There are 28 themed submission calls for the 17 outlets listed here. Some of the themes are: turning points (for writers); making musical instruments; movement and stillness; environmental justice; music redux; political change and LGBT rights; health; and racial justice/diversity issues in public media. Most publications do not mention a timeline by which they want pitches, so it is best to query early. – S. Kalekar
Catapult: Turning Points; Debut
They’re reading work for two series.
— Turning Points: Their guidelines say “This series features stories about those moments in our writing lives where everything suddenly seems to click, where we’re given new motivation to carry on with our work—or even where we need to take a well earned pause, to remember that the life of a writer, for better or for worse, is always about twists and turns.
For this series, we anticipate essays that are a mix of memoir and craft writing—as in, writing about the literal craft of writing; about narrative, characters, settings, actions, metaphors, motivations, etc.—though we welcome new formats as well.”
— Debut: Their guidelines say, “This series features authors writing about their experiences writing, publishing, and promoting their first books—and often to broader topics that investigate what it means to write when the world is now watching.
For this series, we anticipate essays that are a mix of memoir and cultural criticism, though we welcome new formats as well.”
Though Catapult is based in the United States, they also welcome pitches and submissions from those writing in different countries for both of these series. They are accepting submissions (up to 2,000 words) as well as pitches for both series. The deadline is 4 January 2021. Details here.
Poets & Writers: Conferences & Residencies
This is a magazine for writers of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. Their editorial content is divided into four sections: News & Trends:brief articles about pertinent information in the writing and publishing industries; The Literary Life: essays on the more contemplative aspects of writing, ranging from creative process to the art of reading; The Practical Writer: advice and how-to articles that offer nuts and bolts information about the business of creative writing; and Features: profiles of and interviews with contemporary writers in current American literature. Other features include articles and essays that look at subjects of interest to creative writers, such as writers’ conferences and residencies, small presses, regional writing, and the distinctions of genre. They accept both, proposals and articles on spec. For March/April 2021, the theme is Conferences & Residencies. Details here (submission guidelines) and here (theme).
ASK Magazine: Making Musical Instruments; Collecting Collections
This is Cricket Media’s science and non-fiction magazine for 7- to 10-year-olds. The ideal article is an engaging non-fiction story (or cartoon) that is concrete, specific, and appealing to newly independent readers (grades 3–5), but that an adult reader might also find interesting – it should tell a good story, with an emphasis on ideas and problem-solving. They have feature articles, photo essays, humor pieces, profiles/interviews of scientists, inventors, engineers, and artists, theme-appropriate science experiments, and science panel cartoons.
— For October 2021, the theme is Making Musical Instruments. Their guidelines say, “General direction: What shapes your sound? Possible topics: Profile of how an instrument maker makes an instrument (any kind); Evolution of the shape of (trumpet, violin?); secrets of a Stradivarius; variations on a theme across the world (blowing into a tube or plucking strings); not for me (why do some people find bagpipes or organ music a delight or torment?); unusual orchestras (vegetables, trash, one-man bands). The deadline is 15 January 2021 for queries.
— For November/December 2021, the theme is Collecting Collections. Their guidelines say, “General direction: Why do we love to collect things? And who has the best? Possible topics: Museum collections: Why do you need 30,000 beetles?; Darwin’s collections; stories of particular odd or interesting collections (e.g., collection of old cars rented out to films that need a vintage car); collector who went to extremes to complete a collection?; things not on display in museums; online museums; how many ways to organize your collection?” The deadline is 15 February 2021 for queries.
Details here.
(Also see upcoming themes for Muse Magazine, which is Cricket Media’s discovery magazine for children and teens.)
It’s Freezing in LA! Magazine: Regeneration
This UK-based independent magazine prints environmental slow journalism, with a fresh take on climate change. “Printed bi-annually, we find the ground between science and activism, inviting writers and illustrators from a variety of fields to give us their view on how climate change will affect — and is affecting — society.
We want to help untangle the environmental tensions and choices that humanity must navigate by platforming as many different perspectives as we can find.” Currently, they’re looking for climate writing on the theme of Regeneration for their 7th issue. Pay is £150, and the pitch deadline is 6 January 2021. Details here (Tweet) and here (magazine).
