These are calls for themed non-fiction pitches/submissions. Some of the themes are: Relationships; book collecting; environmental justice; no place like home; clean energy supply chains; visitation; your brain & the smart phone; A.I. vs. The Brain; schism; and the heart of the matter. A few also accept other genres, like fiction and poetry. Some deadlines are approaching quickly. – S. Kalekar
MIT Technology Review: Relationships
MIT Technology Review is looking for pitches on the Relationships theme for its March/April 2025 print issue. Their general pitch guide says, “We run short news stories and profiles (500-800 words), op-eds, and data spreads in the front of the book and essays and book reviews in the back of the book (usually around 2000 words). The feature well of the magazine is devoted to narrative features, investigations, big profiles, and reported essays (generally between 2500-4000 words). Our features in each issue are centered around a theme.” And, “Rates 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.” The pitch deadline for the Relationships theme is mid-September 2024. See the their general pitch guide, which also includes themes for this and future issues, here.
The Clique
The Clique is a new outlet that publishes work on News, Entertainment, Sex & Relationships, Style, Beauty, Wellness, Career & Finance, and Identity; their tagline is ‘Journalism should be fun.’ Their editor has issued a pitch call: “In preparation for our upcoming launch, I’d love a few more pitches for our Fashion and Career & Finance verticals on @clicktheclique!” Rates start at $75/piece. See the pitch call here; they only want work from US-based freelancers, see here.
Consequence Magazine
They publish work “that addresses the human experiences, realities, and consequences of war and geopolitical violence through literature and art.” They accept nonfiction (interviews, essays, and narrative non-fiction, up to 4,000 words), fiction (including flash and excerpts), poetry, translations, and art. All works will be considered for online and print. Pay is $30-50 for print prose, $50 for online prose, and $20/poem for print poetry, $50 for online poetry. The deadline is 15 October 2024. Details 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, they also have themed issues through the year. For the November issue, the themes are Editors; Online Writing & Resources; Fall Book Preview, Food Writing. 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 around the world. “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.” They do not want profiles, essays, or op-eds. And, “The rate depends on the length and scope of the story, either based on a per word or project rate.” Details here.
Cinema For All
Their website says, “We are asking for pitches for articles on the Cinema For All blog. We want to hear from community cinemas around the UK about the issues that are important to them, the films they’re watching, or events they have been to. … Articles may centre around:Issues effecting community cinemas at a national level i.e. the obsolescence of physical media.International/national film festivals you have been to.Increasing accessibility and diversity within the community cinema sector.
Film reviews.
Equipment developments.” Pay is £50, and this opportunity will close when they have enough material. They will prioritize pitches from UK community cinema organizers. See the post here and call here.
Point.me
The Content Director of point.me is looking for pitches – “I’m looking for stories of people doing amazing things with their points (e.g. spending little money on epic trips, turning big expenses into free travel). Can you be you or a subject you interview. Pay starts at $400.” See the pitch call here, and form here.
Fine Books & Collections: Books/Book collecting
The editor of Fine Books & Collections has issued a pitch call: “Attn writers with timely, interesting stories about books/book collecting: I’m looking for pitches for the winter issue of @finebooks”. They have extensive guidelines, including, “Fine Books & Collections covers a broad range of topics and subjects of interest to book collectors, dealers, librarians, curators, and bibliophiles, from early manuscripts to modern first editions and everything in between.” And, “Features generally run 1,500–2,000 words… The digest (front of the magazine) section contains shorter, newsier pieces of 500–700 words. Digest is divided into three categories—book, art, and object—therefore, queries must fall into one of these specific categories. “Book” focuses on a particular story related to the book as an object, such as bookbindings, unique editions, etc., as well as new libraries, archives, or book-related museums; “Art” focuses on book-related works on paper, illustration, artist’s books, and/or drawings; “Object” focuses on ‘other’ collectibles and antiques, such as furniture, ephemera, pens, coins, etc., as well as objects related to books (previous topics include bookmark collecting and typography).” Rates are $200-600. See the pitch call here and their general pitch guide here.
Reckoning
They publish creative work on environmental justice. They accept creative non-fiction (“The essays we publish tend to be more creative than journalistic; we like at least a bit of narrative with our information”, and they accept works up to 20,000 words – see here), fiction (mostly speculative), poetry, translations, reviews, review pitches, and art. “We are always seeking work from Indigenous writers and artists, racialized writers and artists, queer, trans and/or disabled writers and artists, and anyone, anywhere in the world, who has suffered the consequences, intended or otherwise, of dominant society’s systemic disconnect with and mistreatment of the natural world.” They’re reading submissions for Issue 9. The deadline is 22 September 2024. They pay $0.15/word for prose, S75/page for poetry, $75 for fiction reviews, and about $37 for non-fiction reviews. Details here, here, and here.
Poets & Writers: Inspiration
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 – articles, essays, profiles, and interviews regarding American literature. According to their section for advertisers, for January/February 2025, the issue theme is ‘Inspiration’ (see ‘Upcoming Issues and Deadlines’ here). 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 (themes) and here (writers’ guidelines).
