CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Champion Your Cause

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all the causes out there?

Don’t eat it if it’s not organic; don’t buy it if it’s not locally grown. Recycle, reuse. Don’t waste water. Fight the oil industry by driving eco-friendly cars, or by riding a bike. Don’t buy clothing from Target, Wal-Mart, H&M, Forever 21, Gap, Old Navy, Nike, Lacoste, Donna Karan, or pretty much any other name brand ever invented. They use sweatshops and child labor. Hey – there’s always American Apparel! But should we really support those ad campaigns with the anorexic, coked up-looking models who are most likely underage? You’re dirt poor but still need furniture, eh? Don’t buy it from IKEA. Don’t drink coffee or eat chocolate unless it’s Fair Trade. Don’t shop from Trader Joe’s or eat at Chipotle; they mistreat farm workers. Your computer died and you need another one? Tough luck, there’s no such thing as an ethically manufactured laptop. 

It's always something: the healthcare debacle, our earth’s dwindling resources, global warming, climate change, blood diamonds, human trafficking, hydraulic fracturing, rape, war, poverty – makes your head swim, doesn’t it?

Most of us care deeply about ALL of these issues, but sometimes you have to pick your battles. And that’s what we’d like you to do for the month of March here at The Veillee. Please pick a cause that’s near to your heart, and help us understand it on a deeper, more personal level. Give us more than a hastily shared link on Facebook. If you write it, we’ll read it with the seriousness and attention it deserves. Whether it’s through fiction, non-fiction or poetry, give us something that we can tuck away and use as ammunition during our weak moments. It’s so easy to turn off and tune out. Help us remember why we must not let our guard down.

Please submit material to veilleesubmissions@gmail.com.