Landscape Architecture Magazine: Stories with a Climate Crisis frame
This is the magazine of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and they publish monthly. Their audience primarily comprises landscape architecture professionals and students in the US and abroad, as well as city planners. Their secondary audience is in allied professionals such as architects and engineers, but also decision makers such as politicians and public officials, university or corporate heads, real estate developers, regulators, and a wide spectrum of people who collaborate with landscape architects, such as scientists (botanists, ecologists), geographers, horticulturists, construction specialists, and product manufacturers. They want pitches on all aspects of the built environment – including designed landscapes, soil science, environmental justice, urban habitat, and rural equity, all with a Climate Crisis frame. See their extensive guidelines on what kind of pitches work for them, and which do not. Details here (Tweet) and here (contributor guidelines).
NS Advocate: Nova Scotia focus
This magazine “provides a voice for the many Nova Scotians who too often are ignored.” They want pitches on poverty, ableism, racism, all kinds of unfairnesses, labour, the environment, the arts; geographically, they focus on Nova Scotia and the Atlantic provinces. Pay is CAD200. Details here and here.
Shondaland: Entertainment; Books; Culture; Profiles on interesting women
Shondaland is part of Hearst Digital Media. They are accepting pitches on these themes, for publishing in January (second half) and February 2021: entertainment (commentary on films/movies/interviews); books (author interviews for books dropping in Jan/Feb); culture (interesting stories about art, artists, commentary about pop culture, etc.); and profiles on interesting women. The editor requests writers to read the website for the kind of stories they publish, before pitching. Details here (Tweet) here (website).
New York Times: Solver Stories
The Tweet from NYTimes Wordplay says, “Submissions to our Solver Stories feature for the latter half of 2021 are now open. We’re looking for fresh voices and well-told stories about how puzzle-solving or games have had an impact on your life, or how they might have changed a relationship.” Their guidelines are extensive, and include this: “The most important thing is that the writing be emotionally honest and for the story to be freshly and compellingly told.” The articles have to be 800-1,300 words, and pay is $200. Details here (Tweet) and here (guidelines).
Gumbo Media & Living Cities: Year of Reckoning
They’re seeking one Black/Brown writer/researcher from each of these six cities in the US – Albuquerque (NM); Austin (TX); Memphis (TN); Minneapolis (MN); Rochester (NY); and St. Paul (MN) – to form part of the Year of Reckoning cohort. The project is to tell stories that reckon with history and racial inequities, and imagine new futures. They want the writers “to engage in a three-month-long (at minimum) research and storytelling process, culminating in a comprehensive historical narrative on their respective city, to be published and widely circulated. There is potential for this work to lead to longer-term engagements. All work will be compensated $1,000+.” The deadline is 1 January 2021. Details here (Tweet) and here (project website).
Adventures in Ideas: Movement and Stillness
This is an online literary journal that explores the intersection between travel and ideas. They are reading now for their first issue. Their website says, “Because travel is as much an intellectual affair as it is a physical one, we believe that travel writing is most enriching when it engages with the world of ideas.” They’re reading on the theme of Movement and Stillness: they want travel narratives, essays, features, articles, etc. that explore the ideas of movement and/or stillness, broadly understood. They pay $75, and the deadline is 31 December 2020. They don’t pay for book excerpts or blog posts. Details here.
Guardian US: Environmental justice — how do race/income determine who bears the brunt of pollutants and global heating?
The Guardian is expanding its coverage of environmental justice in the US, and they want pitches from diverse writers and visual journalists across the country. “We’re keen for stories from, and about, topics and issues that are seldom written about and that impact underserved communities.” Currently, they want pitches on how race/income determine who bears the brunt of pollutants and global heating. The following are key subject areas in which they’re looking to commission stories – but they are open to other topics in the environmental justice realm, too:
– the climate crisis and its disproportionate impact on particular communities
– polluted communities and problems such as lead, diesel exhaust and PFAS chemicals
– waste and plastic
– the environmental impacts of extractive industries and agriculture
– people organizing against environmental racism in their own communities and the US more broadly
– stories that can be community-driven or crowdsourced
They usually commission 500-1,200-word stories, and usually pay $0.50/word. Details here (Tweet) and here (pitch guidelines).
