There are 26 themed calls for non-fiction in the 22 magazines/outlets listed here. Some of the themes are: wildfire-related topics from across North America; comfort & joy; issues that impact women; queer culture; relief; subscribe; neuroscience & sports; and visionaries in craft. A few also accept other genres, like fiction and poetry. – S. Kalekar
Life With Fire
Life With Fire podcast highlights wildfire-related topics from across North America, primarily the American West. This is a call for early-career audio storytellers/journalists living in communities that have been uniquely impacted by wildfire. They are looking for stories about the relationship Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, low-income, migrant, homeless, or other marginalized communities have with wildfire, preferably from storytellers who reside in these communities: “…while these communities are increasingly vulnerable to a disproportionate share of wildfire impacts, we also recognize that they have long led the way in stewarding the land and driving change at the grassroots level, and we are especially excited to highlight the ways they build and sustain climate resilience in their own communities.” Pay is $700-1,000. You can download the guidelines, with suggested topics, from this page. The pitch deadline is 1 August, and final episodes are due 15 October 2023.
Writers Victoria: Rip
This is the magazine of Writers Victoria, an Australia-based organization that supports writers. The theme is ‘Rip’. They publish articles/writing of 600 words and 1,200 words in the print edition with particular interest in the craft of writing and the writing life. Writers can send pitches or completed articles. They also publish poetry and fiction. Pay is AUD70 for poems, and articles/writing pays AUD100-200. The submission deadline is 4 September 2023. Details here and here.
Sasee: Three themes
They want first-person, non-fiction material (500-1,000 words) that is for or about women. Essays, humor, satire, personal experience, and features on topics relating to women are their primary editorial focus. They have three upcoming themes listed: Wonder-fur World, deadline July 15, 2023; Fight, Like A Girl, deadline August 15, 2023; and Serve with A Purpose, deadline September 15, 2023. Pay varies. Details here.
Gaze: Queer Culture, and more
Gaze is “a new social app for queer safety, joy, and commerce made for the LGBTQIA community, friends, and allies.” They are looking for work for their newsletter; see the tweet here. “We’re looking for personal essays and reported features about queer culture, identity, sex work, money, and more for our weekly newsletter.” They publish first-person essays (800-2,000 words — $150), reported features — deep dives into cultural trends, untold stories, and bizarre things of the moment (2,000 – 6,000 words — start at $300), On topic — Queer culture, friendships, community, sex, dating and relationships, and more; as well as original, evergreen, and timely topic pitches. See their pitch guide here.
Parabola: Comfort & Joy
Parabola 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. “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 and translations (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, i.e. Winter 2023/24, is ‘Comfort & Joy’, and the deadline is 1 September 2023. Details here.
Inkcap Journal: Environment in Britain
This journal publishes reported features, interviews and essays, on the environment in Britain: England, Wales and Scotland, and they accept pitches on these topics. “We particularly like pieces that engage with thorny issues at the heart of nature conservation, tackle issues of social justice, or tell an unexpected story. We like articles on humans, habitats, plants and animals. And we welcome diverse voices and perspectives.” They pay £100-300. See their pitch guide here.
The Writer: Freelance Writing, and more
They publish articles on writing and publishing, of 300-4,000 words. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Our editors are interested in query letters on concrete topics written by emerging and experienced writers in all genres. We are looking for clear takeaway for our readers: What can they learn to improve their writing or advance their careers? What specific how-to tips and strategies will accomplish this?
In addition to a fleshed-out outline of your story idea and an estimated word count, queries should include a brief description of your background. We are interested in how-to stories, reported pieces, narrative essays, and profiles of writers and others in the field.” Apart from features and columns, including, but not limited to, Writing Essentials — articles that focus on the basics of the craft of writing, Off the Cuff — Personal essays on a particular aspect of writing or the writing life, and Poet to Poet — Specific aspects of writing poetry, such as imagery, revision or poetic forms, they also have themed issues through the year. For the December issue, the themes are Education; Freelance Writing; and Grammar. They have more themes listed too, for other months. Payment is not specified. See their pitch guide here.
