they are presented and if this creates stereotypes for the region. Also could consider the representations of people and how they are sometimes negatively perceived in western media.

3. A Real Pain Review - The oscar-nominated film “A Real Pain” follows two cousins doing a tour of Poland to learn more about their family history. This article could be a review of the film and it’s critical success or an analysis of how Poland is presented, or anything else to do with the film!

4. Eastern European creators - An article focusing on your favourite Eastern European actors, directors, TV shows, films etc. Explain why they are so great or why you think they deserve more attention.

For articles to be considered for our print issue, you will need to submit by the 16th February

Ongoing Series

Comment what example you’d like to focus on when requesting one of these articles!

• The Indigo Canon: What film or television feature/series do you think deserves to be labelled as a ‘classic’? We’re open to multiple pitches for this series, just say which show/film you’d want to discuss in the comments!

• Must-Watch Docs: This is an ongoing series that gives you the opportunity to write about a documentary that has impacted you. Whether it’s about the environment, social issues, history of art… you name it, we want to hear what you think about it!

• Director/Actor Spotlight: Is there a particular director/actor you think deserves some recognition or has had a particularly interesting career?

• ‘Being seen on screen’: which films or TV series have you seen that have accurately depicted real life experiences that you relate to? For example, queer representation, racial inequalities, life as a young person etc. How have these helped you understand communities/identities?

Again, if you have any other ideas feel free to contact us at film@palatinate.org.uk

Happy Writing!!

Creative Writing — creative.writing@palatinate.org.uk

Hello writers! For our next print edition, we’re looking at eastern Europe! This leaves a very wide scope to write about - whether that be the natural world of your homeland, or historical fiction concerning the rich past that these nations share. Poetry or prose, we welcome anything! Please remember that the word count limit is 800 words and enjoy writing! The deadline is SUNDAY 16TH! Please send all work to us at creative.writing@palatinate.org.uk !!

Music — music@palatinate.org.uk

Hi everyone!

This week we have some more review pre-release album / gig review opportunities to be published online. Please email music@palatinate.org.uk to claim and receive more details!

1. Firstly, we have the chance to review metal band Lacuna Coil’s ’Sleepless Empire’ LP ahead of its release later this week. A great opportunity for any rock / metal fans!

2. We also have the chance to review the ‘hugely tipped’ Welly’s upcoming LP ‘Big In The Suburbs’ before it is released on the 21st March.

3. TAKEN - Finally, there's available guest list passes for a reviewer and a plus one to go to the Beans on Toast concert at The Grove in Newcastle on the 15th March. Ideally we'll receive the review within a week of the show if anyone wants to claim! The manager has also mentioned there could be potential interview time available for a reviewer, so we can always enquire about this too.

Visual Arts — visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk

For this edition, we are looking for articles that explore the rich and diverse visual culture of Eastern Europe.

For more information, Eastern Europe generally designates those areas that fell within the so-called Eastern Bloc during the period from 1945 to 1989. The Eastern Bloc included communist states closely allied with the Soviet Union, such as East Germany (GDR), Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria, as well as countries that eventually broke away from the USSR but maintained communist governments, such as Yugoslavia and Albania.

You can respond to one of the prompts below or pitch your own idea:

1. Avant-Garde Movements: Suprematism, Constructivism & Czech Cubism – Eastern Europe was a birthplace of radical artistic movements in the early 20th century. How did artists like Kazimir Malevich, El Lissitzky, or Czech Cubists revolutionize visual language?

2. Art Under Socialism: Socialist Realism, Sots Art & Socialist Modernism – From the rigid constraints of Socialist Realism to the subversive irony of Sots Art, how did artists navigate state control? Explore how socialist ideology shaped art, architecture, and design. Equally, how did artists subvert/resist the imposed aesthetic, such as the nonconformist painters of the Soviet Union or the underground art scenes of Yugoslavia.

3. TAKEN - Stalinist Architecture & the Monumental Aesthetic – Towering palaces, grand metros, and concrete monoliths – how did Stalinist and Socialist Modernist architecture shape urban landscapes, and how is it viewed today? Are the spomeniks of former Yugoslavia still to be viewed as just oppressive?

4. Body Art & Performance in Eastern Europe – From the endurance-based works of Marina Abramović to underground feminist performances in Poland, how has the human body been used as a medium of resistance, identity, and expression in Eastern European art?

5. Poetism & the Slav Revival: The Search for Identity – How did movements like Czech Poetism or the Slav Revival use art, poetry, and design to shape national and cultural identity? Discuss how artists merged folk traditions with modernist aesthetics.

6. Postsocialism & Contemporary Eastern European Art – How have artists responded to the collapse of the Eastern Bloc? Explore themes of memory, nostalgia, and transition in contemporary art from the region.

Articles should be 650-800 words. Please send your submissions to visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk.

Books — books@palatinate.org.uk

We are super excited about our next print where we will be looking at Eastern Europe. There are some very interesting literary traditions and works to look at, but we would also love to hear from you guys if you have any ideas, as always, send them over!

