There are about 37 themes in the 19 outlets listed here. Some of the themes are: Pride; belonging; Crazy, eccentric, wacky, lovable, fun families; snakes; LGBT Subcultures; ebb/flow; the immersive future; human consequences of war; Ukraine, beyond the headlines; and courageous acts. Some outlets have specified pitch/submission deadlines, and some have not. – S. Kalekar
Inverse.com: Science, health, space, and more
Inverse.com, which is part of the BDG Media Group, publishes work on science, innovation, entertainment, gaming, and more. The deputy editor of Inverse.com has Tweeted recently, “please send me pitches for April and beyond on the topics of science, health, space, innovation, movies, TV & video games. Looking for narrative features, exciting profiles, oral histories, and more. I’m happy to pay $1000 for a great story.” See the Tweet here, and their general pitch guide is here.
PrideSource: Pride pitches
The Editorial Director of PrideSource has Tweeted, “Pride season is upon us which means, LGBTQ+ writers, my inbox couldn’t be more open!! I’m very eager to read your pitches so send me your best, brightest ideas—anything from essays to reported news features to profiles (and beyond!)—and if they have a Michigan bent EVEN BETTER.” See the Twitter thread here and their pitch guide here. Pitches for this theme are open till end-April. They are also looking for Auto, Home, and Travel pitches.
Parabola: Belonging
This is a quarterly journal that explores the quest for meaning as it is expressed in the world’s myths, symbols, and religious traditions, with particular emphasis on the relationship between this store of wisdom and our modern life. They accept original essays and translations. Their guidelines say, “We look for lively, penetrating material unencumbered by jargon or academic argument. We prefer well-researched, objective, and unsentimental pieces that are grounded in one or more religious or cultural tradition; articles that focus on dreams, visions, or other very personal experiences are unlikely to be accepted.” They publish articles (1,000-3,000 words), book reviews (500 words), retellings of traditional stories (500-1,500 words), forum contributions (up to 500 words), and poetry (up to 5 poems). The theme for their next issue is ‘Belonging’. The deadline is 1 June 2022. Details here.
GUTS: Revenge
GUTS is a Canadian feminist website that has now been relaunched – you can read more about that here. They publish journalism (including visual essays) on Canadian politics, lives (including short, critical memoirs and personal essays), as well as poetry, fiction, comics, video art, and more. They are reading on the ‘Revenge’ theme. They have extensive guidelines, including “We are witnessing a shift in the ways history and heritage are defined in so-called Canada. The people don’t want reconciliation. The people want revenge. The people want repatriation of stolen artifacts. The people want reparations for transatlantic enslavement. The people want Land Back.” Some of the topics to think about are: “Migration; displacement; transformation; grassroots movements; wildfires; missions back to your hometown; that mean girl from high school who became a nurse; gender anarchy; tearing down statues; reinvention; reanimation; renewal; fluidity; change; justice; there is no justice, even transformative, on stolen lands; the body keeps the score; water is life; drinking water”. Pay is CAD500-2,000. The pitch deadline for articles is 31 March 2022; first drafts will be due on May 15, 2022 and final article submissions (500-4,000 words) will be due on June 15, 2022. Details about the call and payment are here and here.
Neon Door: The Immersive Future
Neon Door is “an immersive literary exhibit”. “We are currently accepting pitches for essays about the intersection between art and technology for our online column on Neon Door called “The Immersive Future”. We’re seeking pieces that explore the potentials that virtual reality, the metaverse, and immersive technologies create for a new form of storytelling.” Pay for The Immersive Future is $250, and the deadline for this theme is 5 April 2022. They also want unthemed creative work – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, video, and visual art. Payment for creative work, if any, is unspecified. Details here.
just femme & dandy: Sustain
just femme & dandy is a biannual literary and arts magazine for and by the LGBTQIA+ community on fashion. They are reading submissions (and pitches) on the Sustain theme. They have extensive guidelines, including “How can we use fashion to sustain us during this incredibly trying time? How has fashion sustained you in other times, whether it be in terms of pain, joy, crisis, or other challenges? We’d especially liked to hear submissions regarding: trans + queer pregnancies, femme/fae bodies, chronic pain/disability, and given this theme, we’d love to hear from mutual aid + food communities!” Pay is $50 per text-based submission and $150 per multimedia submission (video, photography, image + text, fashion spread + interview, etc.). See guidelines for sections open to freelance submissions. The deadline is 15 May 2022. Details here.
