On December 2021, bell hooks died in her home in Berea, Kentucky: “Feminist Author and Poet bell hooks, Known for ‘Aint I A Woman’ and ‘All About Love’, Dies at 69.”
Poet, memoirist, social critic and feminist, bell hooks fundamentally shaped conversations, theories, and paradigms about race, gender, sexuality, feminism, patriarchy and white supremacy for not only women of color, but also for anyone who wanted to learn. In their reflections on hooks’ passing, scholars Cornel West and Ibrahim X Kandi have referred to her as a trailblazer.
Sut Jhally, executive director of Media Education Foundation, described hooks in the following way:
“A public intellectual before we even knew such a thing existed, she embodied what came to be known as intersectionality in her unique analytical/political framework. Never eschewing complexity and contradiction, she communicated radical ideas in ways that everyone understood, inspiring countless people to embark on their own intellectual journeys. She was one of a kind – bold, funny, compassionate, vulnerable – embracing and grappling seriously with every idea she encountered. We will not see her like again.”
Additionally, feminist scholar Brittney Cooper in “Reaching for bell hooks in the Darkness” notes: “We should remember on whose shoulders we stand. Her name is bell hooks. She spent nearly half a century helping us to both name things as they are, and then imagine how they could be.”
Given the mission of Women, Gender and Families of Color, we would like to honor bell hooks’ legacy. We invite scholars, activists and practitioners across disciplinary and professional disciplines and fields to engage with her work by writing a short reflective essay, ranging from 800-1000 words, or submitting a poem or artwork to be published on the journal’s website. We ask that contributions focus on ONE of the categories below:
- Tell us how or in what ways hooks has impacted your scholarly and/or professional work
- Tell us how her work has transformed your life personally and/or professionally
- Reflect on one or two of her works (i.e., memoir, essay, interview, criticism, children’s book, etc.)
- Engage her legacy in an original creative piece (i.e., artwork, poem, etc.)
- Reflect on one of your favorite bell hooks quotes
Submit your 100-word abstract by the deadline below and, in a brief cover letter, please indicate under which category your essay should be placed.
Abstract submission deadline: January 21th
Acceptance notification: January 31th
Publication: February 28th
For questions or inquiries please email wgfc@ku.edu
