These are 26 calls for pitches/submissions of non-fiction in 20 outlets; a few outlets also accept other genres, like fiction and poetry. Some of the themes are: freedom; tenacity; unmounting colonial histories; tenacity; health; rise; books and culture; (unexpected and surprising) found items; inheritance; wedding; on vacation; and savor. – S. Kalekar
Parabola: Freedom
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 Spring 2024 issue is ‘Freedom’, and the deadline is 1 December 2023. Details here.
The Suburban Review: Tenacity
This Melbourne-based literary magazine publishes work from Australia and around the world. The journal has turned 10 years old, and they are reading submissions for their 32nd issue. They want creative non-fiction, fiction, poetry, comics, and art on the ‘Tenacity’ theme. “We want stories that hold us tightly and don’t let go (tenere, ‘to hold’); poems that make of a fleeting moment something firm, steadfast, resilient; essays with the rigor required to follow a thought however far it may lead. And don’t forget tenacity’s etymological cousin, ‘tend’ (tendere, ‘to stretch’)—we want comics that swerve off in strange ways, photos that stretch style and form, and artworks whose attention to a single image is so close and tenacious as to become a kind of prayer. Or just, like, send us things featuring the number ten.” They pay AUD150-275 for prose submissions of 500-2,500 words, and AUD125-275 for poetry. The deadline is 1 November 2023. Details here and here.
The Parliament: Two themes
The Parliament publishes work on topics of interest to a European audience. According to their Editorial Calendar, their upcoming issues are Policy Focus – Health (December issue, to be published in November 2023); and Policy Focus – Food (January 2024 issue, to be published in December 2023). They accept pitches of original features, interviews and book reviews from freelancers. According to a social media post for a past call, they publish reported features of 1,000-2,000 words, and pay €0.5/word for those. Their general pitch guide is here.
Audubon: Field Notes
Audubon Magazine publishes work on birds. Their senior editor has issued a pitch call. “I am looking for stories for Field Notes, Audubon’s front-of-book news section, where we run lean and mean pieces about the issues and ideas our conservation-minded and bird-loving readers need to be aware of.” And, “At the moment I want pieces for our spring issue, but I’m also after stories that will be ripe for later issues, as well as evergreen ideas. They should have an interesting peg but not be so time-sensitive that they’ll feel outdated in a few months.” This section is better suited to introducing new topics and perspectives, rather than deep dives, and pay is $1/word for pieces of 600-800 words in this section. The pitch deadline for this call is mid-October, but they are also looking for pitches for evergreen topics on a rolling basis. They focus on the Americas, but will sometimes publish works from other parts of the world. See the social media post/thread here. They have a detailed pitch guide for the magazine, and pay ranges from $0.50/word to $1.50/word; see here.
The Latinx Project: Re-Collections – Unmounting Colonial Histories
Their website says, “The Latinx Project at New York University explores and promotes U.S. Latinx Art, Culture and Scholarship through creative and interdisciplinary programs.” They are looking for essay pitches for their ‘Re-Collections – Unmounting Colonial Histories’ project. “Intervenxions will publish a series of texts on themes underscoring historical contexts and drawing links to contemporary currents in Latinx arts, politics, and culture.” They’re interested in essays on several topics, including (but not limited to) Cultural extraction and restitution; Radical museology; Decolonizing archives and conservation; Re-interpreting museum collections; and Reclaimed narratives. They want short pitches on these themes by 12 November 2023. “Selected writers will undergo an editorial process that will include at least two rounds of edits with the Intervenxions editorial team.” Pay is $500 for essays, for this project (see guidelines). Details here.
Taproot Magazine: Two themes
They want pieces exploring the topics of food, farm, family and craft. The magazine is divided into three sections: Head – essays about living a more connected life; Hands – recipes, crafts and projects to make yourself; and Heart – the personal experience of more connected living. Also, “We are looking for traditional and modern crafts. We are looking for recipes, and techniques to be carried into the kitchen, the garden, the pasture, the urban homestead, the rural farm.” They want article submissions, not pitches, of 800-4,000 words. They have some upcoming themes listed, including ‘Rise’ (deadline 1 November) and ‘Flower’ (deadline 1 December 2023). Details here.
Positive News Magazine: Solutions-focused ideas
They want “unique solutions-focused feature ideas for the next print issue of Positive News magazine. We pay 30p/word and the issue will land in January.” Also, “There’s no firm deadline as we’re always now also accepting pitches for online-first articles and features. But if ideas are mag-specific, it would be great to receive them by Fri 13 at the latest.” They have a detailed pitch guide for journalists, which includes, “Positive News publishes good journalism about good things. … (They want) pitches for news or features that showcase the best examples of progress and possibility anywhere in the world; Positive News publishes ‘constructive journalism’. All ideas should reflect the principles of this approach, which is about rigorous reporting on relevant issues, with a focus on solutions; We’re not looking for ‘happy’/feel-good content. We publish proper, quality journalism but through a lens of what’s going right rather than simply what’s going wrong.”. Details in the post here.
