Basic Info
 

Founded:
July 2004

Detailed Info
 

Website:
http://www.ravingdove.org
http://twitter.com/ravingdove
Company Overview:
A nonprofit online literary journal that espouses nonviolence.


Mission:
ANNOUNCING THE RAVING DOVE OF HOPE AWARD FOR OREGON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, AT WWW.RAVINGDOVE.ORG/AWARD

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Raving Dove is an online literary journal whose mission is to share thought-provoking poetry and prose that champions human rights and social justice—and opposes physical and psychological violence in all its forms, including war, discrimination against sexual orientation, and every shade of bigotry. Raving Dove is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian endeavor, published quarterly.

Raving Dove began publication in 2004 as an anti-war journal, in growing frustration to conflicts around the world that continued to be handled through orchestrated violence instead of diplomacy. Judgment appeared to be derailed and civilization locked in an arrested state of development.

In our founding editorial, we wrote, "Perhaps it's the abbreviated information we receive that results in a CliffNotes compassion in otherwise civilized communities. After all, war is a concept far removed from our daily cappuccinos, kids' soccer games and peaceful hikes in the mountains. When we dig a vegetable garden in the spring, we don't strike a cluster bomb by accident and lose a leg. When we make an emergency trip to the hospital, we're not hit with a round of bullets because we took the wrong road. And when we tuck our children in at night, we don't muffle their ears with headsets to drown out the bombs." This is war. It's real.

Change has been promised, but reality is stark. In many circles, empathy is mocked and bellicosity is exalted, even when the circumstances surrounding many of the world's conflicts are not genuinely clear.

In other circles, another type of violence continues to thrive. Psychological violence. This includes hatred, both subtle and aggressive, of the many types of diversity that exist, including sexual orientation, race, creed, and all the beautiful composites of this diverse planet. It's hard to believe that in 2009 the psychological violence of bigotry endures.

Our goal is to pull together the most inspired expressions about the topic of violence and present them in one excellent publication. Sometimes opinions are best expressed through the creative thought processes employed when writing poetry and prose. Through creativity comes enlightenment, and through enlightenment comes greater understanding.

We welcome submissions from the published and unpublished, students, educators, retirees, and all those who are simply passionate about our themes. And though we prefer unpublished writing, we are now considering reprints and work that has appeared on personal sites and blogs.

One day there will be no need for a journal such as ours. One day. In the meantime, won't you share your angst, joys, and ruminations with the rest of us?

Jo-Ann Moss, Editor
Raving Dove
Products:
Original poetry, creative nonfiction, and short fiction against all forms of physical and psychological violence