By S. Kalekar
These are some themed calls for pitches/submissions of essays, creative non-fiction, and journalism. Some of the themes are: disappearances; married/couple stories; repair; automation; travel; branching out – all about trees; so it’s come to this (intersection of history and The Simpsons); the relationship between place and peace; indigenous voices and cultural myths for resistance; herbalism and other plantwork practices; work grounded in ecological entanglement; and LGBT figures and movements in East Asia. A few of these outlets also accept other genres, like fiction and poetry.
The Contrapuntal: Disappearances
They want submissions on the disappearances theme. “This call for submissions invites creative non-fiction, analytical essays, narrative writing, and visual work that examine disappearance beyond physical absence. We welcome critical and creative explorations of erasure, state violence, memory, political care, ecological destruction, technological disinformation, and resistance.” They have detailed guidelines, including, “Disappearance takes multiple forms: enforced disappearances by oppressive states; socio-political erasure of histories and life-worlds; domicide (systematic destruction of houses); ecocide (militarised and developmentalist destruction of ecologies); epistemicide (destruction of knowledge and what becomes thinkable); AI and technology-led disinformation; debilitation; political silencing; and cultural destruction.” They’re commissioning reportage (1,500-2,000 words – 200€ per commission), visual essays (200€ per commission), analytical op-eds (2,500- 3000 words- 100€ per commission), and artistic features (50€ per feature). The deadline is 1 December 2026. Details here and here.
Trails Magazine: Variety
They cover backpacking. “The focus of Trails is on backpacking and other human/naturally-powered means of sleeping outdoors: bikepacking, canoe camping, even things like rafting or mountaineering are fair game (feel free to be creative with those criteria—we covered “skatepacking” in Issue One).
But remember: Human-powered, and overnight are the important pieces. Activities like RVing, backpacking in the “backpacking around hostels in Europe”-sense, and mountain biking won’t be good fits. We’re also more interested in multi-day trips than short day hikes. Backcountry and wilderness destinations are preferred.
We also primarily focus on North American destinations. Articles that focus specifically or heavily on a destination should be focused within that region. Articles where the geography is really just the setting of a different story (profiles, adventure stories, etc.) have a little more flexibility with place, but North America is still the preference.” They also say, “We don’t “theme” issues like other magazines. Instead, we like to create a “thread” in each issue that, while we might not advertise it on the cover, readers can feel it as they go from story to story. Consequently, these threads are a little more broad and open to interpretation.” They want submissions for the February 2027 issue, and the thread is Variety: “Your prototypical backpacking trip isn’t the only way to sleep in the dirt. Bikepacking, rafting, and others can all get us the same feeling of traveling by our own power, being self-sufficient, and sleeping under the stars. But there are still other ways to explore the outdoors. For this issue, explore the creative, unique, and interesting ways people are adventuring.” The pitch cut-off is in November, though they have not specified a date. They pay $0.50-$2 a word, and have detailed guidelines – please read them carefully. Details here.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Married / Couple stories
They accept non-fiction prose and non-fiction poetry, and have themed calls. They want submissions for Married / Couple stories: “Married? In a long-term relationship? We know you have stories! Share the ups and downs, the funniest moments, the most romantic moments, and all your tips and advice for other couples. We want to know how you got together and how you stay together!
Whether you’re just starting out as a couple, or you’re celebrating your golden anniversary, our readers will be interested in what you have to say.” Some suggested ideas include: For richer or poorer; Compromise, compromise, compromise; Blending traditions; Second marriages – your house or mine?; Best advice you ever got for marriage/coupledom; Pushing the reset button on your relationship; In-laws and out-laws! They pay $250 for works up to 1,200 words, and the deadline for this theme is 30th November 2026. They have other themes listed as well, with later deadlines. Details here and here (also see other tabs on this page, including FAQ).
Revolute
Revolute is a digital literary magazine founded by the Randolph College MFA program. They were open for microreviews at the time of writing: “Microreviews are short book reviews up to 300 words. We publish reviews from all genres and hybrid genres. We will read reviews of new work and also older, overlooked literature.” Please note, they can only pay US-based writers. They have submission caps: “If “no open calls for submissions” appears during our submissions period, this means we have capped submissions. Check back, as we may reopen.” The deadline is 15 November 2026. They pay $50 for microreviews, which are up to 300 words. Details here and here.
