Further Information

Her Voice: Stories of Women of Foreign Origin in Iceland

Her voice and Vía join forces to publish the book Her voice: Stories of Women of foreign origin. The book will honor the contribution of women of foreign origin to Icelandic society as well as create discussions and increase Icelandic society's understanding of the position of women of foreign origin living in Iceland and their experiences.

The book combines the visions of both parties, which aim to raise awareness of the issues facing marginalised groups and create a more equal, enlightened and respectful society. Interviews with 35 women of foreign origin have been conducted since late 2020 and their stories will be shared with readers with powerful yet raw stories, pictures, poems and other material from the participants' private collection. The book is a harmonious narrative and the interviewees originate from various countries. The stories are in both Icelandic and English so that they reach more people in the society.

The editors of the book are Chanel Björk Sturludóttir, Elínborg Kolbeinsdóttir and Elinóra Guðmundsdóttir. Work on the book has been ongoing since the summer of 2020 and the aim is to publish the book in 2022. Vía will publish the book and the project is currently being financed.

The process

Her Voice and Vía began collaborating in 2020 on the book. We took on research work and looked for interviewees.The public was asked to nominate women who have enriched society in some way, and the response exceeded our expectations.

The interviewees in the book come from numerous countries and the editors travelled all over Iceland to take the interviews.

Many talented people have helped us since the project began. Kaja Sigvaldar takes photographs for the book and Kolbeinn Jara Hamíðsson and Þorgeiri Blöndal are the graphic designers. Ásdís Sól Ágústsdóttir translates the book.

Funding

At the beginning of the project, a decision was made to publish the book on our own. Full control over the editorial process and the possibility of giving back to the community of women of foreign origin in Iceland are the main preconditions for the book to be published in this way.

The total cost of publishing the book is ISK 14,000,000. which includes the cost of making the material (interviews and photographs), the labor costs of those involved in the book (photographer, designer, translator, etc.), printing costs and marketing costs. The editor's salary costs are not included in this figure.

The project has received grants from the Íslandsbanki Entrepreneurship Fund, the Efla Community Fund and the City Fund of Reykjavík's Human Rights, Innovation and Democracy Council.

The printing cost is just over ISK 5,000,000. and therefore it is most important that we manage to finance that cost as soon as possible!

Her Voice

Her Voice is an Icelandic non-profit organisation based in Reykjavík, which strives to raise awareness of the experiences of women of foreign origin in Iceland.

The organisation holds events such as panel discussions and conferences as well as participating in various projects with the common goal to provide a platform for women of foreign origin to have their voices heard.

Vía

Vía is an online medium that specialises in social critique and dissemination of diverse perspectives on gender equality issues.

Vía is an independent publication, community and forum for feminist content, published online and created with equality and diversity in mind. Vía has been a venue for many individuals in marginalised groups to make their voices heard.