Business Insider: Lifestyle-focused personal essays
The Lifestyle/Entertainment editor for Business Insider is looking for “some short lifestyle-focused personal essays! Rates start at $220 for 500 words”. See the pitch call (and examples of previously published essays) here.
Griffith Review: No Place Like Home
Griffith Review is an Australian literary and current affairs journal; they mostly publish work of Australian writers, and some work by international writers. They’re currently accepting non-fiction and fiction submissions only, on the ‘No Place Like Home’ theme. “There’s no place like home – although home isn’t always a place. It could be a feeling, an instinct, a language, a person, a memory; it could be where we long to return or can’t wait to escape. But for all its symbolic resonance, home also has myriad material consequences: from the picket fence to the political arena, it raises questions of sovereignty, identity, economics, class and domestic labour. What’s the future of home ownership? What does it mean to protect endangered languages? How do our conceptions of home shift when we start new lives in different countries?”. They want complete submissions of up to 4,000 words only, not pitches. The deadline is 13 October 2024. Details on the theme, as well as future themes, are here. Submit here.
(Griffith Review is also accepting unthemed non-fiction pitches for GR Online, their online publishing platform, where they showcase short -– 1,000-1,500 words – pieces of commentary and critique that engage with contemporary culture, literature, politics and more. They particularly welcome pitches from First Nations writers, and from members of the d/Deaf and disabled writing communities. Pay is AUD500, and the deadline is 8 September 2024, details here.
Climate Home News: Clean energy supply chains
Climate Home News is looking for pitches. “Send us your pitches for justice-focused stories on the trends and actors shaping clean energy technology supply chains.” They have detailed guidelines, including, “we are looking for longform stories (1,500-1,700 words) that explore how the energy transition can help support sustainable development, address inequalities and create jobs.
We are interested in stories that illustrate the opportunities and challenges of the transition and how it can be funded (especially in developing countries), spotlight geopolitical and trade tensions and efforts to address them, expose harms, and examine how technologies are transferred from wealthy to poorer countries.
Each story should blend on-the-ground reporting with investigative or explanatory journalism.” They will commission six stories overall, and are accepting pitches on a rolling basis till the start of 2025. See the pitch call here and their detailed guidelines here.
The Kenyon Review: Visitation, and more
They accept prose (nonfiction and fiction, including flash and excerpts), and poetry. “In 2025, our magazine will feature folios on the following themes:
Translation.
Architecture.
Lyric Essay.
Cinema.
Visitation. … With VISITATION we are looking for writing which captures an impermanent experience of presence. A visitation might be a knock at the door, a funereal ritual, a brush with the otherworldly, a legal mandate, an act of wrath, a moment of union. Guest edited by Kenyon Review Fellow, Jennifer Galvão, this folio seeks to think about doors, borders, power, incarceration, and other institutions which divide or limit our time.
We invite work that broadly interprets these themes . When you submit, you will have the option to identify your work for general submission or the themes.” They accept essays up to 7,500 words. Pay is $0.08 per published word of prose (minimum $80, maximum $450) and $0.16 per published word of poetry (minimum $40, maximum $200). The deadline is 30 September 2024. Details here.
Front Office Sports: Sports, business, and culture
Front Office Sports is a US-based media and news organization that covers the influence of sports on business and culture. They want “features pitches at the intersection of sports, business, and culture. we’re particularly keen on nfl/cfb/college at the moment.
all pitches must have a very well-defined business angle. no niche too small.” There are examples of past/published essays in the X thread. Pay is about $0.50/word. See the pitch call here.
BrainFacts.Org: Four 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 now, but also say that they are open to all neuro-related pitches.
— Your Brain & The Smart Phone
— Language
— A.I. vs. The Brain
— Perception & Illusion
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.
The Ex-Puritan: Schism
This Canadian literary magazine publishes creative non-fiction – send works of up to 5,000 words, reviews of Canadian literature, interviews, fiction, experimental/hybrid work, and poetry from writers around the world. They are reading work for a special issue, Schism. There are detailed guidelines for the theme, including, “We invite submissions of creative work to The Ex-Puritan which delves into, and has a dialogue with the many facets around the theme of “schism.” The term “schism” has its roots in ancient Greek, coming from the word “skhisma,” meaning “cleft” or “division.” In a world marked by both division and conflict, we are interested in works that also touch on rare moments of unity and even reconciliation. We seek to explore the myriad interpretations and manifestations of schism in our lives and surroundings. Be it positive or negative, overt or subtle, societal or personal – we want to read work that offers a poignant lens through which we can examine the complexities of existence.”
The deadline for this themed call is 19 September 2024; submissions have to be emailed for this call, see here. Usually, they read year-round, with cut-off dates for issues, and accept a limited number of fee-free submissions each month (see general guidelines and Submittable). They pay CAD200 per essay; CAD100 per interview or review; CAD150 for fiction; CAD35 per poem (or page, capped at CAD120); CAD50+ per experimental or hybrid work, at an increasing scale depending on the nature of the piece. Details here (Schism call details) and here (general guidelines).
