There are 24 calls for themed pitches/submissions of articles/non-fiction pieces from the 15 markets listed here. Some of the themes are: tales from the pandemic; disinformation, authoritarian tech, war on science; prisons, punishment, policing; back to school and COVID-19; levity; holiday season; plant biology/ecology; underappreciated or overlooked writers; leadership; UX writing; and chatbots & AI. Some announce their deadlines but most do not, so it is best to get your pitches in early. – S. Kalekar
Coda Story: Disinformation, authoritarian tech, war on science
The managing editor of Coda is looking to commission pieces, according to this Tweet. “Got a story on disinformation, authoritarian tech or the war on science? Coda is looking for pitches from global journalists that combine deep reporting & vivid narrative storytelling on trends shaping our world.” See their website here.
subTerrain Magazine: Tales from the Pandemic
This Canadian literary magazine is reading submissions, including creative non-fiction and social commentary, for a special issue titled ‘Tales from the Pandemic.’ Their guidelines say, “We want your stories (real and imagined) about living in a pandemic. … What has this time been like for you? This unprecedented world situation has been thrust upon us and we have all had to cope one way or another, we have all had to find our way in the midst of a deadly, invisible adversary. Through varying degrees of lockdown and quarantine we have all had to find a way to be, a way to carry on living.”They welcome photos and illustrations. They also read fiction and poetry, and they accept submissions from around the world. Non-fiction pieces should be up to 4,000 words. There is no fee for mailed submissions. The deadline is 2 November 2020. Pay is $0.10/word up to $500 (Canadian). Details here.
(Note, that at the time of publishing this article, their website was not operational. We do expect it to be back soon though, as this is a very established publication.)
The Forgive Everyone Collective: Prisons, punishment, policing, abolition, etc.
This is a US collective building empathy for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated peoples; they fund reentry and organize work. They recently had a call for pitches on Twitter – “Seeking justice impacted people to submit pitches for our blog related to prisons, punishment, policing, abolition, etc. … Formerly/currently incarcerated people to the front!” Pay is $0.25-$0.60/word, depending on the expertise and research required. The Tweet is here, and this is the website; their contributor form is here.
MotherWell: Three themes
This is a parenting publication, and they are reading on three themes. They do not pay for certain formats/short pieces (see guidelines).
— Home for the Holidays: Their guidelines say, “Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas, most of us will be home for the holidays this year. Motherwell is looking for original essays about how you are celebrating a little differently in 2020, but also any reflections on past holiday experiences. All formats welcome and please include a word count (we tend to cap at 1,200).”
— Back to School and COVID-19: Their guidelines say, “There is a host of uncertainty surrounding schools opening this fall—we are all confused, exhausted, concerned—and Motherwell would love to hear your perspective: as a teacher, a parent, or a student. All formats welcome and please include word count.”
— Parenting and Food: Their guidelines say, “Our new weekly column. We are looking for stories, up to 1,200 words, that delve into all the ways in which these two areas of life can intersect. Interpretations might include: cultivating cooking skills with your kids; body image around pregnancy; raising picky or limited eaters; managing food allergies; coping with weight concerns, at either end of the spectrum. Completed essays only and please include word count.”
They are also reading perspective pieces and personal essays. Details here.
TBIJ: How are algorithms and data-driven decision making affecting the world?
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism is looking for pitches for ambitious and original investigative reporting for its Decision Machines reporting project. Their guidelines say, “The Decision Machines project investigates how big data, algorithms, machine learning, AI and other technologies and systems are increasingly affecting people’s lives. It has a particular focus on how these are being used in government decision-making, what negative outcomes they may have and who is most at risk. The Bureau is looking to fund freelance projects in this area. These must be strong investigative ideas, not just reported features.” Projects focused on the UK or European governments are preferred, but others will be considered. They will consider funding projects either on a day-rate basis (with an understanding these stories may take weeks or more of reporting time) or on a per-word basis. See guidelines for the kind of stories they are particularly looking for. Details here.
This Magazine: Resilience
They take pitches only from Canadian residents. The subject matter they cover includes politics, culture, the arts, social issues, labour, feminism, mental health, race/racism, Indigenous issues, and sexuality, with a focus on quality writing and in-depth reportage. The theme for their 55th anniversary issue is Resilience, and they are reading pitches on that theme – for features, as well as other columns (see guidelines). They prioritize stories that are of national interest and look at topics through a national lens, or cover under-represented areas of the country. They prioritize people and communities telling their own stories, and they like a progressive, social justice oriented angle. They are not looking for COVID-19 pitches. The deadline for this theme is 30 October 2020. Details here.
