889 Content Call
Black History Month edition
Deadline for all Content Call to be submitted is Sunday 12th October 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 relate to the theme, please do reach out and pitch your articles to the relevant section email, or contact us at indigo@palatinate.org.uk. Happy writing!
Books - books@palatinate.org.uk
Hey everyone! We hope you have all had a fabulous start to the new year. This month’s theme is Black History Month. We would love some pieces that look at how literature can and has acted to reflect and celebrate Black history, culture and creativity. We have included some prompts to inspire your writing but please feel free to get creative yourself as well!
Each article should be 750-850 words.
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!
We look forward to hearing from you!
Gwen and Charlie
Prompts for Upcoming Print
Toussaint Louvature’s enduring poetic legacy: how has the leader of the Hatian Revolution, and his subsequent tragic end, manifested in the poetry or prose of his (or any subsequent) time?
Samuel R. Delaney: 2 Time Hugo award winner, renowned for Babel-17; Delaney is sometimes categorised as the “first African-American science fiction author” a label he argues he is made to wear “for better or for worse”. How has science fiction historically responded to questions of race (either positively or negatively)? How does Delaney’s life and work conform to or challenge traditional ideas of sci-fi.
A book has the power to really put you in the position of someone from a completely different walk of life, with different experiences and hardships. Which books have really represented and given a voice to the far too often silenced experience of what it means to be Black in a ‘White World’. There are numerous incredible works that have inspired and incited change: giving a voice to that which is often ignored and not fully appreciated. Books that spring to mind are ‘The Color Purple’ by Alice Walker or ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua Achebe. It would be great to hear something from you guys about a book that has really opened your eyes and given you greater understanding of the world we live in. (TAKEN)
Why have so many prominent works of African-American fiction featured on the American PEN index of school book bans 2023-2024? For instance ‘Beloved’, ‘The Invisible Man’ and ‘I Know why the Caged Bird Sings’ have all been challenged by school administrations. What are some the clear issues around restricting access to these seminal works? How have school boards justified their removal? (TAKEN)
Books that have revisited older texts and subsequently expanded the themes and ideas explored, such that these new authors come into conversation with authors of a different time and with different world views. Novels such as Wide Sargasso Sea and recent Booker Prize short-listed James by Percival Everett. Everett’s source was Huckleberry Fin by Mark Twain, and he said in writing James he hopes to have “written the novel that Twain did not.”
Ongoing Series
We would love to hear any excerpt, piece or deep dive on your favourite comfort reads as part of the new series we kicked off last week. Whether it’s The Hobbit, some Jane Austen or Twilight we want to hear from you!
Features - features@palatinate.org.uk
This week, we’re looking for articles that tie into the Black History Month edition of Indigo’s print. We’d love to hear from you about your personal stories and reflections on Black history, culture and creativity, and which tie into our section’s vision! Here’s a few suggestions for prompts that might help you!
- What do you think you have inherited from your family? Think about something that, through your heritage, you proudly continue to live by or do in Durham. It could be an old family recipe, a turn of phrase, a way to think about the world, an heirloom, or something completely intangible. How does this continue to influence your time in Durham? How does this shape your mindset?
- How do you reconcile your upbringing with studying in and around Durham?What was it like to first come to the Northeast, and did you think it was a culture shock? How did you stay in touch with family at home? Perhaps you know the area well – do you think your voice is heard in its cultural life? Think a little about homes away from home, and your own tales of how you’ve been able to set roots in a new place.
- How prominently does memory figure for you in your cultural identity? Do you think that everything that deserves to be remembered, is remembered? Do you have any family stories that make you wonder about the recognition of your place and identity? How do you keep this memory alive? Think about the power of memory (e.g. nostalgia, remembrance and the evolution of memories) and how it influences you.
We’d like to stress that these prompts are just suggestions – feel free to write whatever you feel would fit well with the section’s personal and reflective vision!
We’re looking at getting pieces of any length, but with an absolute maximum of 800 words. Happy writing, and have a lovely week!!
Travel - travel@palatinate.org.uk
The theme for this print edition of Indigo is Black History Month and so the Travel section are looking for articles around this theme. If you like the look of any of the prompts and want to
claim one, or would like to pitch your own piece (we are always so happy to have personal ideas here at Travel), don’t hesitate to email at travel@palatinate.org.uk !
1. Time Travel: Have you taken a recent trip to a museum or a historic site relating to Black History? Tell us where you went and what it was like. How did it make you feel? What will you do in relation off of the back of that trip? What are your recommendations for future visitors? If personal photos can be added to this article in relation to the site, please contribute, as it adds such a human dimension.
2. City history: are you from a city, or a part of a city, with a large Black population? If so, please document your life in your hometown. It can be more of a creative writing piece rather than factual journalism – whatever you find is evoked from your memories of your home city. Urban culture is so important, and so we love a piece on Black urban culture!
3. East Africa: Often not so written about, East African nations, such as Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, can sometimes get lost in our discussions of Black history. If you are from an East African nation, or have heritage relating to one, please write a piece discussing the nation. Talk of its beauty, of its food, of its culture, and whatever springs to mind when you think of that country. If personal photos can be added to this article, that would be fantastic on top of that!
4. Caribbean: You may not have seen, but a recent tiktok was made which stated that the C in ACS often gets neglected. Therefore, Travel would like to platform Caribbean voices in this edition. Anything related to the Caribbean, and it could be anything, would be much appreciated for this article. If you would like to talk about food, people, clothes or politics, please submit a piece on any of the number of nations that make up the Caribbean.
