Call for Submissions: War and Peace
Dear Members & Friends,
We are calling for submissions for a book to be issued in 2026 on “War and Peace.” People may have forgotten about the genocide of the Rohingya people since 2017, the military coup d’etat in Myanmar in 2021, and the subsequent civil war had a deep impact on Myanmar people. It was soon followed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine one year later, in 2022, which lasted until now. The most recent flee of Bashar al-Assad from Syria, its former president who cracked down on Arab Spring protesters in 2011, reminded the world of how he led to the 13-year Syrian civil war until 2024. Al-Assad’s fall also recalled the armed conflict in the Gaza Strip since 2023, which turned out to be a genocide of Palestinians by the Israelite militant government. A glance would indicate the frequency of wars in the last five years, but it cannot tell us how many families have been broken, how many women were widowed or living in poverty, and how painful seeing their children starved and die in their arms. When the leaders of militant countries were revengeful with one another and vowed to terminate the other side, most men died in the field, while most women lived in hell.
In the Book of Kings, there are two stories of impoverished women who encountered the men of God, Elijah and Elisha. In 1 Kings 17: 10-16, a widow and her son were about to die of starvation, but Elijah came to ask her to still provide him with the last of her food and water. In 2 Kings 4, the widow of one of the prophets was about to lose her two sons because of the debts left to her. She asked Elisha for help. There was no information on how the husbands, one of them a prophet, died. But the pictures of women holding their starved young children crying in desperation are frequently seen in the war zones. What are God’s plans for them? Where are today’s Elijah or Elisha, who would grant them flour and oil that would not run out?
We invite you to send in essays, sermons, prayers, liturgies, short reflections, poetry, drawings, artwork, photography, and all forms of expression for your theological or spiritual reflection on the theme. We appreciate your critical analysis of the impact of wars on women and their contribution to peace in specific communities and countries. We welcome personal stories with deep theological and spiritual reflection and creative work that will challenge, uplift, or transform women’s lives in difficulties and that can build solidarity across borders and cultures beyond the war-afflicted areas.
SUBMISSIONS
Please send your submission to service.igiawrc@gmail.com.
Title & Abstract Deadline: March 30, 2025
Article / Creative Work: Deadline: July 30, 2025
Warm regards,
AWRC