The Break-Down: Repair
They’re reading for their fifth issue, and the theme is repair. “We live in a climate changed world. The UN Emissions Gap Report, published this October, underscored that the window for limiting global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees without overshoot has now closed, leaving us in uncharted territory. … For The BREAK–DOWN Issue #5 we are looking for pitches that examine climate adaptation, intervention and repair.
From securing fragile food systems and restoring damaged ecosystems to updating the physical fabric of our communities for a changed world, the work of adaptation is urgent and, if done right, contains the potential to produce a far more equitable and just world. Done wrong, it could just as easily create new and more dangerous inequalities. And as the climate crisis continues to deepen, more radical forms of climate intervention are moving from the fringes to the mainstream. How should we understand the politics of this moment? What might our collective future look like? Where is the work of repair already underway?
We are interested in argumentative essays, geopolitical or political-economic analysis, reportage, photojournalism and dispatches from around the world. We look for work that troubles the received wisdom and that tells us something new and unexpected about the future we face. We especially welcome pitches from writers based outside the centres of the Global North.” They pay £650 for around 3,000 words, “although in certain circumstances we can offer more for on-the-ground reporting where costs are higher.” The pitch deadline is 12th November 2026. Details here and here.
Kokatu
Kokatu is “a news and opinion site about games and things serious gamers care about. We’re here to inform you and, sometimes, entertain you. We also often write about pop culture topics like anime, TV, and movies”. They have recently issued detailed pitch call, including: they want your pitches “Especially if you have a unique angle or access to provide our readers with exclusive insights, information, or high-quality writing about something they never knew they wanted to read about before. This includes, but is not limited to, feature stories, opinion pieces, essays, reported scoops, sweeping investigations, and fascinating interviews.” They pay $50 for short news posts (300-450 words), $150 for short features (750-1,000 words), and up to $300 for more in-depth articles. Details here and here.
MIT Technology Review: Automation
A post from their editor says, “MIT Technology Review is seeking pitches for an upcoming issue. The theme is Automation. We’re looking for focused feature-length stories that align with that very broad theme—narrative features, sharp reported essays, and essential profiles.
The initial deadline for pitches is Friday November 13. Article drafts would be due in early February.” They pay $1-2 per word. The editor’s post is here and their general pitch guide is here.
Eternal Haunted Summer: Winter Solstice 2026 – Science Fiction
Their tagline is ‘Pagan songs & tales’, and they publish work on Gods and Goddesses and heroes of the world’s many Pagan/polytheist traditions – fiction (any genre), nonfiction, reviews, and poetry. For their upcoming issue (Winter Solstice 2026), the theme is Science Fiction. “Space exploration and time travel. Parallel universes and alternate history. Space opera and planetary romance. For this issue, every subgenre of science fiction is acceptable. Send us your best science fiction poems, short stories, and essays featuring a Pagan/polytheist, witchy, or mythological theme. Send us poems about human colonists befriending native planetary spirits, a human becoming the sword-wielding champion of an alien God, Wiccans adapting their mythology and iconography to a world without animal life, and devotees of Inanna traveling to a parallel Earth where her worship continued without interruption. Send us prose poems and short fiction about spirit workers healing a living spaceship, devotees of Libertas fighting a totalitarian government, time travelers visiting Eleusis to experience the Mysteries, and conservationists saving an icon of Mazu from a dying Earth. Send us essays about mythology in modern science fiction novels, a how-to for incorporating polytheism into a science fiction story, or an analysis of Pagan iconography in science fiction films.” They pay $5, and the deadline is 1 December 2026; details here.
Ori: Travel
Ori Magazine, a print publication for travel aficionados, “is committed to promoting sustainable practices and supporting independent creators. We’re aiming to flip the script on the traditional travel space, prioritizing local contributors and creatives to tell our global stories. Where we have built magazines on the “36 Hours In” model, our mission at Ori is to go deeper and tell the stories that educate and inspire. Think more cultural exchange and less cultural extraction. … Do you have a story about your hometown or even a place you once called home? We want to hear it! Bring us along for the ride. Ori is a pivot from travel journalism—our hope is to grow roots around the world and tell more meaningful stories.” They are accepting pitches for their next issue. The pitch deadline is 7th November 2026; they pay $200 for departments / essays, and $1,000 for features. See the editor’s pitch call here, which includes a link to their detailed pitch guide.
