{"id":12626,"date":"2025-07-18T15:25:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T22:25:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/?p=12626"},"modified":"2025-07-18T15:25:53","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T22:25:53","slug":"25-themed-calls-for-essays-non-fiction-reporting-etc-july-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/uncategorized\/25-themed-calls-for-essays-non-fiction-reporting-etc-july-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Themed Calls for Essays, Non-Fiction, Reporting, Etc (July, 2025)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


By S. Kalekar

<\/strong>These are calls for themed non-fiction pitches or submissions. Some of the themes are: What keeps us up at night as parents?; climate; game histories; war; obsession; Miracles, messages from heaven & angels; Chinese tech and its global impact; independent publishing; and perspectives in translation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


<\/strong>Motherwell
<\/strong>They publish work on parenting-related themes. They\u2019re accepting submissions on these themes (see \u2018Current call for submissions\u2019):
\u201cWhat keeps us up at night as parents? <\/strong>Topics might include: raising kids in a digital world as well as a comparative culture; parenting from a place of calm rather than self-doubt and anxiety; keeping our kids safe; adjusting expectations as our children experience life\u2019s hardships and challenges.
What it means to navigate our identities and life changes as kids get older. <\/strong>Topics might include: how divorce or the shifting of relationships affects us; reclaiming purpose\/redefining ourselves as women; balancing the role of caring for older kids and older parents; adapting to dynamics as our families regenerate, evolve and grow.  
All formats welcome; suggested word count up to 1,200. Completed essays only and please include word count.\u201d They\u2019re open for other themes \/ formats too, including personal essays on parenting<\/strong>, on holidays as a parent<\/strong>, and more. Please note, they do not pay for certain formats (see guidelines). Details here<\/a>.

<\/strong>The Suburban Review: Climate
<\/strong>This Australian literary magazine wants submissions on the Climate theme. \u201cTell us about the temperature of your world, the climate of the sociopolitical sphere, the degrees of the biome. Send us your glacial essays, hot and humid fiction, scorching arid poetry and art and comics that radiate long after reading. 
What are you weathering right now? What\u2019s pressurising your atmosphere? What are the conditions of the land you live on? We want balmy descriptions, shivering accounts and stormy tales.\u201d They publish nonfiction (1,250-2,000 words), as well as fiction, poetry, comics, and art. They pay AUD400 for nonfiction, AUD300-450 for fiction, and AUD300-550 for poetry. The deadline is 3 August 2025 (5 p.m. AEDT). Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.

<\/strong>BlackFlash Magazine: Patterns<\/strong>
BlackFlash Magazine is a Canada-based magazine of contemporary visual art publishing \u201ccritical opinions, urgent issues, and innovative ideas about divergent artistic practices from across Canada, the United States and beyond.\u201d They want pitches on the Patterns theme and have detailed guidelines, including, \u201cwe invite critical engagements with \u201cpatterns\u201d as a method for creating and parsing visual culture. We\u2019re interested in pitches that examine how patterns are identified, circulated, and aestheticized; how biases take shape and unravel; how rituals are preserved through practice; how trends emerge, evolve, and are named.\u201c Pitches for features (2,000-2,500 words, pays $1,000), conversations (2,500-3,000 word conversation between you and an artist, writer, or organizer; pays $750 to the writer and $150 to the interviewee), artist profiles (1,500 words, pays $600), and artist projects (500 words + a portfolio of images, pays $450 to the artist) will be accepted until July 25, 2025. Details here<\/a>.

Consequence Forum<\/strong>
They address the human consequences of war and geopolitical violence<\/strong> through literature and art. They accept nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and art. For this issue, their translation<\/strong> feature is The Congo<\/strong>, for which they have detailed guidelines, including, \u201cThe Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing one of the world\u2019s deadliest and most underreported humanitarian crises with millions displaced by armed conflict, political instability, and resource-driven violence. In this moment, we call on translators to help bear witness, to bring forth voices from the region that speak to the realities of war and its human cost, as well as to survival and hope. For our Volume 18.1 Translations feature, Consequence<\/em> invites literary translations from the languages of the Congo into English\u2014especially from Lingala, Swahili, Tshiluba, Kikongo, Kinyarwanda, and French\u2014that engage with the lived realities and long shadows of war, colonialism, extraction, and displacement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the broader Congo Basin.
We welcome poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, oral histories, personal essays\u2014whether historical or ongoing, collective or deeply personal.\u201d
They pay $20-50 for writing. They opened for submissions in 15th<\/sup> July, and the deadline is 15th<\/sup> October 2025. Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.

