The Dragon Beside Me

We are super excited down here at ViM productions..Read for the surprise dragon beside us!

If you read the subtitle you may be slightly confundled...But all will become clear, promise!

International women’s day is an opportunity to celebrate all that is woman in all the ways we can. An opportunity to lift up the female voice and share the stories of the women in our lives.

Whether it be the inspiration and passionate voice of Maya Angelou, the resilience of Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafza or the quiet enduring strength of a cherished Grandmother, we all have a woman or women in our lives that have been beside us in one way or another. Whether that be through nurturing care, words of wisdom or a compelling voice that reached out in the dark...we want to learn about the female that was beside you as you navigated your life journey.

ViM has a new ‘ChallAnge’- a challenge directly related to women. In its essence it is simple but we have no doubt that the ideas and emotions will be profound.

Write about a woman (en) who has inspired you for ‘International Woman's Day’ in the year of the dragon 2024, in 600-800 words

We chose the title, ‘The Dragon Beside me’ because for us the dragon represents strength, love and determination mixed with a little sprinkle of enigmatic magic dust.

Deadline for entries is March 11th with the winner’s announcement on March 21st.

You can submit any genre or format you chose and it can be placed in whichever community feels most fitting.

You don't have to be a member of ViM to submit an entry.

A few ideas to ponder:

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

- Harriet Tubman

"I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn... I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

- Maya Angelou

"For most of history, Anonymous was a woman."

- Virginia Woolf

"A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water."

- Eleanor Roosevelt:

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And finally, some poetic inspiration in the words of another great:

The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus (1883):

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

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What does strength power and resilience mean to you? Which woman or women have been beside you? How does the dragon beside you manifest? Enter here:

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You can join in the Shenanigans here on Facebook ViM:

and Queer Vocal Voices here:

Note: Queer Vocal Voices is only accepting members of the LGBTQ+ community at the moment, we will open up to allies in time!

We're focused on building a supportive, kind community network so we'd love to hear from you so feel free to add thoughts, ideas, suggestions in the comments below!

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