Prairie Fire: Branching Out—All About Trees
They want nonfiction (up to 5,000 words), fiction, and poetry for a themed issue, and have detailed guidelines, including: “Do you remember a time in childhood when you made friends with a particular tree, perhaps built a tree fort, climbed its branches and found solace, or whittled a piece of wood. Have you ever planted, nurtured, admired and taken delight in a tree, or its fruits? … And, in this time of ecological crisis, when climate change and deforestation are creating mass die-off for some trees, have you ever protested and fought to preserve them? … Prairie Fire invites you to branch out, go out on a limb, and shake the tree for your poems, stories and creative non-fiction that in some way includes and celebrates trees, forests and wood as central or supporting characters or themes.” They pay CAD0.10/word up to CAD250, CAD40/poem (see payment rates here). The deadline is 15 November 2026. Details here
Contingent Magazine: So It’s Come To This
Contingent is a history magazine and they are interested in essays that explore the intersection of history and The Simpsons. Their editor’s pitch callout says, “I would love to read pitches that explore labor, gender and family relations, childhood, religion, political parties, the show’s place in the history of adult animation, its racial politics, how it manages time passing but also not passing, and steamed hams.
I am also interested in your best ideas for the game we used to play in grad school where you take a quote from a show and have to come up with the academic after the colon part. Like “‘I sleep in a racing car, do you?’: Changing Masculinities in the Age of No-Fault Divorce.”
According to the pitch guide on their website, “possible essays can focus on:
- specific episodes and characters;
- the show’s constantly shifting timeline and flashbacks;
- the writers and animators behind the show;
- the history internal to the world of The Simpsons;
- the series as a primary source for political, cultural, and media history.
We welcome pitches from anyone, but prioritize contributions from people who have completed postgraduate work in history and are working outside the tenure-track professoriate, including (but not limited to) contingent faculty, K-12 teachers, graduate students, and public historians.” The pitch deadline is 9th November and essays are due 23rd November for publication in December. They will pay $150 for mini-essays (500-1,000 words) and $300 for shorts (1,000-2,000 words).See the editor’s pitch call here. and detailed guidelines on the theme here. They are also accepting unthemed pitches for the Mailbag and Postcard columns; see the guidelines for those here.
My Galvanized Friend: The Immoral of the Story
They accept work from LGBTQIA+ writers in the US only; literary submissions (nonfiction of 500-3,500 words, fiction, poetry) and art for a themed issue. “This winter we are looking to subvert the familiar and create new stories from the well-known, the tried and true, the classics of fairytale, folklore, and fable. Make it dark, make it queer, make it yours. For this issue, we’re looking for The Immoral of the Story.” The issue will publish in December 2026. They pay $25 for prose, $10/page for poetry; the deadline is 15 November 2025. Details here and here.
Psyche: Deep Dives
The editor for Psyche has issued a pitch call for a new section: “REQUEST FOR PITCHES for Deep Dives for psyche.co. We are looking for psychologists, researchers, academics and journalists to pitch into a new section for psyche.co, Deep Dives, on debates, new ideas, and cutting edge topics in psychology. … We pay academics and professionals about $750 US dollars and working journalists doing reported essays $2000.” See the pitch call here.
Mukoli: The Magazine for Peace
Apart from non-fiction (up to 5,000 words), they also accept fiction and poetry. “In a world torn by war and conflict, peace seems elusive everywhere. And yet, if we look closely enough, we can find it in the very places and spaces we inhabit every day. At Mukoli, we believe that peace is as intrinsic to the human condition as violence and conflict. We just need to recognize and amplify it, making it visible. That is how we take the power away from violence and drown the voices that incite conflict.
With this as our starting point for exploring the relationship between place and peace, we are seeking submissions for Issue 6 of Mukoli. We invite you to interpret the theme as you will, so long as you are placing peace and finding it a ground to stand on. Show us how you connect to it.” They’ve listed some themes that can be explored: How do you find peace where you are, in the usual and unusual places?; What does peace look like in the spaces you occupy or the ones that you aspire to occupy?; What does it mean to find peace where we are?; and more. They pay $75, and the submission deadline is 15th November 2026. Details here, here, here, and here.
In a Flash: Lost
In a Flash is a Substack-based literary magazine and they publish one piece of themed flash non-fiction a month. For November 2026, the theme is Lost. Send a creative non-fiction piece of up to 500 words on this theme. And, “We’ll also spotlight the author with a Q&A section.” They pay $25, and the submission period for each month’s theme is from the 1st to the 15th of that month; submission is via Google Forms. Details here (general guidelines) and here (theme for this and upcoming months).
