I. Issue #6 Out Now!
II. Valentine's Day Women & Sexuality Event
III. Writing and Art Submissions
IV. Film Submissions
V. Interns/Volunteers
VI. Meet the Crew
VII. Book Submissions

ISSUE #6 OUT NOW
Interviews:
Ari Up (The Slits), Utah Phillips, Living Islam Out Loud (Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur, Samina Ali, Su'ad Abdul-Khabeer, Yousra Fazili, Asra Nomani), Franky & Minx

Article Highlights:
50 Cent: Seductive and Homoerotic? * Humanism vs. Feminism * Helen Keller * Toy Soldier * A Prayer to Ganesh * Make Music for the Solution * The George W. Bush Abecedary * Body Image: The Internal Struggle * Alternative Families: The Good, the Bad, and the Hilarious

Artwork by:
Corey Armpriester, Angel D'Amico, April Kim, Genevive Zacconi, Lisa Van Noorden, Chris Ducey, Ahn Woojung, Allyson Haller, Zaq Pasillas, Henry Chamberlain, Dilek Bulut, B. Laviolette, Sarah Cacioppo, Stacey Taxin, Gabrielle Naglieri, Kitty Crabbe, Nestor Leivas, Michelle Reilley, Adam Rust, Deborah Orgel

SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Buy your subscription to Altar Magazine for just $8. That's cheap enough to get one for yourself and one for a friend! Visit http://www.altarmagazine.com for subscription options.

VALENTINE'S DAY WOMEN & SEXUALITY EVENT
Coming Up Short: Women & Sexuality
Sunday, February 12, 2006   6:30 PM
Pioneer Theater (155 East 3rd Street New York, NY 10009)

Hot and Bothered: Feminist Pornography (Becky Goldberg)
Hot and Bothered: Feminist Pornography takes a rare and empowering look into the pornography industry and feminist community to see how they intertwine within the politics and poetics of female sexuality. It shows women who are committed to making and supporting pornography that includes their feminist values and will go up against an entire industry, stereotypes, and sexism to get what they want. Who better to claim the adult industry for themselves than the women it depends on?

In Her Image: Producing Womanhood in America (Julia Barry)
We are constantly bombarded with images and messages representing and
shaping the lives of women. What are their roots and meanings? How do they effect society's view of women? How do they influence women's lives? In Her Image poses these questions to American audiences through a multi-media format consisting of images accompanied by original songs. These images span a typical woman's lifespan and reveal the ways in which various marketplaces are interwoven to create a set of expectations and social requirements that tell women who to be and how to act, think, and feel.

Filmmakers will be available for Q&A after the films.

Tickets are $9 ($6.50 students/seniors) and can be purchased at http://www.altarmagazine.com. Goody bags filled with items from our sponsors will be distributed to all who attend.

WRITING AND ART SUBMISSIONS
We're accepting submissions for Altar Magazine Issue #7. The vitality of this magazine is as dependent on our contributors as we are on our readers. Your work is important, and we want to publish it. We welcome people from all over the world to be a part of this publication. Full submission guidelines can be found in the "Submit" section of http://www.AltarMagazine.com. Email info(AT)altarmagazine after reading the guidelines if you have any questions. We hope you will be a part of Altar Magazine.

FILM SUBMISSIONS
Altar Magazine is seeking film submissions for an all day girls' and
women's film event in New York City at the Pioneer Theater this Spring. We seek to show films that highlight girls' and women's experiences and politics. The film must be directed or co-directed by a woman. We will consider productions in the follow categories: feature length (60 mins or longer), narrative, documentary, student films, and short films (59 mins or shorter).

There is no entry fee. We accept submissions from filmmakers around the world. To have your film considered, please completely fill out and sign the Submission Form (below). A separate form is required for each film submitted.

Send to:
Altar Magazine
Attn: Film Submissions
955 Metropolitan Ave
Suite 4R
Brooklyn, NY 11211

SUBMISSION FORM
Director:                       Entrant/Production Company:
Address Line 1:
Address Line 2:
City:                           State or Province:
Postal Code:                    Country:
Work Phone:                     Home Phone:
Mobile:                         Fax:
Email:

Title of Film/Video:
Running Time:
Year Completed:
Genre:

How did you hear about us? (Please be specific):

Also include:
* One copy of DVD (preferred) or VHS (in NTSC format only) of the film for the selection committee
* Full Film/Video Synopsis
* A 50-word description of the film or video (for promotional purposes)
* Director(s) biography (and photograph if you like)
* Stills from the film (high resolution electronic files are
acceptable)
* Press kit and/or electronic press kit (with posters if available).

NOTE: There is no limit to the number of entries. However, a separate
submission form is required for each.

