I first started writing Portrait of an Adoption when my oldest child was six years old. She will be seventeen next month. I close my eyes, and I’m seventeen again.

It seems impossible, the way that time passes in blurred years and in drawn-out minutes, one and the same. When I began this blog, when I had a toddler and a kindergartener; now I have one child in elementary school, one in middle school, and one in high school.

Year over year, I have run my November series, 30 Adoption Portraits in 30 Days. It has become increasingly challenging to find the time to curate, edit, upload, and share this series, a true volunteer labor of love that claims many of my waking hours in October and November.

I had always planned to conclude the series after ten years, and now we are here. This November will be the final series. It is with a bittersweet heart that I put out the final call for submissions. Some of you have followed this series since the very first season. I know you will miss it, and I’m grateful for your loyal readership. If you are one of the people who sends me an email each year saying, “I might send in my story next time” — next time is now!

As you know, the series is designed to give a voice to many different people with widely varying perspectives on adoption. Some stories will describe heartwarming and uplifting experiences, while others will reflect the pain, darkness and loss often embedded in adoption.

In an effort to provide an authentic portrayal of what adoption means to different people, the series will feature guest posts by adoptees, birthparents, adoptive parents, relatives of adoptees, and foster parents.

If you are interested in submitting your story, please note the following submission guidelines:

• Email me a personal essay about your experience with adoption or foster care (1,000 – 3,000 words) to portraitofanadoption@gmail.com.
• You may also submit your piece directly to my website by going here.
• Please include a 2-3 sentence bio with any links to your work and an optional photo.
• Submission deadline is October 1, 2020, but I pick posts on a first come, first serve basis, so the sooner you send in your piece, the better to guarantee a spot.
• It is very important to me that the series has a good flow and an emotional balance. As such, I try to pick stories that are not too similar to each other.  If I receive a bunch of fantastic essays that are from a common perspective, I will only run a couple of them, so that we can represent multiple experiences.

Remember, I can only run stories from the options that have been submitted, so if you have a story to tell and you want to see your voice represented, send it in! Anyone is invited to send a story. May the Force Be With You as you send in your submission!

And be sure to check out the awesome children’s chapter book series, Jazzy’s Quest: Adopted and Amazing that I co-authored with Juliet Bond, LCSW. The third book in the series, Jazzy’s Quest: Camp to Belong, is now available. Jazzy is a creative, ten-year-old Star Wars fan who also happens to be a transracial adoptee in an open adoption.

The first book in the Jazzy’s Quest series is a chapter book designed to introduce Jazzy, her loving family, and her friends to our readers. The second book is twice the length of the first and explores Jazzy’s social relationships at school and her struggle to fit in with peers.

The third book is a full middle-grade book and it delves into the complex relationship among separated siblings in reunion, as well as the unique challenges that adoptees face as they navigate the world. Jazzy explores her feelings about being a person of color in a white family, and she learns more about foster care.
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Carrie Goldman is the author of Portrait of an Adoption. She is an award-winning author, speaker, and bullying prevention educator. Follow Carrie’s blog Portrait of an Adoption on Facebook and Twitter.

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