{"id":6919,"date":"2019-07-04T18:37:08","date_gmt":"2019-07-05T01:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/?p=6919"},"modified":"2019-07-09T11:44:11","modified_gmt":"2019-07-09T18:44:11","slug":"35-themed-calls-for-non-fiction-essays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/uncategorized\/35-themed-calls-for-non-fiction-essays\/","title":{"rendered":"35 Themed Calls for Submissions (Essays, Nonfiction, Etc)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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These magazines and websites have themed calls for pitches or submissions for non-fiction; there are 35 themes for the 14 markets listed here. The themes include: adventure travel, 1984 Revisited, sanctuary, dream, fashion, food around the world, astronomy, holiday wishes, do-gooders, Christmas, and the magic of cats (and dogs). Some of them do not list deadlines, so it is best to get the pitches in early. – S. Kalekar<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Delta Sky: Adventure Travel; Global Coffee Culture
\n<\/strong>This airline magazine wants expertly executed stories about travel, lifestyle, and business. For travel pieces, destinations should be a mix of domestic and international locales, and they should be of interest for a specific reason. For lifestyle and business articles, they want profiles of notable people, whether they\u2019re actors, authors, artists, athletes, entrepreneurs or executives. There must be a good reason for highlighting that person for that month, and a new take on the person is important. They\u2019re especially interested in profiles of people who can also be linked with a particular destination. The average traveler must know profile subjects. They have a four-month lead-time, so keep that in mind while pitching. Features range from 600\u20132,000 words. Departments range from 100-500 words. For October, their theme is \u2018Adventure Travel\u2019 and for November, it is \u2018Global Coffee Culture\u2019. Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Parabola: Presence
\n<\/strong>This journal is devoted to the exploration of the quest for meaning as it is expressed in the world\u2019s myths, symbols, and religious traditions, with particular emphasis on the relationship between this store of wisdom and our modern life. They publish essays and translations. They also publish extended reviews of books, movies, videos, performances, art exhibitions, and other current programs or events in a section called \u201cTangents\u201d, which should bear some connection to the theme, though it does not have to be as direct as an article. They rarely publish fiction or poetry. Articles are 1,000-3,000 words. Book reviews, retellings of traditional stories, and Forum contributions are about 500 words. Deadline for the \u2018Presence\u2019 theme is 1 September 2019. Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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SubTerrain (#84): 1984 Revisited
\n<\/strong>For their 84th<\/sup> issue, this Canadian magazine plans to pay homage to the dystopian world that was depicted in George Orwell\u2019s novel 1984<\/em>. They will accept commentary on this theme, as well as creative work. A revisit and analysis of Orwell’s world as depicted in his seminal dystopian novel, along with other complementary dystopian works and reviews, will form the over-arching theme for their Winter 2019 issue. Their guidelines say, \u201cThis issue will also offer us the opportunity to reflect on the state of American democracy and Canada\u2019s own rise of alt-right Conservatism.\u201d Writers are free to interpret these themes in unique and unusual ways. There is no fee for mailed submissions. They accept up to 4,000 words for non-fiction, and pay is CAD0.10\/word, up to CAD500. Deadline is 6 September 2019. Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mask Magazine: Dream
\n<\/strong>This is an experimental publication in the age of late capitalist world-weariness and their goal is to \u201cempower young people to take charge of our future and rewrite the narratives of what we\u2019re capable of doing together in this world.\u201d Their areas of interest can be divided into: Self and Other; Human Migration and Settlement; Control and Rebellion; Longevity and Legacy; Ecology and Wilderness; Economics, Technology; and Innovation and Epistemology, Ontology, Ethics, Aesthetics. They are willing to experimental with article formats, and particularly like these: Personal essays about an experience, adventure, or tribulation that you learned from; Report-back from an event, project, or protest you participated in or witnessed; Studies of movements or phenomena from history, art, music, the internet, or social life; Researched or reported features on trends, technologies, social phenomenon, or subcultures; and How-to guides or tutorials. They are reading for their \u2018Dream\u2019 issue and the deadline is 23 July 2019. They do not accept fiction or poetry. Pay is $50-200 for features. Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Skirt Magazine: Fashion; Do-Gooders (volunteers and fundraisers)
\n<\/strong>This is a women\u2019s magazine for Charleston. They want Charleston-area freelance writers to contribute to their print magazine who can accept assignments for short features and profiles, and those who can pitch story ideas about topics related to women and women\u2019s interests. They also accept pitches for personal essays. For the \u2018Fashion\u2019 issue, the submission deadline is 20 July 2019 and for the \u2018Do-Gooders (volunteers and fundraisers)\u2019 issue, it is 20 August 2019. Web contributions are unpaid. Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Faces: Denmark; Food Around the World
