“Writing in the Face of Genocide and Annexation”
As the genocide in Gaza continues, and creeping annexation policies reshape the West Bank, silence becomes complicity — and words become a form of resistance.
In line with its mission to challenge imposed narratives and amplify Palestinian voices, Dou – The Palestinian Foundation for Dialogue and Development is launching a new creative writing project targeting young Palestinians across all geographic and political realities. This initiative offers a space to think critically, express freely, and contribute to the formation of a new Palestinian discourse rooted in justice, dignity, and liberation.
We invite you to take part in this project by submitting creative contributions that explore and expose the impacts of occupation policies, especially:
- The ongoing genocide in Gaza: its destruction, displacement, and loss — and the unwavering resilience of its people.
- Annexation and settlement expansion in the West Bank: how land grabs reshape geography, identity, and memory.
- Fragmented geographies, united struggles: bridging the narrative from Gaza to the West Bank to the diaspora.
- Women’s and youth voices amid genocide: from the margins to the center of the narrative.
- The power of words, images, and art in confronting violence and building alternative consciousness.
- Social, economic, and cultural realities under a colonial regime that reinvents itself daily.
We welcome the following forms of contributions:
✍️ Opinion articles
📖 Short stories
📄 Analytical papers and policy briefs
📜 Research essays or fact sheets
🎙️ Other creative nonfiction works
Why submit?
Because what is not written is at risk of being forgotten.
Because writing is resistance. A space for survival. A bridge from pain to possibility.
How to submit:
📌 Send a short concept or abstract of your piece to: creative-writing@pal-dou.org
📆 Submission deadline: 10 June 2025
🗣 Selected contributors will receive editorial support, publication opportunities via Dou’s platforms, and access to writing workshops and dialogue spaces.
This is a call to write in the time of killing. To speak when silencing is the goal. To create — because expression is life.