Join us in creating a publicly sourced archive of a single day, articulated and comprehended through printed newspapers of the same day across the world.

Sign up to send us your local newspapers dated 10 March 2020, and receive our exhibition catalogue(s) free of cost + be an acknowledged contributor to a major exhibition of newspapers from around the world that will be held in London in March 2021.

Calling all newspaper-lovers and print-aficionados to take part in our project ‘Drafts of history’: exploring the contested domains of news, ephemeral artefacts, circulation networks, publics, and archives.

This is a call for participation in our project to collect newspapers from around the world. We invite all interested individuals – wherever you happen to be on the globe – to send us a physical copy of your local newspapers dated 10 March 2020. The process of participation is relatively simple (see below), and there are also some material benefits of taking part.

Why 10th March? Because it connects to the second part of our project: creating a historical, comparative snapshot of the world in newspapers on a single day. We are working to digitise a collection from 10 March 1888– a treasure trove of newspapers from across the world, which we will also be exhibiting in the coming year. We are looking to bring together March 1888 with a ‘first draft of history’ for 10 March 2020.

This is an occasion to celebrate your local newspaper scene, the diversity of voices, scales, and readership – you could choose your community paper, ones you encounter daily, or ones that you have never read, independent papers, the diaspora or foreign language press in your city, and so much else. Everything is welcome! We only need a handful of people from any one city/country to be enthused and willing to commit to sending us newspapers by post – but we recognise that the task is nonetheless enormous, so any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

Please note: the newspapers will need to be sent by post to London (UK) at their own expense by those who are willing and able to participate and contribute to this project. Details of mailing and a PO Box address will be provided to participants who sign up on the project website. We are particularly looking for volunteers from less well-represented parts of the world and can also offer help with the mailing costs if you are able to take on a more active role in collecting, so please get in touch using the link below or by emailing editor@contextual-alternate.com.

Please visit the 'External Link' below for more information and to participate.