Call for Submissions—The ART of Infertility: An Anthology of Patient Narrative and Art

Edited by Elizabeth Walker, Maria Novotny, and Robin Silbergleid


The ART of Infertility is an international art, portraiture and oral history project, launched by Michigan-based photographer Elizabeth Walker in 2014. Since the organization’s inception, project leads have conducted over one hundred interviews, curated innovative art exhibits, hosted writing and art workshops, and curated a multi-modal blog. Through all these activities, we explore how individuals represent their experiences with infertility through creative outlets such as writing, art, or other multi-modal means. With the expansion and success of the project, we are assembling an anthology in order to create and curate a more permanent and accessible archive of creative work by and for those who identify as infertile. The ART of Infertility aims both to generate more public awareness and assist medical professionals to better understand the human struggles that occur for infertility patients, as well as provide an outlet for patient narratives. Our project is unique in its deliberately multi-media, cross-genre approach.

We are looking specifically for creative writing (personal essay, memoir, poetry), visual art (photography, drawing, painting, and images of three-dimensional work), and hybrid forms about the experience of infertility, created by and for individuals who identify as infertile. Our collection will prioritize inclusivity and diversity of experience. We invite submissions from all writers and artists who have been diagnosed with infertility or a condition causing infertility, whether or not they have chosen medical treatment, pursue other modes of family-building, or remain childfree. We are particularly interested in work that expands our understandings of infertility beyond heterosexual couples, including the use of assisted reproductive technologies in order to facilitate queer family building and conception by single parents by choice. Additionally, we welcome submissions that challenge ‘success’ narratives of infertility treatment, including the choice to remain childfree, and pieces that explore the life-long ramifications of an infertility diagnosis.

To submit, please send a complete creative submission and 1-2 page cover letter describing your creative submission and how it is reflective of your infertility journey.

All queries and submissions may be sent to the editors at book@artofinfertility.org.