The Fuller Project: Issues that impact women
They want pitches on issues that impact women in the US, and globally. They have detailed guidelines, including, “The Fuller Project pursues stories around issues that impact women. We don’t approach gender and women as beats per se—they are lenses through which we view politics and policy; the economy and labor; racial, social, and criminal justice; climate and environment; health and science; education and learning; violence and exploitation; and more.
We are primarily interested in stories that will raise awareness, have impact, and/or could spur accountability.
It’s not enough for a story source or character to be a woman. What is the clear women- or gender-oriented angle of your story? You should be prepared to make that clear in your pitch and in your story.” They do not want profiles, essays, or op-eds. Please follow their pitch template. “The Fuller Project pays competitive rates for freelance work. The rate depends on the length and scope of the story, either based on a per word or project rate.” Details here.
Brink Journal: Relief
Their guidelines say, “we accept a variety of creative work from Nonfiction to Fiction, from Poetry to Translation. But our hearts beat strongest for hybrid work that falls into the cross-genre category we call Evocations. We are interested in work that presses 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 as well as the idea of being on the brink.” They are looking for submissions on the ‘Relief’ theme. “Relief is a form of ease, yes. It’s a delicious feeling of release. It’s that hopeful buoyancy caused by reassurance that overrides our systems when pain and distress are alleviated. Relief is physical. It’s emotional and mental, too. But as a concept, relief implies so much more than deliverance from discomfort. Relief connotes the remains of a thing left behind; the residue, the leftover, the left behind. That which stands when everything else lifts away. Relief is assistance that arrives in the form of aid, support, or help in a time of danger, need, or difficulty. Relief is a distinct vivid contrast.
You can throw things into relief. You can bring things into relief. Show us, create for us, those exact things. Take us to the edge, the brink, of relief.” They pay $25-100, and the deadline is 31 July 2023. Details here and here.
Going: Two themes
Going was formerly called Scott’s Cheap Flights. They are looking for pitches for two of their newsletters – Going Places, and Worth the Flight, according to a recent Twitter thread by their Content Marketing Director (see details and examples there).
— Going Places: They are looking for specific destination pitches for their Going Places newsletter. “Looking for local experts (you live there or visit *often*) to write about destinations including Darwin, Azores, Chang Mai or Bangkok, Cairo, Finland, Okinawa, Ecuador, or Tulum for our Places newsletter. Pay starts at $300.” Pitching is via a form.
— Worth the Flight: “Looking for pitches or our Worth the Flight newsletter that highlights incredibly cool experiences around the world (one-of-a-kind hotels, ethical animal viewing in the very *best* place to see that animal, experiences you can only have in one place). Pay starts at $250.” See the tweet here; pitching is via a form.
The Body: How hip-hop changed the narrative of HIV
The Body publishes work on HIV/AIDS and related issues. They are “looking for pitches for the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and its role in shaping the narrative around HIV and how some artists used their platform to promote awareness. Was there a moment in hip-hop history that you remember that was significant in the HIV activism movement?” And, “Did any artists or songs help you cope with your diagnosis or any hard times? Is there an artist or a song today that promotes sexual health today that deserve their flowers, and how are they making an impact on the HIV community and/or the LGBTQ community?” See the Twitter thread. Rates start at $400. The due date for pitches is 24th July 2023.
Contingent Magazine: Field Trips Column
Contingent is a non-profit history magazine. “Our writers are adjuncts, museum workers, independent scholars—all people who work outside the tenure-track professoriate.” They are accepting pitches for the Field Trips column: These “are pieces that demystify the work that historians do. These can include interviews, object studies, stories about chasing footnotes, behind-the-scenes videos—Mr. Rogers at the crayon factory, but it’s history instead of crayons. The base pay for a field trip is $250.” Other sections that are open now are reviews “of books (especially books by non-tenure-track historians), films, museum exhibits, television shows, really anything reviewable”; Mailbag; Postcards; and How I do History columns. Pay for columns is $50 to $250. Other sections are closed. Details are in their pitch guide here.