\nCricket Media\u2019s Faces magazine is for children ages 9-14 years, where they can learn about important inventions and ideas from other cultures through articles, folk tales, recipes, illustrations, and hands-on projects. They want feature articles \u2013 in-depth non-fiction highlighting an aspect of the featured culture, interviews, and personal accounts, supplemental nonfiction \u2013 subjects directly and indirectly related to the theme. They also accept fiction, theme-related activities, and puzzles and games (no crossword). Features are 700-800 words, and supplemental non-fiction is 300-600 words. Query deadline is 31 July 2019 for the \u2018Denmark\u2019 theme and for \u2018Food Around the World\u2019, it is 3 September 2019. They have other themes also, with later deadlines. Details here<\/a>.<\/h6>\n

Boys\u2019 Quest: Cartooning\/Drawing; Rodents; Native Americans; Astronomy
\n<\/strong>This magazine for boys ages 6-13 years publishes six issues a year. They are looking for non-fiction pieces, supported by photos, on various themes including \u2018Cartooning\/Drawing\u2019, \u2018Rodents\u2019, \u2018Native Americans\u2019, and \u2018Astronomy\u2019 \u2013 there are no submission deadlines specified. They are looking for lively writing, most of it from a 10-year-old boy\u2019s point of view, with the boy or boys directly involved in an activity that is wholesome and unusual. They also accept fiction and poetry. Articles are 350-750 words and pay is at least $0.05\/word. Details here<\/a> (guidelines) and here<\/a> (themes).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Bitch Media: Sanctuary (#85)
\n<\/strong>This magazine looks for pitches that that speak to feminist responses to pop culture. They publish features (in various formats: interviews, reported pieces, and critical essays are welcome, as are roundups and graphically driven formats like timelines, charts, and comics), cultural critiques and dispatches. For their Winter 2020 issue, the theme is \u2018Sanctuary\u2019. Their guidelines say that they are homing in on \u201cboth literal and figurative places, people, and things that offer ports in the storm and room to reflect\u2014or that reimagine the idea of sanctuary itself.<\/p>\n

This issue calls for out-of-the-box explorations of what it means to seek peace and find it: How do traditional and chosen families shape our understanding of love? What role can social media play in helping us shape our mental health? How do we locate places in which we can escape, disconnect, and simply be ourselves? How does pop culture help us grapple with inevitable grief? What happens when our sanctuaries no longer feel like they belong to us\u2014or are actively taken away?\u201d Key words are haven, asylum, shelter, retreat, community, safe space, sacred, refuge, connection, stillness, grief, stability, home, embassy, nomad, land, protection, intention, peace, fandom, family, and mourning. Pay ranges from $150-1,000 (see guidelines). Deadline for this issue is 6 August 2019. Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Sasee: Million Little Things; The Melody of Life \u2013 Wedding Guide
\n<\/strong>They want first-person, non-fiction material that is for or about women. Essays, humor, satire, personal experience, and features on topics relating to women are their primary editorial focus. Diversity of subjects that reflect all age groups and variety of writing styles are invited. Articles should be 500-1000 words<\/strong>. They are currently reading for two themes: \u2018Million Little Things\u2019 (deadline 15 July 2019) and \u2018The Melody of Life \u2013 Wedding Guide\u2019 (deadline 15 August 2019). Pay varies. Details here<\/a> (scroll down, see right for upcoming themes).<\/p>\n

DeSoto Magazine: All about Fall; Outdoor Adventures; Making a Difference\/Charitable Giving; Holiday Wishes
\n<\/strong>This monthly upscale lifestyles magazine is focused on stories about life in Mississippi, Memphis and the Mid-South. They accept pitches for articles about people, cuisine, history, southern culture, human interest, travel, gardening, health and the arts. Rates are $100 for essays (Reflections \u2013 500 words), $175 for most departments (750-850 words), and to $240 for features (1,000-1,200 words). For \u2018All about Fall\u2019, the editorial deadline is 15 July; for \u2018Outdoor Adventures\u2019, it is 15 August; for Making a Difference\/Charitable Giving, it is 15 September; for Holiday Wishes, it is 15 October 2019. Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Chicken Soup for the Soul: Six themes <\/strong>
\nThey want inspirational, true stories and poems about ordinary people having extraordinary experiences. The anecdotes should be told in the first person, and have a beginning, middle, and end. They have several upcoming themes:
\n— I Can\u2019t Stop Laughing!<\/strong> Their guidelines say, \u201cWe are looking for stories about something that happened to you in your life \u2013 in your relationship with a partner or spouse, a parent or child, a family member or friend, at work or at home \u2013 that made you and the people around you laugh out loud.\u201d Some suggested topics are: obsessions, annoying habits, embarrassing moments, and family foibles. The deadline is 30 September 2019 (extended).