Business Insider: Financial Infidelity
An editor at Business Insider is “looking for pitches for sources or personal essays on financial infidelity. Has a partner lied to you about their debt or their income? Hidden poor spending habits or substantial investments? How did it impact your relationship”. See the pitch call here.
Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan wants pitches for Fall and beyond, on “bold, buzzy, high-impact storytelling that captures the current moment and reflects the experiences of young women (18-35) specifically. Now commissioning for fall and beyond at rates of $1.50–$2/word.” They tend to focus on the US. See the pitch call here, and their masthead is here.
Toronto Journal
“We will … consider non-fiction pieces that are either set locally or explore some local history (Toronto, GTA, and surrounding). See the Stories from the City category, and the Toronto Feature category, respectively, for some examples.” They also accept unthemed short fiction submissions from around the world. Pay is $50. The submission deadline for their next issue is 1 October 2024. Details here.
Rough Cut Press: Splinter
They publish work from the LGBTQIA community, and have monthly themed submission calls. Send short prose of up to 650 words on the ‘Splinter’ theme. Pay is $25. The deadline is 27 September 2024. Details here.
(And, My Galvanized Friend wants non-fiction, fiction, and poetry from LGBTQ+ writers across the US on the theme, ‘No One Can Know’, pays $10-25, deadline 30 September 2024. Details here.)
Today.com: Personal essays (lifestyle)
The Essays Editor at US-based today.com (The Today Show) is “Looking for personal essays that fit into the lifestyle space — wedding tales, relationship stories, unique parenting + health stories.” See the pitch call here.
American Craft: Retreat
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 2025, they will publish work on the ‘Retreat’ theme. “A retreat is a place of refuge, where rest and relaxation can leave us feeling refreshed and creatively inspired. In this celebration of summer, we explore craft-centered sanctuaries, such as small towns built around craft and an artist’s studio that’s been designed as a haven. We also showcase handcrafted work that supports reconnection with yourself and others: outdoor furniture and games, a table around which friends and family can gather, and items to help you create a spa at home.” The issue will have special coverage, and the themes for those are: Travel; Wood; and Metal. Stories for American Craftare generally assigned at 400-2,000 words; pitch via the form on their guidelines page. Pay is $0.50–$1.00/word.Pitches for the Retreat theme are due 11 November 2024. Details here.
(American Craft is also reading for other issues, with deadlines in 2025).
Gay & Lesbian Review: Three themes
They accept unsolicited manuscripts and proposals on all LGBT-related topics. They are especially looking for work on these themes: — The Gossip Issue: Unearthed scandals of the past
— The State of LGBT Rights: What’s next for the movement?
— The Travel Issue: The role of travel in LGBT culture
They also welcome suggestions. They accept feature pitches/features (2,000 to 4,000 words), as well as work for various sections/columns and reviews. Some sections are unpaid. They pay $250 for feature articles, and writers of full reviews can request $100 payment (see guidelines). Details here.
Ninth Letter: de/composition
Ninth Letter is accepting submissions on the de/composition theme for the web edition. Submissions for the themed web issue are free, and submissions for the print issue (which is also open for submissions) are charged. They have detailed guidelines on the theme, including, “The theme for this issue is “de/composition.” A bit biased, no? To think of decomposition as the dead opposite of the thing that used to be—its breaking down, its decay, its withering. Decomposition as merely putrefaction, a lesser of the former, a corpse, a husk. Let’s question this, then.
Send us your work that sees, in decay, something new. Send us work that, in content, in form, in spirit, decomposes as a way to recompose. Let us see your flies gather, the ants lick the wet bones bare.” They accept non-fiction (up to 3,500 words), fiction, and poetry, and pay $75. The deadline is 1 November 2024. Details here (scroll down) and here.
Narratively: Heart of the Matter
This is a pitch call for non-fiction essays on the heart. “Our new collab with Creative Nonfiction explores the heart from all angles: your epic heartbreak, what you’ve done for love or an incredible life-saving procedure involving that organ in your chest. … We’ve got a call for pitches inspired by that subject so many of us love (or hate to love… or is it love to hate?!): matters of the heart. In their cutesy V-Day form, they are among the most common tattoo designs people ask for, they are the thing most songs are written about and when it comes to the vital organ from which so much of the above originates, well, there are looong, cut-throat waiting lists for new ones. So, where are we going with all this?
We want your best pitches around the heart and love: tales about unimaginable breakups and heartache, the epic lengths you’ve gone to for romance, stories about pig heart transplants in humans or a shocking tale of organ-donor bribery, betrayal and intrigue. More specifically — because we love BIG stories — we want to hear about the time you walked 500 miles backwards to save your relationship and then failed, that time you woke up speaking French after undergoing heart surgery (and then uprooted your life and moved to France as a result!). … These can be first-person or reported pieces, and they should have the same epic, unexpected, immersive, cinematic storytelling and compelling narrative arcs we always look for.” The pitch deadline is 8 September 2024. Details here.
(Narratively is also accepting pitches for other columns, please be sure to submit in the correct category on Submittable.)
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
