Submit a Story

We Want to Hear Your Story

31We want this to be a place where all kind of gender variant and questioning folks can find stories they relate to. You can help make that vision a reality by sharing your own stories about finding community, creating change, becoming who you are, etc. Please read our submission guidelines (below) before submitting your story.

Please e-mail transoralhistory@gmail.com to submit your story.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit only one video or audio file at a time, and edit your entry to be no longer than 10 minutes in length (short and sweet is great!). Additional material can be included as a written entry (ie. a transcription) and we will link it to the video that accompanies it. We also accept stand alone written entries.

The Content

  1. We collect STORIES. A story is not a rant or reflection—it has a beginning, middle, and end.
  2. Don’t make stuff up. As an oral history project, we are dedicated to sharing true stories about people’s lives, so please do not submit works of fiction.
  3. Inspiration is divine. We have interviewing tips & sample questions that you can reference. We also created some prompt suggestions for individual stories.
  4. Think before you shoot. Good stories have vivid detail, funny comparisons, and illustrate compelling moments. Try writing down some key elements of your story and/or practicing it with a friend beforehand so that you know what you wanna say and how you wanna say it before the film is rolling.
  5. We respect copyrights. Please do not include material that you do not own the rights to.
  6. Have fun. Whether you’re interviewing or making a story on your own, a good rule of thumb is the more fun you have making, something the more fun it will be for others’ to see it.

The Technical Stuff

  1. Clear sound is crucial. If no one can hear it, no one will watch it. Shoot in as quiet an environment as you can and speak up.
  2. Don’t backlight. Make sure light is on your face and not behind it — i.e. don’t sit in front of a bright window.
  3. Title, describe, and tag your video. Use the prefix “Trans Oral History:” before your title so that people can find the stories easiely YouTube, Vimeo, etc. Please include a description and tags so that people will want to watch your story. Using a variety of tags or keywords will help people find your content in a search (ie. Seattle, dyke culture, 1980’s).