New Socialist: Transmissions
This is an independent, online socialist magazine based in Britain. “We are always looking for contributions on struggles and movements both in Britain and abroad for our Transmissions series.” See past published work in the series here. Rates are £50 for Transmissions; £75 book reviews and interviews, and Culture is Ordinary; and £100 for longer pieces published in their editions. Details here.
Esquire: Books and culture, and more
The Books and Fiction editor of Esquire is accepting pitches. “I’m looking for author interviews, author profiles, book round-ups, trend pieces, and reported features about the publishing industry. We don’t publish traditional reviews, but longer essays about books and culture are welcome.” Rates start at $500. Details here. They don’t have a pitch guide; their masthead is here (scroll down).
The Sun: Found items
“@TheSunMagazine is looking for essays that involve unexpected and surprising items that you’ve found in your attic, local yard sale, on the street. Tell us why they matter to you. Send a summary and completed draft”. Rates begin at $200 and they will accept essays up to 7,000 words; the deadline for this theme is 31 October 2023. See the pitch call/thread here. The Sun also publishes unthemed fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and art; usually, they charge for online, but not mailed, submissions. Except for the themed call, for which they’re accepting work by email, they only accept work via Submittable, for which there is a submission fee, or by post, for which there is no fee. Their general submission guidelines are here.
just femme & dandy: Time Travel
This is a biannual literary & arts magazine for and by the LGBTQIA+ community on fashion; they want work on the ‘Time Travel’ theme. They have detailed guidelines, including, “We want to hear about the historical figures that informed your developing queer/trans styles, what you imagine for our queer future. Think Queerasures & Queertopias: Past, Present, and In Futurity! We’re particularly interested in receiving submissions that considers queer fashion, past, present, or future in terms of climate change and fashion’s role in (un)sustainability. We would love to hear from up and coming drag artists and independent fashion designers. You are welcome to send us submissions outside of the theme, but submissions that relate to the theme are highly encouraged. We accept anything that can be displayed on a website: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, tutorial, illustration, comix, photography, painting, video, drag, costume/fashion designs, hot takes, interviews, and so on!” They pay $50 per text-based submission and up to $150 per multimedia submission (video, photography, image + text, fashion spread + interview, etc.). The submission deadline is 1 December 2023. Details here.
The Daily Beast: Tech and the way it shapes/impacts our lives
The senior editor of the Innovation section of The Daily Beast has issued a pitch call. “the section is changing in a pretty big & exciting way …The Innovation section is pulling back on science stories, and will be primarily focusing on tech and the way it shapes/impacts our lives. We’ll be doubling down on our current beats like AI while expanding more into areas like VR/AR, robotics, e-vehicles, biotech, and more.” “The goal is to ultimately show readers the way that technology impacts the way they live now—and into the future. This doesn’t mean that we’re avoiding all things like health, space, weird critters, and all that good stuff. The stories will just need a tech bent too.” They want stories of 800-2,000 words. Their starting fee for reported stories is $300-400. Details here and their updated pitch guide for the Innovation section is here.
Insider: Freelance investigations for 2024
Insider is open for pitches of freelance investigation stories, for 2024. “I’m commissioning freelance investigations for 2024. Pay rate starts at $1 a word.” The editor would ideally like to see pitches in October and November. See the recent examples of freelance investigations they have published, here. See the pitch call/thread here.
Prairie Fire: Burning Up/Burning Down
This Canadian literary magazine wants non-fiction, fiction, and poetry submissions on the ‘Burning Up / Burning Down’ theme. “This past summer, especially in Canada, we saw A LOT of fire. So much so that this year’s fire season saw the largest area burned in Canada’s history. Globally, the planet continues to heat up, and we saw a record number of heat related deaths, mostly in Europe. And, as temperatures rise, we’re seeing an increase in violence, war, crime and hate speech. In one way or another, we were all affected by fires. Some of us lived through evacuations, devastating losses, or knew and worried for those who had/have. There’s almost no one that wasn’t in some way affected by the smoke and air pollution. Our bodies, like the planet, can’t exist with too much heat, or too much cold. The underbelly of fire, is positive. …Fire brings, and holds us together. Fire helps us to cook and digest food, kills viruses and infection, forges metals, and heats our homes. …Yet, this year, seeing the fire element so out of balance, is disconcerting, frightening, and we wanted to do something in response. So, we are asking you to share your stories of fire, whether literal fires, metaphorical ones (lighting a fire under you, fanning the flames, acting in the heat of the moment), and spiritual ones (trial by fire, hearts aflame).” Rates are CAD0.10/word up to CAD250 for print prose, and CAD40/poem. The deadline is 10th November 2023 for the themed issue. Details here, here, and here.