Chatelaine: Ramadan
The associate editor of Canada’s premium women’s magazine, Chatelaine, has issued a call for Ramadan-related pitches and they are mainly interested in hearing from Canadian writers. Their target demographic is women ages 35-50. Print rates are $1/word and web rates vary. See the Twitter thread here, and their general pitch guidelines are here.
The Offing: Insight; Memoir
This magazine publishes work in various genres. They’re reading nonfiction for their ‘Insight’ section, as well as memoir, until 31st March. For Insight, they want “Creative nonfiction that centers one’s personal experience against the backdrop of art, literature, and culture. Insight essays are generally personal essays that raise questions or address issues about the matters that concern us aesthetically, politically, or ideologically. These essays explore how interacting with this piece of art, literature, or culture changed you, or made a lasting impression.” For memoir, they want “Personal essays, rather than commentary or criticism, of any length”. They also have various other sections, for which submissions periodically open and close, including Back of the Envelope— “writing of any length which relates to, or draws on, science and the natural world”; Enumerate – “our department of cataloging, of naming, of listing. It features work that is hybrid — cross-genre, and work in all genres (fiction, CNF, flash, poetry) — as long as it uses the form of a list (which you may interpret widely). Any length, any subject, any medium (i.e. text, video, photo, music, etc.)”; humor; cross-genre; poetry; fiction; micro; translations; comics; and art submissions. Pay is $25-100. The deadline is 31 March 2022 for Insight section, and memoir, and is unspecified for others. Details here.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: 12 themes
They publish true stories and poetry (up to 1,200 words). Excerpts from their submission calls are below – see the guidelines for their suggested topics on each theme. Please see the end of the Chicken Soup section for links to the guidelines and submission portal. They pay $200.
— Preteens: Deadline 30 March 2022. “Adolescence is a great time to learn about the power of gratitude, practice thankfulness, and to appreciate the blessings in your life, including your friends and family. These are skills that preteens and teenagers need to develop as part of social and emotional learning. … Young people who see the silver linings, count their blessings, and maintain a positive perspective weather the ups and downs of life much better than those who bemoan their fates and focus on the negative. We’re looking for your uplifting true stories and poems about how you used the power of gratitude to change your own life while you navigated the preteen and teenage years.”
– Teenagers: Deadline 30 March 2022. “We are collecting stories for TWO books—one for preteens (ages 9-12) and one for teenagers (ages 13-19). For suggested topics for Teenagers, please check the Preteens topics”.
– Messages from heaven: Deadline 15 April 2022. “When our loved ones leave this world, our connection with them does not end. Death takes away their physical presence, but not their spirits, and we often sense them after they have gone. Sometimes we see or hear from them after they’ve passed, and they give us signs and a spiritual link from beyond. We want to hear from you if you have experienced communication from the other side or received a sign or signal from a loved one who has passed. … This book is for everyone who has a story, whether religious or secular. Share your true, touching, and astounding stories about messages from heaven or your own experiences with dying and coming back.”
– Miracles: Deadline 15 April 2022. “Everyone has experienced events in their lives that cause wonder and astonishment. These miraculous happenings are completely and totally unexplainable. Why did these amazing things happen? How did these surprising and bewildering things occur? We want your true stories, both religious and non-religious, that will awe us with examples of amazing events.”
– Angels: Deadline 15 April 2022. “Angels and miracles are all around us if we keep our eyes open. Have you experienced a divine intervention, answered prayer, or other miraculous occurrence courtesy of someone you think just might have been an angel. …We are looking for true personal stories about how an angel has touched your life – stories of true wonder and awe from people who have directly encountered or received help from angels…. Please note that we are not looking for stories about people who are “angels” because they do nice things, and also please do not submit eulogies about a loved one who has died and is now an “angel.”” They want stories from writers of all faiths, including those that do not have a religion.
– Crazy, eccentric, wacky, lovable, fun families: Deadline 30 April 2022. “We all have them! Those eccentric, goofy, wacky, lovable, and oh so fun family members—the ones we tell all the stories about. They could be a parent or grandparent, an in-law, a brother or sister, an aunt, uncle or cousin. Or grown children. …” Writers can add a pen name if they like. They have some suggested topics – see guidelines.
– Thanksgiving, Xmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa & New Year’s: Deadline 1 May 2022. “Everyone loves holiday stories and our contributors write great ones. They are so good that we create a new edition for the holiday season every year. … we are looking for stories about the entire December holiday season, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and New Year’s festivities too.”
– Cats: Deadline 30 May 2022. “Here is another chance for you to share your story about the member of your family who just happens to walk on four feet… your cat! We want your true funny stories, your heartwarming stories, and your mindboggling stories about all the simply amazing things that your cat does.”
