{"id":13386,"date":"2026-11-06T11:12:25","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T19:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/?p=13386"},"modified":"2026-11-06T11:13:48","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T19:13:48","slug":"25-themed-calls-for-essays-journalism-and-creative-nonfiction-november-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/uncategorized\/25-themed-calls-for-essays-journalism-and-creative-nonfiction-november-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Themed Calls for Essays, Journalism, and Creative Nonfiction (November 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


By S. Kalekar

<\/strong>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 \u2013 all about trees; so it\u2019s come to this (intersection of history and The Simpsons<\/em>); 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Contrapuntal: Disappearances
<\/strong>They want submissions on the disappearances theme. \u201cThis 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.\u201d They have detailed guidelines, including, \u201cDisappearance 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.\u201d They\u2019re commissioning reportage (1,500-2,000 words \u2013 200\u20ac per commission), visual essays (200\u20ac per commission), analytical op-eds (2,500- 3000 words- 100\u20ac per commission), and artistic features (50\u20ac per feature). The deadline is 1 December 2026. Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.

Trails Magazine: Variety
<\/strong>They cover backpacking. \u201cThe 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\u2014we covered \u201cskatepacking\u201d in Issue One).
But remember: Human-powered, and overnight are the important pieces. Activities like RVing, backpacking in the \u201cbackpacking around hostels in Europe\u201d-sense, and mountain biking won\u2019t be good fits. We\u2019re 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.\u201d They also say, \u201cWe 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.\u201d\u00a0They want submissions for the February 2027 issue, and the thread is Variety:<\/strong> \u201cYour prototypical backpacking trip isn\u2019t 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.\u201d\u00a0The pitch cut-off is in November, though they have not specified a date. They pay $0.50-$2 a word, and have detailed guidelines \u2013 please read them carefully. Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Chicken Soup for the Soul: Married \/ Couple stories
<\/strong>They accept non-fiction prose and non-fiction poetry, and have themed calls. They want submissions for Married \/ Couple stories: \u201cMarried? 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.\u201d 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<\/sup> November 2026. They have other themes listed as well, with later deadlines. Details here<\/a> and here<\/a> (also see other tabs on this page, including FAQ).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revolute
<\/strong>Revolute is a digital literary magazine founded by the Randolph College MFA program. They were open for microreviews<\/strong> at the time of writing: \u201cMicroreviews 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.\u201d\u00a0 Please note, they can only pay US-based writers. They have submission caps: \u201cIf \u00a0“no open calls for submissions” appears during our submissions period, \u00a0this\u00a0means we have capped submissions. Check back, as we may reopen.\u201d The deadline is 15 November 2026. They pay $50 for microreviews, which are up to 300 words. Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Break-Down: Repair<\/strong>
They\u2019re reading for their fifth issue, and the theme is repair. \u201cWe 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. \u2026 For The BREAK\u2013DOWN 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.\u201d They pay \u00a3650 for around 3,000 words, \u201calthough in certain circumstances we can offer more for on-the-ground reporting where costs are higher.\u201d The pitch deadline is 12th<\/sup> November 2026. Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Kokatu<\/strong>
Kokatu is \u201ca news and opinion site about games and things serious gamers care about<\/strong>. We\u2019re here to inform you and, sometimes, entertain you. We also often write about pop culture topics like anime, TV, and movies\u201d. They have recently issued detailed pitch call, including: they want your pitches \u201cEspecially 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.\u201d 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<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MIT Technology Review: Automation<\/strong>
A post from their editor says, \u201cMIT Technology Review<\/strong> 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\u2014narrative features, sharp reported essays, and essential profiles.
The initial deadline for pitches is Friday November 13. Article drafts would be due in early February.\u201d They pay $1-2 per word. The editor\u2019s post is here<\/a> and their general pitch guide is here<\/a>.

Eternal Haunted Summer:<\/strong> Winter Solstice 2026 \u2013 Science Fiction<\/strong>
Their tagline is \u2018Pagan songs & tales\u2019, and they publish work on Gods and Goddesses and heroes of the world\u2019s many Pagan\/polytheist traditions \u2013 fiction (any genre), nonfiction, reviews, and poetry. For their upcoming issue (Winter Solstice 2026), the theme is Science Fiction. \u201cSpace 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.\u201d They pay $5, and the deadline is 1 December 2026; details here<\/a>.

Ori: Travel<\/strong>
Ori Magazine, a print publication for travel aficionados, \u201cis committed to promoting sustainable practices and supporting independent creators. We\u2019re 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 \u201c36 Hours In\u201d 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. \u2026 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\u2014our hope is to grow roots around the world and tell more meaningful stories.\u201d They are accepting pitches for their next issue. The pitch deadline is 7th<\/sup> November 2026; they pay $200 for departments \/ essays, and $1,000 for features. See the editor\u2019s pitch call here<\/a>, which includes a link to their detailed pitch guide.

Prairie Fire: Branching Out\u2014All About Trees
<\/strong>They want nonfiction (up to 5,000 words), fiction, and poetry for a themed issue, and have detailed guidelines, including: \u201cDo 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? \u2026 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? \u2026 Prairie Fire<\/em> 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.\u201d They pay CAD0.10\/word up to CAD250, CAD40\/poem (see payment rates here<\/a>). The deadline is 15 November 2026. Details here<\/a>

Contingent Magazine: So It\u2019s Come To This<\/strong>
Contingent is a history magazine and they are interested in essays that explore the intersection of history and The Simpsons<\/em><\/strong>. Their editor\u2019s pitch callout says, \u201cI 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, \u201cpossible essays can focus on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n