The Suburban Review: Subscribe
This Australian magazine is reading submissions of non-fiction (500-2,500 words), fiction, poetry, comics, and art on the ‘Subscribe’ theme – “With 2023 now halfway behind us, there’s no better time to take stock of your subscriptions. You might feel called to reshuffle your social life, revolutionise your political ideals, launch a local tabloid, or at least clear out those pesky emails that have been clogging up your spam folder. For our next issue, #31 SUBSCRIBE, The Suburban Review wants to know what compels you to rush to the mailbox, turn on your notifications, or put your money on the line.
Send us binge-worthy fiction, literary essays that are bound to spark a cult following, and poems that’ll have us signing on for a sequel. We want visual art inspired by your neglected collection of Y2K Dolly mags (you knew they’d come in handy one day!) and comics that persuade the world to join your movement.” Pay is AUD150-275 for prose, and AUD125-275 for poetry. The deadline is 9 August 2023. There are two submission categories, for Australian residents and for overseas contributors. Details here.
Oregon Humanities: Green
They only publish work by Oregon-based writers. They accept nonfiction writing, including essays, journalism, and excerpts from forthcoming or recently published books. The theme for their upcoming Winter 2024 issue is ‘Green’. “Green is a capacious color, overburdened with meaning. Tell us a story about greenbacks and green cards, or green rooms, green lights, and greenhorns. Consider the global context of Green politics, greenwashing, or the green economy. Or delve into the delights and mysteries of green thumbs, green tea, or the green man. What’s the significance of the village green in our modern lives? What’s it like to be green with envy or green around the gills?” And, “Please send drafts of personal essays, which should push beyond simple narrative and consider larger thematic questions. If you’re pitching a journalistic or researched piece, please send a proposal …. Features generally range between 1,500 and 4,000 words. All contributors are paid between $750 and $1,500, depending on the length and complexity of the piece.” The deadline is 21 August 2023. Details here.
Lampblack Magazine: Labor
Lampblack is a volunteer-based organization led by Black writers. For Lampblack Magazine, they want submissions from Black writers only, of nonfiction, as well as fiction and poetry, on the ‘Labor’ theme. “Across the diaspora, we experience labor in different ways: labor of love; emotional labor; physical labor; service work; the resistance of labor. For the third issue of Lampblack magazine, we invite you to submit poetry, short fiction stories, and non-fiction essays on the subject of labor.” Send up to 20 pages of prose, or up to 10 pages of poetry. “If your submission is selected, you will be awarded $350 and an invitation to read your work live alongside other authors upon publication. Lampblack is a community, and we may invite accepted authors to future readings and events as well.” At the time of writing, there was no deadline specified in the guidelines. Details here.
The Welsh Agenda: Welsh Politics, Culture, and Economy
The Welsh Agenda is a current affairs magazine of Wales and they want pitch ideas for features, interviews, reviews or columns related to Welsh politics, culture, and economy, particularly related to creative industries, democracy, activism, community, equality, environment, arts, and devolution. Pay is £100. See the Tweet here and their general, detailed pitch guide here.
Lookout PHX: Arizona’s LGBTQ+ community
Their website says, ‘LOOKOUT is a queer-focused newsletter and quarterly magazine that aims to push LGBTQ+ stories to the front of people’s minds.” They are Arizona-based, and you can read their general pitch guide here. According to a recent tweet, “@lookoutphx is looking for pitches for our upcoming October magazine. We’re looking for deep-dive features and data-informed narrative stories that capture problems and solutions within Arizona’s LGBTQ+ community.” They accept pitches via a form, which also includes the kind of stories they’d like to see. Pay is $0.20/word.
BrainFacts.Org: Two themes
They want pitches on stories around the brain and nervous system. They have extensive guidelines, including: BrainFacts.org “tells the story of scientific discoveries, the people behind them, and how it relates to our everyday lives. Knowing about the brain’s inner workings helps paint a better picture of the human experience that explores the universe between our ears. We’re looking for freelance science writers, journalists, and multimedia creators with a strong portfolio in science communication to pitch us story ideas about the brain and nervous system.” They have some themes they are interested in for 2023, including (but not limited to) the following, but also say that they are open to all neuro-related pitches.
