We are pleased to announce the upcoming release of We Who Believe in Freedom, Volume 25.2 (Fall 2026), scheduled for publication in late October, 2026! | | Would you like to participate in the Meridians project? Are you an expert in global feminisms, women's studies, or gender studies? Consider applying to be a peer reviewer for our journal. We will only ask you to review one article per year while sharing new and exciting research. | |  | Now Hiring an Administrative Assistant / Editorial Coordinator | We are beginning our search for our new Adminsitrative Assistant/Editorial Coordinator. Do you have 2+ years of experience in publishing or academia and a background in WGSS, Race & Ethnicity or Cultural Studies? Do you want to meaningfully transform higher education while providing a platform for the voices of Women of Color? Consider applying for this role and joining the Meridians team! | | | |
Please welcome to the Meridians team our 2026-27 intern cohort team (clockwise from upper left):
- Ava Lansburg '27, Sociology & Spanish
- Harper Ragle '30, English
- Dayanara Saavedra '28, Government & Sociology
- Brianna Rosa '27, English & Global South Development
- Eliot Kelly-Leftwich '30, English & Dance
- Sadri Mohamed '28, Government & Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies
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FYE Meridians Tea Party: An Open House Sep. 18
On September 18 at 3:30 pm, we invite students for tea, snacks, and great conversation. Meet the team, hear about our mission, and catch a sneak peek at what we have planned for the year ahead. All students are welcome!
| | EACWA Contest Opening in October | | New EACWA Jury Announcement | | The Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award will begin accepting submissions on October 15, 2026. The contest is open from mid-October to December 31, 2026, so finish those poems and short stories, and send them in! | | | |
We are grateful to our former Creative Writing Advisory Board for their work adjudicating the EACWA in past years.
The EACWA jury for 2027 will be composed of previous winners of the award, including Paramita Vadhahong, Danielle Bradley, Hana Widerman, and others!
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Editor Ginetta Candelario '90 addressing the crowd at Come Home to Smith 2025. | |
Come Home to Smith & Family Weekend - October 24
Join the Meridians team in enjoying tea and snacks while learning about our 26 year history at Smith College. Come Home to Smith and Family Weekend are being held on Saturday October 24. Join us for an open house at 22 Green Street from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. The first 10 visitors will receive a special gift.
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Andreia Silva dos Santos Campus Visit, Talk, and Book Release
Meridians is proud to co-sponsor a visit from Brazilian doctor, educator, and activist Dr. Andreia Silva dos Santos, along with the Brazilian and Portuguese studies department. Dr. Silva dos Santos will visit the Smith College campus in November before attending the NWSA conference with Editor Ginetta Candelario '90 to discuss her Meridians article, "Policing and the Carceral State in Brazil and the United States: Conceptualizing, Tracking, and Resisting Anti-Black Violence." At Smith, she will talk about her newly translated and published book, Rise Up or Die!: The Struggle Against the Genocide of Black People in Brazil.
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June 2 Webinar with Alumnae and Community
We were honored by alums Caren Byrd Borland '68 and Betsey McGee '68 who organized a webinar on behalf of the Meridians Endowment Campaign. The webinar was intended to introduce Meridians to communities of activists and feminists outside of Smith. It was wonderful to meet everyone and share the impact of Meridians!
| | | | Help us reach our $200k goal for this year! | |
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Shout-out from President Sarah Willie-LeBreton
August 27
Thank you to President Sarah who gave Meridians a shout-out during her August 27 Connect with Smith event. It was inspiring to hear about Smith's long history of supporting womens' education throughout Africa.
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Welcome
Dr. Heather McDonald
Smith is proud to welcome Dr. Heather McDonald as the new Vice President for Advancement. Dr. McDonald comes to Smith with experience from Mount Holyoke College. Welcome to Smith!
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Dawn Fulton Chaired Professorship
Congratulations to fomer Creative Writing Advisor Board Member Professor Dawn Fulton on her Chaired Professorship! Dr. Fulton will now be the Doris Silbert Professor in the Humanities.
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Anna Mwaba '10, Recipient of Sherrerd Teaching Prize
Anna Mwaba ’10, assistant professor of government, was one of 3 recipients of this year’s Sherrerd Teaching Prize. Professor Mwaba was recognized as an "educator who helps students feel seen and heard." She was also the moderator at last year's African Feminist Publishing and Praxis panel. Please find more information about her prize and the other recipients here.
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AYA Workshop: Transgressive Women on June 6
Friends of Meridians Government Professor Anna Mwaba '10 and African Studies Professor Maria Andam hosted a virtual workshop over the summer. The workshop featured an impressive lineup which included Dr. Stella Nyanzi, Professor Naminata Diabate, and other authors and activists whose work has been featured in Meridians!
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Congrats Joy Houlder!
Congratulations to our Administrative Assistant and Editorial Coordinator, Joy Houlder, for her prestigous internship at Penguin Random House. While are we saddened to see Joy leave, we are thrilled for her during this next chapter.
We are also grateful that Joy will work in an interim capacity until we can fill the vacancy.
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Farewell Kathy Gauger
It was with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to Kathy Gauger, Administrative Assistant & Coordinator for East Asian Languages and Cultures and officemate at 22 Green Street. We attended a beautiful reception that was held on her behalf. Kathy is retiring after working at Smith for 43 years. Congrats Kathy, we'll miss you around the office!
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Editor Emerita Paula Giddings & Former Intern Xinyang Sun '25
We have been delighted to welcome Editor Emerita Paula Giddings and former Meridians intern, Xinyang Sun '25, to our office. Paula and Xinyang have been working together on Paula's newest project, a documentary film about Ida B. Wells.
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Out Now Feminist Africa Volume 7 Issue 1
Out now, the latest issue of Feminist Africa Volume 7 Issue 1. Guest edited by Sylvia Tamale and featuring a work by Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Fatou Sow, Nancy Kachingwe, and more. This issue also features a book review of African Feminist Praxis by friend of Meridians and Smith Alum, Jessica Horn '01.
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New Poem from Maryam Ala Amjadi in Poetry Foundation
Congratulations to the 2024 EACWA Award Winner and Meridians CWAB member, Maryam Ala Amjadi, for the publication of her new poem, "A Timeline of Exile" in the July/August issue of Poetry Foundation. The editors of this special issue, focused on the theme of exile, share, "We gathered these poems because we believe exile writing creates a new, urgent framework for conceptions of belonging. In a world increasingly defined by fluid
boundaries—of gender, between the human brain and AI, between human emotions and those of animals—the slippery alienation of exile feels decidedly
at home."
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Abigail Chabitnoy's Newest
Poetry Collection
Congratulations to former CWAB member, Abigail Chabitnoy, for her new poetry collection, Love Like a Body Carried to Shore. Described as an "ecologically and emotionally charged collection [that] explores continuity through water and weather, through the intimacies of relation, where knowing is a bodied verb." Published by Wesleyan University Press, this book will be available for purchase in November 2026.
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Congrats to Angelie Pereyra '28
Our very own Quigley Fellow from the 2025-2026 Meridians intern cohort completed a summer internship at the LatinoJustice PRLDEF. We are so proud of her endeavors and celebrate her ability to bring the Meridians mission to the greater community.
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Visit our Shop Online or in Person!
The Meridians gift shop is now open in person and online and carries these high-quality, branded items available for purchase without a subscription:
- Specialty boxed pens
- Mugs
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Greeting Cards (featuring Meridians covers)
- Special Issues
- Tumblers
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