CFP: Grabbing Tea: Queer Conversations in Librarianship
This book project will be a sampling of conversations of theory and practice as it pertains to LGBTQIA librarianship and community engagement in a post-Stonewall era. It will situate readers in conversations that build on a queer past and identify a current state of queer librarianship and community engagement.
We seek LGBTQIA-identified librarians and community members.
Conversations with: library students, mentors/mentees, library directors, graduate school librarians, residents, doctoral students, children’s librarians, school librarians, archivists, liaisons, volunteers, group leaders, artists, writers, filmmakers, cultural producers, podcasters
Conversations representing: public libraries, special libraries, archives, academic libraries, DIY projects, art exhibitions, community centers, and campus groups that interface with libraries and archives.
The call for conversations solicits future hour-long conversation ideas which will be recorded and transcribed over zoom. Submit with a pairing in mind, or we can match you with a conversation partner.
CALL FOR CONVERSATIONS
Conversations are encouraged to include details about:
• The Archive and reclamation narratives
• Boundary shifting when working with other queer colleagues
• Centering queerness in librarianship and community
• Dating and queerness in the library
• Historicizing LGBTQ librarians, librarianship, and collectionses of color
• Intersectional considerations of race, class and gender as they interoperate with sexuality
• Issues of harassment, adversity or microaggressions
• Lessons learned from commingling
• Masculinities as a disposition
• Performing Gender in Libraries
• Professionalism and queer identity
• Queer connections with other staff/colleagues/collaborators
• Queer intersections with BIPOC narratives in Libraries
• Queering library leadership
• Re-feminizing the profession
• Risks of pinkwashing or queerbaiting for “diversity” work
• Cultural heritage workers and professionals
Conversations Selection Criteria:
Conversations will be selected based on:
• Appropriateness of fit with the book’s theme
• Clarity of intent
• Story that the conversation will tell as a result of relationship or shared experience
• Likelihood of ability to schedule and record the conversation by deadline
Note on Conversations and how they work:
Conversation proposals should describe potential topics in response to the prompts above or related topics. Editors will schedule a date for selected participants to hold a virtual 60-minute conversation. These conversations will be recorded and technical assistance from editors will be provided. Participants will receive transcripts and recordings and editor feedback to produce a summative article including written reflections of no more than 3000 words total for final submission.
Submit using this form.
Questions: grabbingtea@gmail.com
Editors:
Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz, Associate Dean for Teaching, Learning, and Engagement, NYU Division of
Libraries & Visiting Assistant Professor, Pratt School of Information
Sara A. Howard, Librarian for Gender & Sexuality Studies & Student Engagement, Princeton
University.
Projected Timeline:
• June 23, 2020 – Info Session, 12pm. [Register]
• July 24, 2020 – Deadline for conversation proposals
• August 15, 2020 – Accepted proposal notification
• August-October 2020 – Conversations scheduled (Mondays & Wednesdays @ 12pm EST via Zoom)
• January 15, 2021 Edited conversation transcripts returned by editors.
• February 15, 2021 Full Conversation reflections due 1000-1500 words.
• April 2021 Manuscript preparation begins
• July 2021 Projected final manuscript submission to publisher
Acceptance of a proposal does not guarantee inclusion in the final book.