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MW USA Call for Writers

Writer's picture: Mennonite Women USAMennonite Women USA

Updated: Dec 11, 2024

Your story is a powerful part of our sisterhood following Jesus together. Sharing our experiences and ideas is how we learn from each other. It helps us know how to encourage one another and enables us to see God more clearly. Even as our stories are still unfolding, venturing to tell it, having it heard, and hearing from others is a powerful way of connection.

MW USA has an exciting opportunity for sharing your story. Each month we feature an original community journal entry in our Women's Voices blog celebrating and empowering women. Send in a 500–800-word story, reflection, meditation or vision.

To help as you write, please consider these guidelines adapted from MC USA:

  • Affiliation: Please include your job title and organization. Feel free to list more than one, and jobs for which you are not paid definitely count! We don’t include a bio with our posts, but welcome listing whatever professional or social affiliation with which you’d like to be identified.

  • Optional Photo: Consider including a high-resolution digital image that depicts some aspect of your writing. It does not have to be a picture of you, but could be if you'd like. Be sure you have permission to share it.

  • Publishing permission: By submitting a writing, you provide MW USA with permission to publish it on our Women’s Voices blog and share it through MW USA’s social media platforms.

  • Write to share information from first-hand experiences and verifiable sources that will increase understanding.

  • Promote learning and spiritual reflection, not destructive debate.

  • Be kind and respectful of others, even those who may not share your views. Be mindful of language that may be inadvertently divisive (i.e., “we” vs. “them”).

  • If quoting Scripture, please include the book, verse number(s) and version of the Bible. Avoid paraphrasing.

  • Try to avoid using jargon/abbreviations. Explain any such words or phrases early in the blog.

For inspiration, consider writing about a seasonal theme or a favorite scripture. Find the common lectionary here. MW USA’s Scripture for 2024 is 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a spirit of fear but rather a spirit of power and of love and of sound mind.” And following are some seasonal themes our sisterhood has found relevant or might be interested in:

  • January: New Year’s Day (1/1), Women’s Christmas, Mid-Winter Warmth, Mentoring Month, Human Trafficking Awareness Day (1/11), + MLK Day/Day of Service (3rd Monday)

  • February: Galentine’s Day (2/13), Valentine’s Day (2/14), Ash Wednesday, Black History Month, Groundhog Day (2/2) + Random Acts of Kindness Day (2/17)

  • March: Women’s History Month, International Women’s Day (3/8), Lent, Read Across American (3/2), Pi Day (3/14) + World Storytelling Day (3/20)

  • April: Easter, Community Service Month, Siblings Day (4/10) + Earth Day (4/22)

  • May: Mother’s Day (Second Sunday), Mental Health Month + International Worker’s Day (5/1)

  • June: Pride Month, PTSD Awareness Month, Gun Violence Awareness Month, Immigrant Heritage Month, Donut Day (6/3), Juneteenth (6/19) + World Refugee Day (6/20)

  • July: Disability Pride Month, MennoCon, Mid-Summertime, Malala Day (7/12) + International Day of Friendship (7/30)

  • August: Intersectionality Awareness Month, Back-to-School, + Women’s Equality Day (8/26)

  • September: Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15-10/15), Grandparents Day (9/11) + International Day of Peace (9/21)

  • October: Women’s Small Business Month, Vegetarian Month, International Day of Nonviolence (10/2), Taco Day (10/4), World Teacher’s Day (10/5), World Mental Health Day (10/10) Day of the Girl (10/11) + International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (10/17)

  • November: Indigenous Heritage Month, National Family Caregiver Month, All Saints Day (11/1), World Kindness Day (11/13), International Day for Tolerance (11/16), National Day of Listening (11/25), Thanksgiving (3rd Thursday)

  • December: Advent, Christmas + International Day of Persons with Disabilities (12/3)

Each time we email our Women’s Voices Blog posts, MW USA connects with 3,000 people who care about encouraging, empowering and celebrating one another. MW USA is for women however they come to us: broken, powerful, questioning, free. Pen your story and share it with our sisterhood today!


Email office@mwusa.org with your writing in text or an attached Word document.

 
 
 

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