The Bee<\/strong>
They want pitches (not submissions) from people of working-class background in the UK. The Bee is a UK-based \u201cliterary magazine, an online platform, a podcast, and the heart of a writing community. Our mission is to nurture, publish and promote the best new working-class writing by new and established working-class writers and visual artists.\u201d Their first issue will be released in Autumn 2025. For the current call, they say, \u201cWe are looking for fiction (any genre), narrative non-fiction, non-fiction and journalism that captures something about being<\/strong> working class in Britain in 2025<\/strong>. This could be a feeling, or something you observe, or an experience. We\u2019re particularly interested in stories about joy, community and hope. Your story can be any length from 500 to 3,000 words. It could be anything from a description of something to a short story.\u201d They pay 30p. per word for nonfiction up to 1,000 words, and agreed-upon rates for longer works. For fiction, they pay a flat rate of \u00a3400 per story, regardless of length. See their pay rates here<\/a>. Pitching is via a form on their website. The pitch deadline is 11 August 2025 (see guidelines). Details here<\/a>. 

ROMchip: A Journal of Game Histories<\/strong>
They\u2019ve now got a Freelancer Fund, and are accepting freelance pitches on a rolling basis for their Interviews <\/strong>(5K\u20139K word edited transcripts based on original interviews or oral histories), Materials <\/strong>(essays or experimental formats, focused on new archival discoveries, object preservation, or unique game history artifacts) and Translations<\/strong> (of historical materials, significant non-English scholarship, or English-language ROMchipcontent into other languages) sections. This initiative is designed to support original work by independent researchers, preservationists, game makers, and public historians with significant expertise in the field of game history.\u201d And, \u201cThis opportunity is intended for writers without formal academic appointments. We welcome freelance journalists and editors, part-time or independent game developers with an active writing\/research practice, and citizen historians and preservationists. We do not currently accept pitches to the Freelancer Fund from graduate students or academic faculty. International writers are welcome, but we cannot disburse funds to banks in India, China, or countries on the U.S. sanctions list (as required by our fiscal sponsor).\u201d They pay  $250\u2013$600. Details here<\/a>. See the pitch call on BlueSky here<\/a>.

American Craft: Adventure
<\/strong>This is a magazine about American craft and its makers. They publish reported articles, essays, and opinion pieces. \u201c<\/strong>From the handmade that we use in our homes every day to the fine craft honored in museums, we cover inspiring craft being made today. We also showcase craft organizations making a difference in their communities, thought leadership in the field, and the importance of craft in contemporary American culture.\u201d They publish articles, essays, and opinion pieces \u2013 on artists, craft that brings together a community, handmade goods, galleries, and much more. For Spring 2026, they will publish work on the Adventure theme (please see their detailed guidelines on the theme); the issue will also have special coverage, and the themes for those are: travel<\/strong>; ceramics<\/strong>; and glass<\/strong>. Stories for American Craftare generally assigned at 400-2,<\/strong>000 words; pitch via the form on their guidelines page. Their pay is $0.50\u2013$1.00\/word.Pitches for the Adventure theme are due 11 August 2025. Detailshere<\/a> (scroll down for theme details).
(American Craft is also open for pitches on other themes \u2013 Revolution<\/strong>, due 10th<\/sup> November; and Work<\/strong>, due 9th<\/sup> February 2026.)

MIT Technology Review: Breakthroughs
<\/strong>For their print issue in January\/February 2026, the theme is Breakthroughs. They run short news stories and profiles (500-800 words), op-eds, and data spreads in the front of the book and essaysand book reviews in the back of the book (usually around 2,000 words) for the print issue. They also publish narrative features, investigations, big profiles, and reported essays (generally between 2,500-4,000 words); the features are around the issue theme. \u201cRates range from $1 to $2 per word, depending on the experience level of the writer, the story, and the publication route. Deeply reported features pay more than shorter news pieces\u201d and according to their general guide, the rough pitch deadline for the Breakthroughs theme is mid-late July\/early August 2025. Their general pitch guide is here<\/a>; scroll to the end for themes.