If you would rather not write along the lines of any of the prompts, that is absolutely fine too!
Please email us with a pitch of your idea, and we will see whether we can take it to print.
Happy writing!
Creative Writing - creative.writing@palatinate.org.uk
Hello lovely writers! We hope you’ve been keeping your creative muscles exercised over the summer because we have some exciting content calls coming this term. The theme of this print is Black History Month. We welcome everyone to write around this theme in any way that inspires you, but to give you a jump start, here’s two prompts for inspiration!
1. The Harlem renaissance was massively impactful on literature, music, art and culture. During the 1920s and 1930s, Black writers created work that celebrated Black culture and explored the hardships endured during slavery and Jim Crow-era segregation in the United States. The movement was heavily influenced by music, activism and visual art, and we’d love to see an intertwining of these aspects in your writing. This could be through lyrical rhymes, unusual form, or whatever inspires you. You may be inspired by the work of Langston Hughes, such as his poem ‘The Weary Blues’.
2. Civil disobedience is a tactic used to boycott and resist unjust laws. Encouraged by Martin Luther King Jr., civil disobedience was a protest method promoting non-violent and beneficial resistance to systemic injustice, with a willingness to accept consequences in order to arouse and inspire community consciousness. Civil disobedience is still used today to great impact. In your writing, you may want to explore these themes of what disobedience, activism, or community kindness mean to you.
We accept short stories, creative essays and poems, but please keep your word count to a maximum of 800 words! You do not need to write from a specific prompt - we want to see how you interpret this print’s theme uniquely. Simply submit your completed piece to our email for the chance to see your writing in print!
Film & TV - film@palatinate.org.uk
Dear Film and TV writers,
We are so excited to work on issue 889 with you for our Black History Month edition. As usual, here are our content calls for this issue and if you have any pitches of your own, please email them over to: film@palatinate.org.uk
Black Joy on film: Coverage for BHM is so often rooted in trauma and oppression, missing out narratives of culture, art and joy. For this article, feel free to explore your favourite films and TV shows that highlight black joy.
Biopic central: There are some fabulous films celebrating historic Black figures: Judas and the Black Messiah, Queen of Katwe, Malcolm X. Use this article as a chance to explore the life of your chosen individual and the way that film can be a vessel for uplifting someone’s legacy (TAKEN)
Black cinema: Many filmmakers look to promote the stories of marginalised communities on through various genres; think Spike Jonze with Do The Right Thing, Barry Jenkin’s Moonlight, or Jordan Peele with Nope and Get Out. Explore films that you think take black stories to the big screen and/or the effect this has on the voice of marginalised communities.
Black legacy in film: The awards season has long been populated by a snubbing of black talent. For this article, think of films that have subverted Hollywood’s white tradition (Duane Jones in Night of the Living Dead or Hattie McDaniel’s 1940 Oscar win for Gone With the Wind). Or perhaps consider the legacy of black actors through film history.
Food & Drink - food@palatinate.org.uk
Hey guys! In the spirit of celebrating Black History Month, we’re looking forward to welcome any pieces related to this topic in the Food & Drink section! Please email your pieces or suggestions to us at food@palatinate.org.uk. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How has food been used as a tool for activism? From the Black Panthers’ Free Breakfast Program to modern Black-led food justice movements. Who is nourishing communities, how is that work rooted in radical history and what (if any) personal experience do you have with food being used politically?
Explore the symbolic power of food. As representing a people, a nation or a holiday, food can be far more than just its flavour. What dishes thoroughly deserve their time in the limelight and what have been wrongly forgotten?
Share the story of your traditional family cooked meals – what do they mean to you, what kinds of memories to they evoke, do they hold a special place in your heart when you are away from home?
Please also feel free to send any pitches you might have for articles to food@palatinate.org.uk – we are always happy to consider them!
Visual Arts - visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk
For this Black History Month edition, we are looking for a piece inspired by one of the following prompts (any other ideas are welcome, of course – just drop us an email!):
1. Black Contemporary Art – A look at how Black artists are reshaping contemporary art through themes of identity, heritage, and joy.
2. New York City – Black Artists - Explore NYC’s vibrant Black art scene, from Basquiat’s legacy to the new generation of artists redefining creativity in Brooklyn.
3. Rashid Johnson - A profile on Rashid Johnson, whose recent Guggenheim exhibition cemented his place as a leading voice in conceptual art. Johnson uses everyday materials to explore race, history, and belonging.
4. Museum Representation - Examine how major institutions are addressing (or failing to address) the underrepresentation of Black artists in museum and gallery collections.
5. Jazz age modernists - the influence of jazz music and culture on visual art, looking specifically at artists such as Basquiat, Romare Bearden, and Archibald Motley
Style - style@palatinate.org.uk
Hello everyone! We are really excited to hear your submissions for this Black History Month edition of Indigo. Below are some prompts to get you thinking about some style articles for this edition, but as always feel free to email us with any other suggestions or ideas you may have!
Examine how vintage and thrift fashion connects today’s students to the history of Black style, from the Harlem Renaissance to 1990s hip-hop culture. (TAKEN)
Explore the rise of Afrofuturism in fashion and how it reimagines Black identity, technology, and culture for a new generation of designers and artists.
Analyse how Black celebrities and influencers use fashion as storytelling—shaping pop culture narratives about power, beauty, and resistance.
We can’t wait to hear from you - feel free to contact us at style@palatinate.org.uk!
Could I do the film & TV prompt biopic central please?
Could I do the piece on how vintage and thrift fashion connects today’s students to the history of Black style? thank you!