— “Neurotoxins: #Toxins #Venoms #Poisons
“Toxins harmful to the nervous system are often closer than we think. We’re looking for stories about the neuroscience behind environmental toxins and what researchers are learning from plant and animal models.”
— “Neuroscience & Sports #Movement #Injury #Senses
Though we’re interested in stories with new angles on concussion or TBI in athletics, we’re also interested in the neuromechanics behind training, practice, and competition — especially when teamwork is necessary.”
They assign long (1,000-1,200 words), medium (700-900 words), and short-form (500-800 words) written and multimedia stories. They do consider profiles of experts in neuroscience if you weave the science throughout the story. Commentaries are accepted by invitation only. Pay depends on a number of factors, but is roughly $1/word. Details here (guidelines), here (pitch form), and here (themes).
Taco Bell Quarterly
This is a literary magazine and they publish Taco Bell-themed literature. “Taco Bell Quarterly seeks literary/creative essays, short stories, fiction/prose, poems, comics, art, one act plays, fever dreams, multimedia, stupid status updates, criticisms, manifestos, recipes and anything else that explore any and all elements of Taco Bell. Or not. Shoehorn a chalupa in your short story. Maybe we’ll love it. An elegy for the discontinued menu items? Fine. An experimental essay about marine biology and the XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito? Awesome. Review the new Beefy Fritos Burrito and how it reminds you of the time your grandma died? … Something that introduces us to inventive form, dynamic language, and strong voice. Or perhaps it does none of the above. … We lean towards pieces that are queer and center their pain/joy in a Taco Bell.” They pay $100. The deadline is 31 July 2023. Details here and here.
This Magazine: Annual Culture Issue (DIY)
They publish work by Canadian residents only, and they especially like pieces with a social justice tie-in. For their annual cultural issue, the theme is DIY. “We mean this broadly, though. We’re accepting stories about anything that incorporates the spirit, ethos and feel of DIY, from movement and space building to more tactile endeavours like zine creation and art. Our news, arts and ideas, and features sections are all open. This includes our back page open letter, memoir and opinion columns, and culture column.” They only accept pitches, not completed articles. Columns pay $60-100, and features pay $150-300. The pitch deadline is 21st July 2023. Details here.
(And US-based mid-career journalists might be interested in Journalists of Color Fellowship from Solutions Journalism Network, for those interested in editorial management. The stipend is $6,500, and the deadline is 17 July 2023. Details here.)
Astrolabe
They want “work about how we seek out, discover, and grasp onto connection. Into the woods. Across a line. Beneath the ocean. Along a seam. Into the branches of an alternate present or the crevasse of an alternate future. Across the rifts between one another. And then, once we find one other, the myths we make. We’re excited to see as many interpretations of this broad theme as there are stars in the night sky. We’re open to work of all genres, with a particular fondness for anything that moves beyond realism in form or content or spirit.” And, “We’ll happily consider fiction and CNF in all prose forms—prose poetry, micro, flash, and beyond—but we’re not considering lineated poetry at the moment.” Prose can be up to 3,000 words. Payment is $50. They currently have a fee-free submission period, and the deadline for that is 21 July 2023 (all fee-free submission periods for 2023 are given on their website). Details here.
American Craft: Visionaries in Craft
This is a magazine about American craft and its makers. “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.” They publish articles, essays, and opinion pieces – on artists, craft that brings together a community, handmade goods, galleries, and much more. For the Visionaries in Craft column, they say, “In upcoming issues, American Craft will be recognizing individuals, organizations, collectives, projects, etc. that use craft to make a difference. Who and what do we need to know about? Where are folks responding creatively to what’s happening in the world through craft or their craft platform and making a big impact on their community as a result? Who are the visionaries and changemakers?” Stories for American Craft are generally assigned at 400-2,000 words; pitch via the form on their guidelines page. Their pay is $0.50–$1.00/word. Pitches for Visionaries in Craft (scroll down) are ongoing. Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