Geist: A Fold in Time \u2013 \u201890s<\/strong>
\u201cGeist<\/em> is a magazine of ideas and culture with a strong literary focus and a sense of humour.\u201d They accept work from Canadian writers only. They charge for general submissions but Canadians who are Black writers, Indigenous writers and writers of colour need not pay a fee (see guidelines \/ the relevant category in Submittable). They\u2019re reading submissions for A Fold in Time: \u201890s. \u201cTo mark 35 years of Geist<\/em>, we\u2019re seeking submissions inspired by the \u201990s\u2014a decade caught between analog and digital worlds, rom-com optimism and millennial anxiety. What survives from that era in our attention spans, dreams, aesthetics, or modes of resistance? We want work that reflects, reimagines, repairs\u2014or revels in the glittering angst of it all.\u201d They accept non-fiction (up to 5,000 words), fiction, comics, poetry, and hybrid forms. They pay CAD50-1,000. The deadline is 1 August 2025. Details here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>.

Business Insider: Lifestyle pitches<\/strong>
An editor has issued a call for first-person pitches for a few themes for their Lifestyle section, for Business Insider:
\u201c- Unique ways Gen Z spends their time on the weekends
– “Unconventional” but awesome living situations (Did you buy a house with your friends, spend an extended amount of time living with your in-laws, move to a remote area, etc.)
– Big moves that didn’t go as planned – especially abroad
– Travel tips you swear by and why
– Great retirement\/career advice from a parent\/grandparent\/older relative you followed or plan to follow\u201d
Rates start at about $230 for 600 words. Pitching is via a form<\/a>, which also has examples of the kind of work they\u2019ve published in the past. See the pitch call here<\/a>.

Brink: Obsession<\/strong>
They accept nonfiction, fiction, poetry, hybrid works, translations, as well as video essays and cinepoetry. They want submissions on theobsession theme. Their general submission guidelines say, \u201cWe accept a variety of creative work from every genre and work that resists any genre. We are most interested in work that presses creative boundaries, uses more than one medium to tell a story, and both looks and feels different on the page. Additionally, we look for submissions that engage the theme of each issue alongside the idea of being on the brink.\u201d Regarding the obsession theme, \u201cAt first glance, obsession indicates preoccupation. It gestures toward desire. Obsessions command our attention, motivate our actions, and are always top of mind. But the etymology of obsession hints at a different story. The root of the word indicates the action of besieging, or, as we might say in today\u2019s language, sitting. When you obsess, you place yourself before something\u2014an object, a person, an idea, a task. This posture is not passive; it is active. Your presence is an investment. Your presence indicates your desire to absorb, encompass, and command. To learn. Please note, we are not interested in stories of harassment, stalking, or unequal displays of power or abuse.\u201d They pay $25-100, and the deadline is 31 July 2025. Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles, messages from heaven & angels
<\/strong>They publish true stories and true poetry, up to 1,200 words. They\u2019ve posted themes for a few themes. The upcoming deadline is for Miracles, messages from heaven & angels, about \u201cunexplained happenings and occurrences. Stories about miracles, angels, messages from heaven, premonitions, amazing coincidences and other unexplainable but good events! We are looking for powerful, astounding, stories that will make people say “wow” or give them chills. This book is for everyone, whether religious or non-religious.\u201d A few suggested topics are Signs and wonder, Divine intervention, as well as Dreams and premonitions. They do not want stories about people who are “angels” because they do nice things, or eulogies about a loved one who has died and is now an “angel”. They pay $250. The submission deadline is 31 July 2025. Details here<\/a> and here<\/a> (also see other tabs on this page, including FAQ).

Rest of World: Chinese tech and its global impact<\/a><\/strong>
The editor of Rest of World<\/a>\u2019s China desk has issued a pitch call: \u201cI’m looking for pitches on Chinese tech and its global impact \u2014 AI, EVs, robotics, space race, geopolitics, startups, you name it.\u201d The rate for a typical report of 800-1200 words is $750. See their China desk pitch guide here<\/a> and the editor\u2019s call here<\/a>.

The i Paper: Milestones and regrets<\/strong>
The i<\/strong> Paper<\/a> is UK-based and they publish news, as well as politics, culture, lifestyle, and more. An editor has issued a pitch call: \u201clooking to commission things around milestones and regrets! did you do something before a certain age (marriage, having kids, bought a flat) and now looking back wish you could have done something differently?\u201d See the call here<\/a>.