Tribal College Journal: Leadership
They are reading for their Summer 2021 issue, and the theme is ‘Leadership’. Their guidelines say, “Having effective, far-sighted leaders at tribal colleges is essential for their success. But being an effective TCU leader requires an expansive, multifaceted skillset, including expertise in public relations, education policy, teaching pedagogy, program development, financial management, infrastructure development, student services, and Indigenous culture and history. How do tribal college leaders recruit and develop leaders? What are some of the best practices in higher education leadership? What role does Indigenous culture play in TCU leadership?” They seek both long features and stories for departments. The deadline for feature story suggestions is 6 November, features deadline is 8 January 2021, and On Campus news shorts deadline is 15 January 2021. Details here and here.
Slice: Levity
This literary magazine is reading submissions on the ‘Levity’ theme. They want writing that plays off the theme in unexpected ways. Non-fiction submissions should be up to 5,000 words. They are also reading fiction and poetry on this theme. Pay is $400 for non-fiction, and the deadline is 1 December 2020. Details here.
Roadtrippers Magazine: Holiday Season, New Year’s; COVID-19
This online publication is looking for US- and Canada-based road trip features and articles. They publish features, profiles, and news. They are mainly looking for boots-on-the-ground storytelling and reported pieces with a clear hook; they do not want roundups, listicles, trip guides, or personal essays. They are looking for stories that writers have first-hand experience of, ideas that tell the surprising, unexpected, or untold story of a place, person, event, route, etc., interesting, relevant news on road travel and road culture, interviews with unique characters, and stories on Americana and the great outdoors, camping, museums, and more. They say they pay rates competitive with other online publications. Seasonal pitches have to be sent at least four weeks before the publish date. For December, the themes are Holiday Season, and New Year’s. Apart from these, they are also looking for timely pitches on COVID-19 – their guidelines say, “travel has changed drastically in just a few months. While we are mainly looking for more evergreen and inspirational pitches, we are also open to interesting and timely takes with a focus on COVID-19. These can include pandemic and quarantine history that ties into a current event or location, or ways specific destinations are dealing with or affected by the pandemic.” Details here.
The Scientist: Plant Biology/Ecology
This is a magazine for life science professionals — it covers a wide range of topics central to the study of cell and molecular biology, genetics, and other life-science fields. They have a print magazine as well as an online presence and explore the latest scientific discoveries, trends in research, innovative techniques, new technology, business, and careers. Online news stories and pieces for the Notebook are generally the best places to break in as a freelance journalist. For news, they always welcome pitches concerning trends in a particular field or industry. Notebook stories typically take a look behind the scenes of life science research; they tend to employ a healthy dose of narrative to tell unique stories. They welcome Opinion and Feature article ideas from those working in life science. For their January/February 2021 issue, the theme is Plant Biology/Ecology. Details here (writers’ guidelines) and here (download the editorial calendar).
Massage Magazine: Buyers Guide; Sports Massage; Sanitation & Safety
This is a magazine for massage practitioners, bodyworkers and partners—such as schools, continuing education providers, employers, and businesses that offer products and services. It features advice from educators, information about hands-on techniques, marketing guidance, scientific research, self-care lessons and more. They do not have writers’ guidelines listed on their website, but according to their editorial calendar for advertisers, themes for upcoming issues are: Buyers Guide (January 2021); Sports Massage (February 2021); and Sanitation & Safety (March 2021). There are several other themes listed. Details here (themes – click on Editorial Calendar), and here (editorial contacts – scroll down).
Rock & Gem: Holiday Gift Guide
This is a magazine for rockhounding and lapidary hobbyists. They particularly want field trip and lapidary project articles. They also want articles pertaining to specimen collecting, gold prospecting, club activities, basic and advanced lapidary skills and artist profiles. Full-length features are 2,000-3,000 words, and pay $250. According to their editorial calendar, there will be a special section in the January 2021 issue – ‘Holiday Gift Guide’. Details here (download writers’ guidelines), here (download media kit to view editorial calendar – scroll down) and here (editorial calendar – scroll down).
UX Writers Collective: UX writing; Content strategy; Industry trends; Processes & systems; Chatbots & AI
UX Writers Collective is looking for pieces for their blog. The topics they are currently interested in are: UX writing; Content strategy; Industry trends; Processes & systems; and Chatbots & AI. They pay $100 per post. See the Twitter call here and the website here.
Business Insider: Job Diary Stories
Business Insider is looking for pitches for their Job Diary stories, featuring professionals with interesting jobs – this can be by freelancers with someone to feature, or by people who have an interesting job themselves. Pay is $250. See the Twitter call here and the website, with examples of published articles in this series, here.
Ploughshares: Look2 Essay
This prestigious literary magazine is currently accepting queries (not submissions) for its Look2 essay series. This series seeks to publish essays about underappreciated or overlooked writers. The Look2 essay should take stock of a writer’s entire oeuvre with the goal of bringing critical attention to the neglected writer and his or her relevance to a contemporary audience. The writer can be living or dead and from anywhere in the world (if there are good English translations available). Essays should make note of biographical details that are pertinent to the writer’s work. Pay is $45/page, up to $450. The deadline for queries is 15 January 2021. Details here and here.
Author Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She is the author of 182 Short Fiction Publishers. She can be reached here.