IHRAM Press: Two themes
IHRAM (International Human Rights Art Movement) Press’s literary magazine is reading submissions on two themes.
— One of these is Language, Censorship, and Translation. “We are seeking firsthand experiences, factual retellings of stories from the author’s life, and personal reflections exploring the relationship between language, identity, expression, and power. … We are particularly interested in work that considers how language shapes the way we understand ourselves and others, and what happens when people are denied, constrained, misunderstood, or unable to use their own voice.” They have several suggested topics, including: How language shapes identity and belonging; Language as a form of personal expression; Language and social status; Multilingual and cross-cultural experiences; Preserving meaning, voice, and cultural context across languages; and more. The submission deadline for this theme is 15th November 2026.
— The other theme is Indigenous Voices and Cultural Myths for Resistance. “We are seeking firsthand experiences from original thinkers and land stewards, factual retellings, and personal reflections that shaped the writer’s adulthood, valuing the native voice and Indigenous history. This magazine will also explore the relationship between spirituality, myth, dreams, memory, culture, identity, resistance, and Indigenous voices. We welcome submissions from writers around the world, regardless of gender or identity.
We are particularly interested in how creativity becomes a form of resistance and generational memory. How can storytelling preserve what has been suppressed? How do myths and inherited stories reflect the way we understand ourselves and the world? What does it mean to reclaim a tradition, history, or narrative that has been marginalised or erased?” Some suggested themes are: Indigenous communities and cultural traditions; Traditions that have been suppressed or threatened with erasure; Myths, histories, and ideologies that have been marginalised or erased; Cultural identity and its preservation through art and literature; and more. The submission deadline for this theme is 1st December 2026.
IHRAM accepts nonfiction (up to 2,500 words), fiction, and poetry, as well as translation and art. They pay $50 for writing. Details here.
The HTML Review
“The HTML Review is an annual journal of literature made to exist on the web. … Send your pitch, prototype, or work-in-progress, and a bit about yourself through our submission form.” “While we keep a copy of the code for archival purposes, all contributors own their own work in perpetuity. Our editorial process includes text, design, and code. We do not set specific issue themes from the outset, but instead allow those connections to form organically.
We look for submissions that take full advantage of the web as a medium. Poetry, fiction, non-fiction, essays, graphic storytelling, and experiments are all welcome. Whether in aesthetic or subject matter, we love singular standalone works that have an ultra-specific focus.”
Also see ‘Some friends, inspirations, and idols’ section on this page to get a feel for what they are looking for. Submission is via a form. They pay $500, and the submission deadline is 1st December 2026. Details here.
Oregon Humanities: Trust
They want non-fiction writing from Oregon residents only. “The theme for the Spring 2027 issue of Oregon Humanities magazine is “Trust.” We’re looking for essays and pitches about truth, reliability, faith, and confidence.
How is trust gained and lost? What do we risk when we place trust in others, and what can we gain? How do different religious and philosophical traditions understand trust and belief? How has trust or the failure to trust shaped historical events? Why are some professions trusted, while others are regarded with skepticism? Why is trust in government, media, and our neighbors declining in the United States? Once broken, how can trust be rebuilt or restored? Consider some of the secondary definitions of trust: monopoly, credit, or hope.
We welcome all forms of nonfiction writing from Oregon residents, including essays, journalism, criticism, and excerpts from forthcoming or recently published books.” They accept drafts of personal essays, and proposals for journalistic or researched pieces. Features generally range between 1,500 and 4,000 words; and they pay $750- 1,500. The deadline is 8th December 2026. Details here.
Channel
Channel is an Ireland-based magazine, and they publish work grounded in ecological entanglement. “Although we draw inspiration from global nature writing traditions and from the many dedicated platforms for writing on climate and ecology that exist around the world today, the scope of our publishing is not limited by constrictive definitions of nature writing and eco-writing. We are interested in work that speaks directly of a writer’s love and fear for the biosphere, or that challenges the political and cultural conventions behind runaway climate change; equally, though, we believe that work drawing on nature for setting, image or metaphor can carry power to reshape our relationships with the world around us. Historically, all human language and creativity has been shaped by embeddedness in our environment – the kind of work we want to publish is the kind that takes that universal seed of connection and plants it, revelling in how it might grow.” They are accepting creative nonfiction (up to 6,000 words), fiction, and poetry for their Spring issue. They pay €35 per page up to €250. The submission deadline is 30 November 2026. Details here.
