The Cassandra collective proposes to be an on-line space in which students and scholars can take part in a dialogue about the war in Iraq through reflections and creative writing. In 1983, Christa Wolf published _Cassandra_, a searing exploration of the role of discourse in producing a reality in which war becomes the desired outcome, and even an end in itself. Cassandra, the daughter of King Priam of Troy and sister of Paris, is overcome by madness and anger in the face of a war she feels she is unable to prevent. After living through a difficult inner transformation and finding support in a community which exists on the margins of her city, Cassandra finds her inner voice and is able to articulate her rejection of the logic of war.

Twenty years later, Wolf's call for a "prise de conscience" resonates powerfully. To all those who feel distressed and powerless in the face of the war in Iraq, Cassandra reminds us that the search for a new language creates the possibility of resistance.

The Cassandra Collective is both a response to the acts of violence, which are denials of the ability of dialogue to resolve conflicts and render us speechless and powerless, and a challenge to the closed and exclusionary discourse that has dominated discussion about the ongoing war. We invite students, recent graduates and faculty to submit short fiction, poetry, meditations, and other reflections on the conflict in Iraq.

The Collective currently plans to publish selected contributions online, but opportunities for print publication will be explored. Please send your submissions via email by 30 April, 2003. Include your name, location, and affiliation if it applies. Submissions may be in Word 97 format, in an earlier version of Word, or in rich text format.