Please read the following guidelines before submitting a blog post via the ‘Submission form’ button below.

Submission guidelines

Word limit
A single submission can be between 100 to 800 words (max). 

Who should submit
All Guyanese and Caribbean women, girls, femmes, trans, agender and nonbinary folks living at home or abroad. w’am gyal is interested in collecting both local and diasporic stories from Guyanese, and Caribbean women of all experiences. 

Visibility vs Anonymity
We understand that there may be risks or vulnerabilities involved in becoming visible through storytelling and experience sharing, therefore, you are not required to identify yourself by name but please do indicate which country/first nation/ancestry/territory you reside in and hail from. Please ensure your submission does not include your own name or other identifying information if you wish to retain anonymity.  

Language 
Your submission is not required to be in “standard english”. All regional or cultural dialects and languages are encouraged; whether it be a language of our colonisers (english, spanish, dutch, french, portuguese), an Indigenous language (Macushi, Wai Wai, Akawaio, any other Cariban language you wish to share), an official regional language (Haitian Creole, Papiamentu) or dialect (Guyanese creolese, creole, patois, and so on). You may submit a translation of your submission if you choose; both versions will be posted together.  

Editing & Accountability
Posts will not be edited, other than for (standard english) spelling if it heavily impedes clarity. w’am gyal is being facilitated by one person who is only fluent in english, Guyanese creolese, and Jamaican patois. Submissions in other languages and dialects won’t be read closely for spelling, grammar or clarity. Naturally, this engagement (submitting to us & w’am gyal posting) requires a significant degree of trust. Express yourself in the way that speaks your truth to power, and that you can be accountable for.

Facilitating another’s submission
If you are an individual or collective seeking to facilitate the submission of another person who does not have access to a device, wifi/internet connection, electrical grid, english literacy or any of the above, please indicate so at the relevant field on the form. Insofar that these guidelines, and the blog submission form only appear in english, we understand the limitations this has in multi-lingual region.

Privacy & Email Use
w’am gyal will never post or share your email address publicly. We will use it to be in contact with you, and by submitting a response you acknowledge your email address will be collected and used for our mailing list of quarterly newsletters, notifications of new posts, events or organising. Community, network and coalition building across borders is an inherent, central goal of w’am gyal, so your submission means that you join a community of Caribbean storytellers and knowledge creators.