Lucky Jefferson: Awake \u2013 Homecoming
<\/strong>Awake is a zine by Lucky Jefferson for Black writers and artists only. They want poetry, prose, and art submissions on the Homecoming theme. \u201c”Home” is elusive for many folks in the Black diaspora. We seek to find home in our communities, in our culture, in our bodies, and in each other. Homecoming invites Black writers to reflect lovingly on the spaces, places, and people that have made them feel at home\u2014like they belong. Whether it’s a barber shop in your neighborhood, your auntie’s kitchen table, or your favorite sweater, share a poem expressing your love and devotion. Your work does not need to follow any specific structure, but should celebrate and pay homage to your subject.\u201d This will be a print issue. They pay $15-50, and the deadline is 1 August 2025. Details here<\/a> and here<\/a> (see the relevant category in Submittable).

Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles: Winter 2025 issue<\/strong>
They want pitches centred around art in LA. Their pitch call says, \u201cContemporary Art Review Los Angeles (Carla) is accepting critical essay, review, and interview pitches for our winter 2025 issue through 7\/20.\u201d They accept pitches for features ($375, 1,500\u20132,000 words  \u2013 Critical discussion of issues relevant to art and culture), interviews ($350, 1,200\u20131,500 words, with L.A.-based artists or curators), reviews ($200, 650\u2013850 words, must be on view in L.A., or of LA based artist exhibiting in another city). See the pitch call here<\/a> and pitch guidelines \/ pitch submission form here<\/a>.

City AM<\/strong>
City AM<\/a> is UK-based; they publish business, financial and economic news along with opinion, features, as well as sports and lifestyle content. Their Life & Style editor wants pitches for their upcoming magazine; \u201cWe want big, bold, fun, weird ideas, whether it’s a deep-dive into a modern trend<\/strong> or a personal essay on something you’re obsessed with<\/strong>\u201d. See the pitch call \/ thread for past examples of work they have published; details here<\/a>.

Poets & Writers: Independent Publishing
<\/strong>They publish articles of interest to emerging and established literary writers. They publish News & Trends, 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 \u2013 articles, essays, profiles, and interviews regarding American literature. According to their section for advertisers, for November\/December 2025, the issue theme is \u2018Independent Publishing.\u2019 (see \u2018Upcoming Issues and Deadlines\u2019 here<\/a>). They do not publish fiction or poetry, or reviews. They take both, story proposals, and articles on spec, and take 4-6 weeks to respond to queries or manuscripts. Details here<\/a> (themes) and here<\/a> (writers\u2019 guidelines).

Oregon Humanities: Consume<\/strong>
They want pitches from Oregon-based writers. For Winter 2025, the theme is Consume. \u201cWe\u2019re looking for stories about food and drink, buying and selling, waste and conservation. In this issue, we hope to explore acts of consumption\u2014buying, eating, and using\u2014as well as histories, ideas, and cultural practices related to consumption. Dig into retail therapy, table manners, the food web, production chains, debt and bankruptcy, or the role of fire in Oregon ecosystems. \u2026 We welcome all forms of nonfiction writing, including essays, journalism, criticism, and excerpts from forthcoming or recently published books.\u201d For personal essays, you can also send competed drafts. Features generally range between 1,500 and 4,000 words. All contributors are paid between $750 and $1,500. The pitch deadline is 12 August 2025. Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.

ijnet: Guide to video journalism<\/strong>
ijnet<\/a> (International Journalists\u2019 Network) has issued a pitch call: \u201cCalling all journalists + creators: we\u2019re looking to commission a clear, practical guide to video journalism for our newsletter for student and early-career journalists. The pay is US$200 for 700\u20131,000 words.\u201d And, \u201cWe welcome pitches from both experienced video journalists and those who\u2019ve recently learned the ropes and want to share their journey.\u201d See the pitch call here<\/a> and the pitching form is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


SAD Mag: Taste<\/strong>
SAD is an independent magazine \u201ccovering the stories, art and design of Vancouver from the perspective of local, emerging creatives.\u201d They have \u201ca man\u00addate to sup\u00adport emerging writers and artists based in B.C., with an emphasis on stories and works from underrepresented voices.\u201d You can read more about them here<\/a>. They publish in print and online. For their upcoming issue, they want submissions on Taste: \u201cWe\u2019re looking for fiction, nonfiction (300-1,200 words) and poetry that explores taste in all its messy, personal, political or sensory forms.\u201d They pay CAD100-300 for writing. The submission deadline is 31 July 2025. Details here<\/a>.