PREVIEW FORMATS: VHS or DVD

EXHIBITION FORMATS: BetaSP (either 4:3 or 16:9) or 35mm

DEADLINE: March 1st (must arrive by March 1st)
NOTIFICATION: March 15th

RETURN OF YOUR MATERIALS: We do not return submission materials unless a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE) is provided by the entrant.

RECEIPT CONFIRMATION: Due to the high volume of submissions we cannot
confirm receipt of submission materials by phone or email. If you would like confirmation that we received your submission, please include a Self Addressed Stamped Postcard with your film title on it and we will send this upon receipt, or entrants can send submissions with a traceable form of shipping (Fed Ex, UPS etc.)

If you have any questions, please contact info(AT)altarmagazine.com or check out the website at http://www.altarmagazine.com. Feel free to forward this information to anyone who may be interested. We look forward to hearing from you.

INTERNS/VOLUNTEERS
Altar Magazine is looking for enthusiastic interns to share in the delight of creating a volunteer-run, social justice magazine and organizing our quarterly film events. Applicants should be willing to perform a variety of tasks and be comfortable working independently to complete projects in the following areas:

Content/Editorial
- proofread/edit written submissions and reviews
- give feedback on written and artwork submissions
- fact check submissions
- send out the calls for submissions
- write reviews of books, music, and films
- interview prominent authors, filmmakers, and musicians

Distribution
- research and contact independent bookstores, record stores, comic shops, and other businesses about carrying Altar Magazine
- table for Altar Magazine at conferences, events and festivals

Publicity
- distribute postcards and flyers in community centers, cafes, stores, etc
- attend events as an Altar Magazine representative

Fundraising
- help plan our quarterly film events in NYC
- solicit film submissions for our quarterly film events in NYC
- sell subscriptions to social justice organizations and relevant academic departments

Internships are unpaid, but may be used for academic credit. Interns are expected to work with Altar Magazine for at least 3 months and part-time as well as full-time internships are available. Virtual (as in via the internet) internships are also available.

To apply, mail, fax, or email a resume & cover letter explaining what you're interested in working on and gaining from this internship to:

Mandy Van Deven
Altar Magazine
955 Metropolitan Ave, Suite 4R
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Fax: 718.857.2239
info(AT)altarmagazine.com

MEET THE CREW
Altar Magazine will be participating in many events this year around the world such as the NYC Grassroots Media Conference, Women Action and Media, and Visions in Feminism. Look for us at conferences, craft fairs, and other miscellaneous events. We'll let you know via our website where we'll be.

BOOK SUBMISSIONS
Doing it in Strange Places... And Making Change:
Young Women Fighting for Social Justice

        A commonly asked question at social justice events is, "What can I do to get more involved?" This question is usually answered, according to third wave feminist writers Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, in one of three ways: send money, call politicians, and volunteer. Unfortunately, none of these foster a sense of investment in an issue or offer solutions for how to solve the injustices in the world. It also doesn't account for the lack of time, money and resources that these three answers require. What if we could just incorporate our politics into our every day lives? In fact, that is just what most activists do.
        In this anthology, we want to hear from young women from all walks of life who have found creative ways to use their passion (from writing to banking to being a homemaker) as an outlet for social justice activism. We seek to make activism accessible and inspire others to use the resources that they have to contribute to
social justice. Changing the world won't happen over night, so let's share our daily successes and strategies for making all of our visions of a better world possible. Tell us what worked and what didn't because all experiences are valuable. We want to be sure multiple voices and perspectives are represented in the anthology. Writers of all experience levels are encouraged to submit work. All work must be original and should not be published elsewhere.

Editor:
Mandy Van Deven is the editor and publisher of Altar Magazine
(www.AltarMagazine.com), a social justice publication focusing on art, music, culture, politics, and activism. She also works as the Director of Community Organizing at Girls for Gender Equity (www.gges.info), a grassroots organization in Brooklyn, NY working to create opportunities for girls and women to live self-determined lives. Mandy believes that all opinions are valuable and because her voice is loud, she works to help others raise their own voices.

Submission Guidelines
*        We prefer to have submissions sent via email in a Word or Rich Text Format document to mandy_vandeven(AT)yahoo.com with "Doing it in Strange Places" in the subject line. Otherwise, submissions can be mailed to:
Mandy Van Deven
955 Metropolitan Ave, #4R
Brooklyn, NY 11211
*        If you would like your submission returned to you, please include a SASE.
*        Word count: 2,500 - 5,000
*        All submissions require your name, address, phone number, email address, and a short bio.

Submissions should be received (not postmarked) by May 1, 2006.

Please direct any questions you may have to mandy_vandeven(AT)yahoo.com