International Centre for Journalists: Journalism tool, app, or resource
IJNet has issued a pitch call; “Do you know of a journalism tool, app or resource that we haven’t covered? We’re accepting pitches! We pay our freelancers US$200 per article.” See the call here, the pitch guide here, and Submittable (for submitting pitches) here.
Business Insider: Inheritance
The associate editor (freelance) from the UK desk of Business Insider / This is Insider has issued a pitch call: “I’d love the “living gift” of pitches about inheritance. Sources and writers pitch me stories about the blessings and curses of inheriting wealth, property, weird antiques – blowing it all, or living off the money for a lifetime.” Details here.
Bad Day Book Series: Five themes
They publish themed non-fiction and poetry anthologies – these must be true and personal stories, of events that have happened. “Stories should be about bad things, but that are still funny. We are not looking to include tragic or heart breaking stories. This book is to get others to laugh, gasp, and cringe.” They have various themes with upcoming deadlines, including:
— Wedding: Submissions for The Bad Day Book – Wedding Edition will close on November 1st, 2023.
— On Vacation: Submission deadline November 15th, 2023.
— At Work: Submission deadline December 5th, 2023.
— Sports: Submission deadline December 5th, 2023.
— Love (Dating, Marriage, Relationships): Submission deadline January 5th, 2024.For all their anthologies, they prefer works up to 1,200 words, but will accept up to 1,500 words. They pay $40-75. Please note, they also say that they may change their deadlines to an earlier or a later date, so please check the dates before submitting. Submission is via a form. Details here and here.
Drama & Theatre: Drama Education
The editor of UK-based Drama & Theatre Magazine has issued a pitch call – “If you are a freelancer in the world of drama education please pitch any opinion pieces/ features/ reviews you would love to write for the publication” Also, “I am keen to broaden our pool of writers, and I am particularly wanting to hear from those with identities and backgrounds currently under-represented in the arts.” Rates start at £0.10/word. See the here and here.
Refinery29: Health, Friendships, and Relationships
Refinery29 covers news, fashion, beauty, entertainment, wellness, and more, and they have editions in different countries. This call us for US-based writers. “freelance writers! i’m accepting pitches about health, friendships, & relationships — please check @Refinery29 to see the kinds of things we’re publishing” They are looking for personal essays, as well as reported pieces. Rates start at $300. See the thread here.
American Craft: Savor
This is a magazine about American craft and its makers. They publish reported articles, essays, and opinion pieces. They have detailed guidelines, including, “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 Summer 2024, they will publish work on the Savor theme. “Summer is the time to enjoy. So in this issue we focus on craft that helps us appreciate memorable moments—whether a leather satchel for travel, glasses for lemonade, a set of hand-forged tools for harvesting garden produce, or furniture for relaxing. We show what makers and artists need to sink into work in their studios and how craft lovers relish the fruits of their labor.” The issue will have special coverage, and the themes for those are: Travel; In the Workshop; and Kitchen and Garden. (They’re also reading on the Fall 2024 issue, on the Weave theme, and for Winter 2024, on the Interior theme; those have later deadlines).
Stories for American Craftare 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 the Savor theme are due 13 November 2023. Details here.
Bonus
Bloomsbury: Object Lessons – Proposal for the 100th book
This is a pitch call from Bloomsbury; they want pitches for their Object Lessons book, the 100th in the series. “Object Lessons is a series of concise, collectable, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Each book starts from a specific inspiration: an historical event, a literary passage, a personal narrative, a technological innovation—and from that starting point explores the object of the title, gleaning a singular lesson or multiple lessons along the way. Featuring contributions from writers, artists, scholars, journalists, and others, the emphasis throughout is lucid writing, imagination, and brevity. Object Lessons paints a picture of the world around us, and tells the story of how we got here, one object at a time.” And, “The 100th Object Lessons might be on a topic that you are surprised we have not covered before or an object that is relevant to the series itself (on the Essay or Paper, for example) or a topic that is connected in some way to 100.” The pitch deadline is 31st October, and books, typically of 25,000-30,000 words, have to be submitted 6-8 months after the contract is signed. Details here, here, here, and here.
(They also publish essays for the Object Lesson series, though essays are closed for now – see here.)
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