\n— The Golden Years or Second Wind<\/strong> \u2013 <\/strong>They want humorous or serious stories of life after 60. Some of the suggested topics are: time for a new career, trying new things, bucket lists and adventure, the wisdom of age, new passions, and raising grandchildren\u2026 or still raising grown children! The deadline for this is 30 September 2019 (extended).
\n— The Magic of Cats \u2013<\/strong> They want stories about the magic of your cat or the magic of a cat you know. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both. The deadline is 30 November 2019.
\n— The Magic of Dogs \u2013<\/strong> They want work about all the heartwarming, inspirational, and magical stories you have about a dog and the magic that dog brings to your life or the life of your family. The deadline is 30 November 2019.
\n— Stories About Self-care and Me Time \u2013<\/strong> They want stories about self care, which is not just about physical health but includes your emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing. They want stories about how you neglected your self-care and then how you realized its importance and so you now engage in it. The deadline is 31 December 2019.
\n— Stories About Christmas \u2013 <\/strong>They are collecting stories for their Holiday 2020 book and are looking for stories about the entire December holiday season, including Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and New Year\u2019s festivities. Stories should be \u201cSanta safe\u201d. Some suggested topics are: holiday traditions, holiday humor, memories of the holiday season, and the love of family. The deadline is 30 January 2020.
\nDeadlines: Various
\nLength: Up to 1,200 words
\nPay: $200
\nDetails here<\/a> (book topics) and here<\/a> (guidelines).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Guide: Courage; Honesty; Peer pressure; Peace in the face of world turmoil; Experiences of grace; several others<\/strong>
\nThis is a Christian true story magazine for 10-14-year-old readers. They do not publish fiction, poetry, or articles (devotionals, how-to, profiles, etc) but sometimes do accept quizzes and other unique nonstory formats. Each piece should have a clear spiritual element. Feature-length stories are 1,000-1,200 words and they also accept shorter pieces of 450 words and up. Stories can be about adventure, personal growth, Christian humor, inspiration, biography (query first), story series (2-12 parts; query first), and nature (query first). They have a long theme list for 2019, and some of the topics are \u2018Courage\u2019, \u2018Honesty\u2019, \u2018Peer pressure\u2019, \u2018Peace in the face of world turmoil\u2019, and \u2018Experiences of grace\u2019. Pay is $0.07-0.10\/word. Details here<\/a> (guidelines) and here<\/a> (theme list).<\/p>\n

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Northern Woodlands: Winter
\n<\/strong>This magazine is for conservation-minded people with an interest in all aspects of the forests of the Northeast. Articles may include subjects such as woodlot management, wildlife species, chainsaw maintenance, and woodworking. They prefer receiving pitches over unsolicited submissions. Book reviews pay $50, columns range from an average of $50 to $150, and features, of 1,000-3,000 words, pay $0.10\/word for writers new to the magazine. For their \u2018Winter\u2019 issue, stories are contracted by 1 August and the copy deadline is 1 September 2019. Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Oprah Magazine: Coming Together… To Forgive; Coming Together… And Coming Home; Coming Together… For Favorite Things<\/strong>
\nThis premier magazine, which is part of the Hearst Lifestyle & Design Group, does not seem to publish writers\u2019 guidelines but they do have an address for submitting story ideas or to contact the edit team. According to their Editorial Calendar, the theme for their October issue is \u2018Coming Together… To Forgive\u2019; for November, it is \u2018Coming Together… And Coming Home\u2019; and for December, it is \u2018Coming Together… For Favorite Things\u2019. Details here<\/a> (editorial contact) and here<\/a> (themes).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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