The Cut
The Cut is part of New York magazine. You can read about them here. “The Cut publishes stories that address our readers’ lives head-on, with generous wit, honesty, and power. We are in a dynamic conversation with women about the issues that matter to them most — politics, feminism, work, money, relationships, mental health, fashion, and issues relating to equality — and we’re always looking for ideas that add to that conversation.” Their work is divided into four verticals: Power, Self, Style, and Culture. Rates start at $500 for essays and columns (1,000–1,500 words), and at $600 for features (1,500–2,000 words). See their pitch guide here.
Wort blog
Wort is ‘A Journal of Radical, Rooted, Relational Herbalism’. While the journal has reading periods, they accept work for their blog on an ongoing basis: “Wort aims to support dialogue around the place of herbalism and other plantwork practices in ecologically rooted social change, and to support and strengthen a community of herbalists and plant people working in this way. The online blog complements the print journal, offering a digital space for ongoing conversation.” They accept submissions (minimum 500 words) as well as pitches for the blog, and pay £40. Details here (scroll down).
Gay & Lesbian Review
They accept articles and pitches on all LGBT-related topics. They are especially looking for work on these themes:
Breaking the Code: Hidden messages in literature
LGBT Figures and Movements in East Asia
Stage and Screen: From Broadway to Tinseltown
They also welcome suggestions. They accept feature pitches/features (2,000 to 4,000 words, with a “golden mean” of 2,500), as well as work for various sections/columns and reviews. Some sections are unpaid. They pay $250 for feature articles, and $100 for full-length book or movie reviews and art memos. Details here.
So to Speak
Their tagline is ‘language + intersectionality + art’. They are accepting fee-free submissions from Black and Indigenous writers for their 2027 print issue (there is a submission fee for all other writers); they publish a print issue in Winter, and a digital issue in Summer. They want creative nonfiction (flash and short, up to 5,000 words), poetry, and visual art with an intersectional feminist lens. “To our staff, being an intersectional feminist is a commitment to lifelong learning—an acknowledgment that systems, institutions, identities, and places do not operate the same for every person. We aim to be a space for voices occupying intersections that are not always heard. All contributors will receive a $100 prize.” And, “For creative nonfiction, we admire the work of prolific writers like Vivian Gornick, Melissa Febos, Ashley C. Ford, Carmen Maria Machado, and Maggie Nelson. Get weird. Be reflective.” They also accept work for their blog, though there is no payment for that. Fiction submissions are closed. The submission deadline is 8th November 2026. Details here here and here.
Adi Magazine
Adi is a literary magazine of global politics, dedicated to rehumanizing policy. You can read about them here. They are open for pitches: for essays (including graphic essays), Again column, interviews, and translations. “Our current theme: “So much of the work of oppression is policing the imagination.”—Saidiya Hartman
We are living through a moment of acute political, social, economic, and environmental retrenchment across the globe. But we know that narratives themselves have the power to affect change. Stories build alliances and strategies, drive resistance, and remake the ways we understand our world in the past, present, and future. What kinds of stories might we tell, and what kinds of communities might we foster, if we stop policing our stories, real or imagined?
We privilege perspectives from the global majority—people of color, queer people, all marginalized peoples—as they reflect on how politics and policies influence their daily lives. We are always interested in exploring how we might reorient our political universe toward those organic alliances, intertwined liberation theologies, grassroots movements, and revolutionary philosophies. While the dominant voices in the media are focused on men in suits and geopolitics, we are trying to tell fresh stories and pulling perspectives from the margins to the center.
As always, please interpret this call expansively and imaginatively. Familiarize yourself with the range and spirit of our archive; Adi tends toward creative, experimental approaches to political writing, measuring the effects of policy through the personal lives and direct experiences of people.” They pay $250-800. Details here.
Tolka Journal: Issue 13
Ireland-based Tolka Journal is open for non-fiction submissions for their thirteenth issue. “We publish all forms of non-fiction: personal essay, memoir, reportage, travel writing, auto-fiction, and the writing that falls in between. Our guideline word count for work is 1,500–3,000 words.” They pay €600. Submission is via a form. The deadline is 8th November 2026. Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.