We have attached some ideas/prompts to get some creativity and ideas flowing.

Each article should be 750-850 words, and due by 16/02/2025 at the latest.

Please comment on our Substack or email books@palatinate.org.uk to claim a piece. If you have any questions or other ideas do get in touch as well!

1. Anecdotal piece—is there a book/author you feel really captures your heritage/home in a way that is perhaps comforting, nostalgic etc. A book that perhaps reflects your experience and culture in a way that could also be shared with others.

2. Biography of Milan Kundera—author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, it would be so great to have a piece about his life and journey as an author.

3. TAKEN - The reception of Lolita—a novel written by Nabokov to critique American culture in permitting atrocities to unfold unnoticed/ignored, however, it was received and considered a temptation and too dangerous for public consumption. It was banned in both the US and the UK. I think a piece on this would be very interesting, looking at texts that challenge dominant American culture as the default and the ramification of doing so.

4. A piece on Anna Karenina. A classic and certainly one with lots of interesting ideas to explore, from author Leo Tolstoy himself to the depictions of Imperial Russian Society.

5. Eastern European folklore— native folklore and the narratives they serve. It would perhaps be interesting to explore how these narratives have also changed over time and why. Any tales that spark your interest but here are some ideas:

   1. Muma Padurii of Romanian origin: translated to ‘Mother of the Forest’, once depicted as helping those in trouble, saving children, her later narratives contradict these narratives. She is dangerous and to be feared. This folk tale is just one example of how these stories often change to suit new purposes, such as making it easier to plunder natural resources if the ‘nature spirit’ is demonised.

   2. Another interesting folk tale to perhaps look at is the legendary Baba Yaga: an inspirational figure that seems to transcend the limitations of other female characters in terms of power and agency. She is both villain and helper in the same story. A force entirely unto herself, owing herself to no-one. A 1795 interpretation even linked Baba Yaga to the ancient goddess Persephone, as she, too, embodies death as well as storms and winter.

   3. TAKEN - The setting and story of Dracula—Dracula’s castle is located off the Borgo Pass, Romania. It would be so interesting to look into one of the most famous English literary works and all that makes it the fantastic gothic piece it is: the setting, descriptions or characters…

Style — style@palatinate.org.uk

Thank you to everyone who picked up a piece from our valentines content call! There were some really cool ideas. This time, we’re doing an international edition, focusing mainly on Eastern Europe. If you like the look of any of these then please do get in touch at style@palatinate.org.uk . Equally, if you would like to pitch something that we haven’t covered in the content call, then please do so!

1. Olympic opening ceremony or fashion show? Look at the gorgeous, innovative clothes worn by different countries at the recent Paris olympics (or any year that you think was iconic). For example, Poland partnered with BIZUU and Adidas to design their outfits for the Olympic area. Consider how these stylistic choices represent culture.

2. Moscow’s Runway: The rise of Russian street style and its fashion icons. Modern Russian culture possesses immense style. Explore how this unique style has developed (e.g. post soviet influences, relationships to western fashion trends, as well as famous models born and raised in Russia).

3. TAKEN - The influence of Techno and Rave culture on Eastern European fashion. Look into how underground club scenes in Budapest, Kyiv and Moscow are inspiring avant- garde street wear.

4. Sustainability in the East: How Eastern European Fashion designers are embracing slow fashion.

Travel — travel@palatinate.org.uk

Hi everyone!

We’re looking for travel articles with a focus on Eastern Europe, including the following countries: Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina...

If you’re a local, or just lucky enough to have visited, we’d love to hear about your experience and any travel advice you may have.

Happy writing!

Interview — indigo.interview@palatinate.org.uk

Hi all! We hope you’re having a lovely term!

The Interview Section are looking for contributors for the next print of Epiphany term, centred around Eastern Europe - Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This is a fantastic opportunity to get your writing out there for the student population to see! See below for some recommended interview subjects:

1. Any societies which link to Eastern European identity - do you know anyone involved with these societies who would be willing to be interviewed?

2. Do you have any friends with Eastern European roots or heritage?

3. Do you know of any charities or organisations which operate in these countries?

4. Any students with dissertations about Eastern European culture?

5. Any lecturers who specialise in Eastern European culture - perhaps art or music?

Any ideas at all, please don’t hesitate to email us at indigo.interview@palatinate.org.uk, we are open to any suggestions!

All the best!

Stage — stage@palatinate.org.uk

• Anything on Anton Chekhov!

  • This could be a discussion on his best play

  • Any interesting modernizations on his classic pieces that you’ve heard about

  • Or a discussion on his history

• TAKEN Let’s keep it natural – looking at the history of naturalistic theatre – with a focus on Konstantin Stanislavski

• Facing the issue head on

  • exploring Bertolt Brecht’s theory of Epic theatre and the political drama

• Any article of your choice; if you have topics on Eastern European theatre that you would like to discuss then please pitch us an idea!

For any general inquiries please direct them to indigo@palatinate.org.uk

Image credit: Victoria Cheng