Splinter: First Nations Issue
<\/strong>Splinter is an Australia-based journal and they want submissions of non-fiction, fiction, and poetry from First Nations people for this issue.\u201cWhether you\u2019re Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, M\u0101ori, S\u00e1mi or belong to another first peoples community, we want to hear your voice. For the First Nations issue, we are looking for writing that speaks to the weight and wonder of living as First Nations people \u2014 where past, present and future aren\u2019t separate but walk together. \u2026 We\u2019re interested in the fractures and the fight, the moments of stillness, the ridiculous. What does it mean to carry culture, to carry knowledge in a world that wants us to forget? What does survival feel like today \u2014 and what does joy look like in the cracks?\u201d They publish profiles, essays, memoir, criticism, fiction, poetry, writing about writing, as well as experimental work. And, \u201cFor profiles, essays, writing about writing, and criticism, we are looking for pitches of ideas (rather than completed works).\u00a0For memoir, poetry, and fiction we are looking for submission of completed works.\u201d They pay AUD250-900, and the deadline is 3 August 2025. Details here<\/a> (scroll down) and here<\/a>.

Aftermath: New Pitch Guide
<\/strong>Aftermath publishes work on video games, the internet, and the cultures that surround them. You can read more about them here<\/a>. They have a new pitch guide: \u201cwe want stories that highlight important, under-explored facets of gaming and technology<\/strong>, as well as stories that hold powerful figures to account<\/strong>. We like stories that are focused on people rather than products, whether that\u2019s developers and game workers, players, online and fan communities, or journalists. We\u2019re especially interested in investigative or reported stories and stories that include the voices of players, workers, and community members. Games journalism has less and less room for investigative reporting these days, and we\u2019re happy to carry that mantle as much as we can within our means.\u00a0\u00a0
We\u2019re also interested in essays that connect games, technology, and the internet to politics, current events, cultural trends<\/strong>, and other areas. We\u2019re open to experimental formats<\/strong> that tell stories in ways beyond text.\u201d They pay $300 for shorter pieces, and $500 for longer. Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studio: Resonance<\/strong>
They publish work on craft and design in Canada. In the print issue, they publish articles (750 – 2,000 words; essays, reportage, and maker profiles that engage with contemporary craft\u2014process, object, media, makers\u2014or general interest issues that can be explored through Canadian craft) as well as interviews (varying length; conversations with makers, artists, artisans, designers, curators, collectors, researchers, arts administrators, historians, buyers, etc. who are actively engaged in contemporary Canadian craft and design). They\u2019re accepting pitches on the Resonance theme for their next issue. They have detailed guidelines, including, \u201chow does craft relate to the world, and how is it used a tool for storytelling\/worldmaking? How does craft build relationships between people, communities, generations? What are the connections between materials, and how can they be seen in new ways? What role does history\/tradition play in modern craft, and how has craft transformed? How does Canadian craft impact the world, yet build a unique voice?\u201d
They pay CAD0.30\/word for print, and flat CAD150 for online features. Pitching is via a form on their website. The pitch deadline is 1 August 2025. Details here<\/a>.

Planetside: The Online Magazine of SFWA<\/strong>
This is the new online magazine of Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA). \u201cFor nearly 30 years,\u00a0The SFWA Blog<\/em>\u00a0has been an essential resource for speculative fiction creators. Our editorial team is excited to begin a new chapter on July 1, 2025, reintroducing our publication with a new name that better reflects who we are and where we\u2019re headed.\u201d You can read the announcement here<\/a>. They\u2019re currently open for a few themes: Lessons Learned <\/strong>(about lessons from plans not working out\/setbacks); Perspectives in Translation <\/strong>(various topics from translators or writers whose work has been translated); Volunteer Networks: The Heart of SFF <\/strong>(perspectives from volunteers at magazines and organizations \/ fans at conventions); Writing by Other Means <\/strong>(what you use for writing; different production contexts and writing tools, especially if they sound unusual);and Writing from History<\/strong>. They are accepting pitches for nonfiction only; they do not publish fiction. They pay $0.10\/word for pieces of 800-1,000 words. Details here<\/a>.
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Bio:<\/strong>\u00a0S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By S. Kalekar These are calls for themed non-fiction pitches or submissions. Some of the themes are: What keeps us up at night as parents?; climate; game histories; war; obsession; Miracles, messages from heaven & angels; Chinese tech and its global impact; independent publishing; and perspectives in translation. MotherwellThey publish work on parenting-related themes. They\u2019re…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12626"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12628,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12626\/revisions\/12628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}