– Dogs: Deadline 30 May 2022. “Our canine friends make us smile every day with their crazy antics, their loving companionship, and their amazing intuition. Here is another chance for you to share your story about the member of your family who just happens to walk on four feet… your dog!”
– How stepping outside my comfort zone changed me: Deadline 31 July 2022. “Tell us your own stories about stepping outside your comfort zone and how that changed your life. We know you’ll think of many more topics, but here are some suggestions to get your creative juices flowing: Meeting new people; Wearing different kinds of clothing; Traveling to new places …; Doing something that you were afraid of”.
– The advice that changed my life: Deadline 31 July 2022. “Have you ever read a Chicken Soup for the Soul story that had a wonderful piece of advice in it that made a difference in your life? Have you ever watched a movie or read an article that really had an impact on you that you haven’t been able to forget? Do you have a friend or family member who gave you some advice that you didn’t necessarily want to hear but really needed to hear that stuck with you and directed you to make positive changes in your life?
We are looking for stories that contain a great piece of advice that you were given or advice that you gave to someone else. Whether the advice is about a little thing that improve your everyday life, or major epiphanies that can change a life completely, we want to hear about them and how they made a difference.”
– The power of positive thinking: Deadline 31 July 2022. “We know that using the power of positive thinking helps you to achieve your goals and lead a happy, purposeful, and productive life. Almost anything is possible if you think you can. You can dream big, overcome challenges, create the best life possible for yourself, and turn adversity into opportunity. How did you “think positive” and how did it change your life? Tell us your success story about using the power of positive thinking!”
Details here (themes), here (general guidelines), and here (submission portal). Also see their FAQ about submissions.
Cricket Media: Faces – Sweden; Snakes; Chile
Cricket Media’s Faces is a magazine of world cultures and geography for 9-14-year-old readers. They are accepting queries for three issues, and the themes are Sweden (queries by 21 March), Snakes (queries by 18 April), and Chile (queries by 23 May 2022). They publish featured articles (700–800 words, includes in-depth non-fiction highlighting an aspect of the featured culture, interviews, and personal accounts), supplemental non-fiction (300–600 words, includes subjects directly and indirectly related to the theme), fiction (up to 800 words, includes retold legends, folktales, stories, and original plays from around the world, etc., relating to the theme), activities (includes crafts, games, recipes, projects, etc.), and puzzles and games. Details here. Cricket Media has other literary and nonfiction magazines, as well.
Writer’s Digest: At the Crossroads; Sinister Stories
This print and online magazine aims to “keep readers abreast of industry trends, of the latest writers who found success and what they did to achieve it, and of innovative ways to improve and empower the inner raconteur” of their readers. They consider completed manuscripts on spec, as well as original pitches. They say writers should allow 2-4 months for a response. They have a few themes listed, including these:
— At a Crossroads (July/August 2022 issue): “Writers will inevitably hit a crossroads where they have to decide how to move forward, either in the drafting of a work-in-progress or in making choices about their career. Or, perhaps your work is at the intersection of two or more genres. This issue aims to help writers work through the tough parts of writing.”
— Sinister Stories (September/October 2022 issue): “This issue is exactly what it sounds like: How to write the creepy, the horrific, the unsettling, the evil in fiction and nonfiction. Plus, how to identify and avoid potential scams or those who would take advantage of writers on the business side.”
There are other issue themes listed, as well. They have several departments where writers can pitch: Inkwell, 300-1,000 words (best place for a new writer to break in – often an opinion-based piece, weaving a narrative and drawing out tips for readers; can discuss theoretical or timely concepts; trends, humor, insight on news that will still be relevant when our next issue hits stores, weird and intriguing tidbits about the writing world, as well as features); 5-minute memoir, 600 words (reflections on writing life); writing technique articles, 1,000-2,400 words, as well as market reports and other features. There are other columns too – WD 101, and The MFA Workbook (formerly The Writer’s Workbook). For the print magazine, pay is $0.30-0.50/word. They don’t pay for online content unless it is unique and highly focused, in which case they pay $50-100. Details here (submission guidelines) and here (editorial calendar/themes).
The Gay & Lesbian Review: Radical pursuits; LGBT subcultures; The social network revisited
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 three themes listed:
— Radical Pursuits: Fringe politics in LGBT history
— LGBT Subcultures: From bears to bisexuals to dykes on bikes
— The Social Network Revisited: What has changed?
They invite suggestions for topics, as well. They also publish poetry. Pay for original feature articles is $200, and full-length book reviews pay $100. Details here.
