Every four years, the Democratic and Republican parties gather to nominate their candidates for president. These national conventions are vast public spectacles. With great pomp and decadence, they praise the virtues of democracy and claim a mandate from the American people, while simultaneously choking dissenting voices with clouds of tear gas and pepper spray. This year, as in years past, the Republican National Convention (RNC) was the site of fierce protest.

As activists involved in organizing against the 2008 RNC and past conventions, we believe it is important to learn from our experiences in order to grow stronger, smarter and more effective as a movement. As part of this effort, we are issuing this call for submissions to an upcoming, book-length record of the 2008 RNC protests in St. Paul, Minnesota.

We are looking for diverse content, including but not limited to: group accounts and personal recollections of planning, action and police repression; constructive analyses of strategy and tactics; academic essays; legal discussions of arrests, repression and court cases; and photographs, artwork and video stills.

We want this record to be as comprehensive as possible, covering all stages of planning and execution, all sites of protest, all tactics and targets, all protest roles and radical movements. In order for this to be a true people’s history of the RNC, we are committed to including the accounts of women, LGBTQ folks and people of color.

Submissions/contributions are due by Tuesday, January 20, 2009. For more information, contact info@rncbook.org or visit www.rncbook.org.

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