Allegorical Athena, Colgate’s feminist literary magazine, began as a student-run zine in 1996–for nearly three decades we have prided ourselves on our commitment to centering marginalized voices within Colgate’s community.
This semester, Fall 2024, our theme is “Echoes of Home”.
For women, home can be their domain due to the gendered nature of domestic labor, but also a space that socializes them into gender norms and exposes them to domestic violence. For queer folk, home can be a space that does not accept their identities and choices, but also an escape through chosen families from a hostile public sphere. In a world of constant displacement, increased mobilization, and an ever-evolving political landscape, many seek safety and comfort in new and foreign places. These ‘lessons’ and hardships can leave us to reminisce or lead us into strife, but they also enlighten us about the profound impact of ‘home’ on our lives and society. Home is not just a physical space, but a collection of experiences and memories. Whether it is the home you come from or the home you have molded into your own, it is a deeply personal part of who you are.
For this issue, we aim to provide students, staff, and faculty with a platform to share their experiences through essays, poetry, prose, visual art, photography, short videos, or whichever medium feels right for them. We’re looking for pieces with topics such as:
Nuclear and chosen families
Home: the structure, a city, state, or country
Earth is our only home: Sustainability, Earth, and Climate Activism
Ancestry, homelands, and belonging
War, Displacement, Migration, and Assimilation
Exclusions
Women and the domestic sphere
Culture, traditions, and rituals/practices
Food stories
Intimacy
Domestic violence
This semester, we’re so excited to host two competitions:
Best cover art: We will select one talented student’s art to be used for the Fall 2024 cover of Allegorical Athena; the winner will receive a $50 gift card to Flour & Salt.
Favorite submission: Our editing team will choose a favorite submission, the creator of which will receive a $100 gift card to the Bookstore.
Submissions are due November 25th. Please email all submissions to wgss@colgate.edu. There is no word limit for literary submissions. Please use the DOCX or PDF file type for all essays, poetry, and prose, JPG/JPEG/PNG for all visual art and photography, and MP4 for all videos. Thank you, and good luck! Please reach out to wgss@colgate.edu if you have any further questions.