Here’s a list of eleven calls writers, directly from editors and publishers. We’ve found payment rates, deadlines, and contact information for all of these publishers.
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Thanks to Fatima Saif for her research on this article.
— Jacob Jans
Living Cities is partnering with Gumbo Media to tell stories that detail history of racial inequities and imagine a new future. They are looking for one writer/researcher from each of the following six cities: Albuquerque, Austin, Memphis, Minneapolis, Rochester, and St. Paul. The writer/researcher will “write a piece on their respective city that details its history of racial inequities and imagines a new future.” Each writer will be paid $1,750. There is potential for additional longer-term engagements. For more information, refer to this Tweet and this page.
Deadline: January 1st, 2021
Logic is a print and digital magazine about technology and society. They publish 3 times a year. They are looking for reported articles, features, essays, and profiles for their next issue which is themed Distribution. They pay $200 for shorter essays (1,000 to 1,200 words) and $500 for longer features (2,000 to 3,000 words and up). If interested, email your pitches to pitches@logicmag.io. To learn more, read their co-founder’s Tweet and their pitch guide.
Deadline: January 15th, 2021
Southerly is an independent media organization that covers ecology, culture, and justice in the American South. Their newly appointed contributing editor will be accepting story pitches in January. They pay $500 for up to 1,000 words and $750 for up to 1,500 words. If interested, send your pitches to pitch@southerlymag.org. For details, refer to their contributing editor’s Tweet and this page. To learn how to pitch them, refer to this page.
The Xylom is a media outlet that creates “personal stories of science and humanity.” Their “stories are long-form, first-person narratives of 1,200-1,500 words, in addition to a mix of thought pieces, ‘experiments with words’ and original reporting at the intersection of science and society.” They are accepting pitches. Their honoraria starts at $25 or $60 (for BIPOC). To learn more, refer to their Tweet, form, and submissions page.
Broad Street Review is a Philadelphia-based online arts and culture forum. They focus on “events in and around the greater Philadelphia area, with coverage including South Jersey and Wilmington, DE.” They welcome essays and reviews. They accept pitches for the following ten categories: “art, books, the creative economy, dance, design, film and TV, museums, music, and theater, plus the interdisciplinary cross-cultural.” They usually pay $50 per review (500-850 words) and up to $100 per essay (750-1,000 words). For more information, read their Tweet and guidelines for writers.
Knucklebone Magazine is a quarterly publication about analog roleplaying games. They are accepting pitches for their next issue themed Form. They are looking for pieces (at least 800 words) that “think critically about rpgs (including larps and board games with rp elements).” They will pay $60 per piece. Send your pitches to knucklebonemag@gmail.com. For details, refer to this Twitter thread and this page.
Deadline: January 17th, 2021
Stylist Magazine is a weekly magazine and a website for smart, successful, and sophisticated women. Their features editor will be accepting pitches in 2021 from women and non-binary people. According to their pitching guide, they look for “smart, original, newsworthy journalism, covering women’s lifestyle, feminism, current affairs, social trends, culture, health, careers, relationships, dating, sex, and tech.” They pay £150 per feature. To learn more, read their features editor’s Twitter thread and their pitching guide.
Apartment Therapy is a home and decor website that features DIY how-to’s, design lessons, expert advice, and shopping guides for creating beautiful homes. Their entertainment editor is seeking new pitches/voices. She is looking for pop culture-meets-home ideas. They usually pay $100 to $150. Email your pitches to nicoletta.richardson@apartmenttherapy.com. Read their entertainment editor’s Tweet here and find more contact details here.
Rungh is a Canadian magazine, artist space, archive, and more. They feature work by Indigenous, Black, and People of Color artists. They are looking for IBPOC writers for 2 separate profiles of 2 IBPOC CDN arts groups. They will pay $400 per piece (about 2,000 words). To learn more, refer to their Tweet. To contact them, refer to this page.
The Texas Observer is a bimonthly magazine and website that is “known for fearless investigative reporting, narrative storytelling, and sophisticated cultural criticism about all things Texan.” They are looking for freelancers. They publish short news stories (500 to 1,000 words), political commentaries and opinions (500 to 1,000 words), book reports (800 to 1,200 words), features (1,500 to 4,000 words), culture features (2,000 to 3,500 words), essays (1,000 to 1,500 words), postcards (2,000 to 3,500 words), and poems (30 lines or shorter). According to payment reports, they pay $0.50 per word. If interested, email your pitches to pitches@texasobserver.org. For more information, read their Tweet and freelance writer’s guide.
Eater Portland is a local news site that reports on restaurants, bars, chefs, dining, dining trends, and more in Portland. They are a part of the Eater network. They are seeking pitches for opinion pieces, features, and maps and food crawls. According to payment reports, Eater pays an average of $0.37 per word. If interested, writers can send their pitches to brooke@eater.com or pdx@eater.com. To learn more, read their Tweet and pitch guide.