Ninth Letter: Ebb/Flow
Apart from non-fiction, they also accept fiction and poetry. They want submissions on the ‘Ebb/Flow’ theme for their web edition. Their guidelines say, “The theme for this issue is Ebb/Flow, arrived at after Distances and Returns, booms and recessions, oscillations in data and the tides going in and out. In the light of recursive and reflexive storytellers, amid debated origins and uncertain endpoints, and in response to foggy predictions and timeworn adages—what’s past is prologue—Ebb/Flow questions narrative structure and its contours in shaping our lives. You may submit up to three poems, or one piece of short prose (fiction or nonfiction; all subgenres of prose are welcome) or up to three pieces of flash prose. All submissions must total no more than 3500 words.” Pay is $75/essay or story, $25 for poetry; the deadline is 31 March 2022 for the web edition. Details here. They’re also periodically open for submissions for their print edition, for which mailed submissions are free.
Sasee: Celebrate; Clean Community
They want first-person, non-fiction material that is for or about women, of 500-1,000 words. Essays, humor, satire, personal experience, and features on topics relating to women are their focus areas. They do not publish fiction or poetry. They have two upcoming themes: Celebrate (deadline 15 April 2022); and Clean Community (deadline 15 May 2022). Pay varies. Details here.
Hungry Zine: Restaurants
This is a call for writers in Canada. They are looking for submissions and pitches on the Restaurants theme. Their guidelines say, “During the pandemic we’ve seen some of our favourite restaurants close, we’ve seen the impacts of precarious work on food industry folks, and we’ve had to rethink our relationships with restaurants. … Take us beyond the restaurant review or awards list! We want to hear about your favourite restaurants, or the ones you hate, the ones that were closed, and the ones that were replaced, and the people and stories behind them. We want to hear about the experiences from people working in the restaurant industry, or a special moment that you experienced in a restaurant, or your favourite dish.” They publish Original reporting/investigative articles, interviews and profiles, recipes, poetry, personal essays, fiction, illustrations, and more. Pay is CAD50. The pitch deadline is 3 April; final submissions are due 1 May 2022. Details here.
Book Art Review: The Hidden Parts of Design and Publishing
They publish book art criticism, and are reading pitches for their second issue. The theme is The Hidden Parts of Design and Publishing. They want pitches for reviews and features – they have extensive guidelines for each, as well as for the theme. Pay is $250 for reviews and $450 for features. The pitch deadline is 18 April 2022. Details here (Twitter thread), here (theme details) and here (guidelines).
Consequence Forum: War and geopolitical violence
Consequence Forum covers the human consequences and realities of war and geopolitical violence. Apart from nonfiction, they publish fiction, poetry, reviews, visual art, and translations. “First and foremost, the work needs to address the human consequences and realities of war or geopolitical violence. This can include focusing on the experiences of combatants, but also victims and/or witnesses since, after all, it isn’t only combatants who are affected. Second, the work needs to have literary merit, by which we simply mean the piece needs to try to be greater than the sum of its parts. Does it inspire reflection? Insight? Anger? Joy? This is what we mean by literary merit.” For nonfiction (send up to 5,000 words), they say, “essays that are academic or strictly journalistic usually aren’t the best fit. Furthermore, we are interested in pieces that are focused and offer a unique perspective on a specific aspect of war (as opposed to more general essays that attempt to address the full scope of war).” See their FAQ. They publish online and in print. Pay is $40-80. The deadline is 15 April 2022. Details here.
Are We Europe: Ukraine, Beyond the Headlines
They usually accept/commission work from young writers in Europe. For this call, their guidelines say, “The nature of war can make media coverage a frenzy: but how can we look to the people beyond the headlines?
We are starting an online, growing magazine to cover the Russia-Ukraine war. Throughout, we’ll publish the day-by-day diary of a 19-year old journalism student in southeast Ukraine. In addition to this, we want to periodically commission and publish stories from Ukraine and its bordering countries: Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. We are also looking to publish one overarching story on what this means for Europe as a whole.
We’re welcoming all pitches from countries that share a border with Ukraine and that show people-centred storytelling around the trends behind the headlines.” See guidelines (‘Starting points’) for suggestions on sub-topics. Details here.
(Also, The Committee to Protect Journalists has assembled a resource thread on Twitter for those covering the Russia-Ukraine war.)
Transformations: Days of Displacement; Courageous Acts
Transformations is an online magazine of narrative essays. They want 600-750 word essays, and writers can choose one of these two themes: Days of Displacement, or Courageous Acts. They pay $100, and the deadline is 15 April 2022. Details here (Twitter thread) and here (general submission guidelines).
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