Bright Wall/Dark Room: Music Redux
They publish essays on movies and TV series, and are looking at music on film for the February 2021 issue; the theme is ‘Music Redux’. They have extensive guidelines, including “While we’d love to see essays on Singin’ in the Rain, Stop Making Sense, and Sing Street, we’re not solely looking for “movies about music.” We’d be equally excited to see essays that look at how music functions within movies that might not automatically fit the label”. Pay is $100, and the deadline is 7 January 2021 for the themed issue. They’re also looking for unthemed submissions. Details here.
Saint and Sofia: Fashion; Culture
This is a pitch call for UK writers (or those writing on topics relevant to the UK); the editor wants to commission opinion-led features and interesting long reads on fashion and culture, for a new magazine, Studio, which will cover fashion, lifestyle, culture, and sustainability. The pieces are to run in January and February 2021. The editor is particularly looking to hear from people underrepresented in fashion/media. Pay is about 15p/word. Details here (Tweet).
Room Magazine: Indigenous Brilliance
This is an international feminist magazine publishing work from marginalized genders, including women, trans men, Two Spirit, and non binary creatives. Apart from creative non-fiction (up to 3,000 words), they also publish fiction, poetry, and art. They’re reading for the Indigenous Brilliance issue. They have extensive guidelines, including, “This issue is to hold space for Indigenous writers to tell their stories. Indigenous is used to refer broadly to peoples of long settlement and connection to specific lands who have been adversely affected by incursions by industrial economies, displacement, and settlement of their traditional territories by others. We acknowledge this is not limited to Turtle Island and the America’s, and welcome Indigenous experiences from around the globe, who share histories of European colonialism, genocide, enslavement, subjugation, resistance, sovereignty and liberation.” Pay is CAD50/page, up to CAD200. The deadline is 31 January 2021. Details here.
The Gay & Lesbian Review: Three themes
This is a bimonthly magazine targeting an educated readership of GLBT men and women. Their tagline is “a bimonthly journal of history, culture, and politics,” and they publish essays in a wide range of disciplines as well as reviews of books, movies, and plays. Features are 2,000-4,000 words, and reviews are 600-1,200 words. They also have interviews, artist profiles, and other columns. They accept both pitches and completed pieces. They have announced a new theme:
‘A New Era Begins: Political change and LGBT rights.’. They are also accepting work on these two themes:
— ‘The Social Network Revisited: What has changed?’; and
— ‘The Science of Sexuality: New findings and perspectives’.
They invite suggestions for topics, as well. They also publish poetry. Pay for original feature articles is $200, and they pay $100 for book reviews. Details here.
Horozons: Health; Mission/Go and Do Likewise
This is a Christian magazine. It is published by Presbyterian Women, Inc. for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). They seek articles, stories, and poems on specific themes. For March/April 2021, the theme is Health; for Summer, it is Mission/Go and Do Likewise. There are other themes listed, as well. Articles/stories should be 600-1,800 words. Pay is at least $50/page, depending on the time and research required. Details here (download submission guidelines), and here (themes).
Current: Racial justice/diversity issues in public media; How the pandemic is affecting the system; Radio/TV broadcast technology
Current is the nonprofit news service for and about public media in the U.S., and their primary audience is made up of people who work at public radio and television stations, networks and production companies. Their website says, “Our readers typically expect more details and context in coverage of public media than what other publications usually provide. They also expect reporting that takes them behind the scenes to explore developments that affect their work and helps them understand the thinking behind decisions that shape programs, policies and special initiatives.” See their extensive submission guidelines for details. Currently, they’re especially interested in these themes: racial justice/diversity issues in public media, how the pandemic is affecting the system, and radio/TV broadcast technology. Pay is $0.75/word. Details here (Tweet) and here (guidelines).
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.
