These are calls from 25 outlets for themed non-fiction. Some of the themes are: hip hop ecology; hidden histories; renewal; gaming; the erosion of rights; fashion; setting the scene; the city aquatic; adorn; and the creative brain. A few outlets are open for more than one call. – S. Kalekar
Orion Magazine: Natural Rhythm: Tracing the ancestral roots of hip hop / Hip hop ecology
Orion’s tagline is ‘Nature and Culture’. They’re accepting pitches on the fall 2025 issue, ‘Natural Rhythm: Tracing the ancestral roots of hip hop’. “Send us your pitches on the environments in which songs are conceived and recorded, the histories of beats, or anything else related to the ecology of the genre! Please note that we are looking for nonfiction pitches, not full stories.” Do not send fiction or poetry. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Orion is about exploring environmental and social issues and looking at what and how people are going about addressing them.” The pitch deadline is 15 January 2025. Their guidelines page is here and you can submit pitches for their hip hop ecology issue here.
National Geographic: Winter/Spring 2025 – Hidden histories, health explainers, and more
A digital editor for National Geographic has issued a pitch call: “Looking for smart (not academic), interesting (not just to you), and relevant (to a global audience) pitches to fill my winter/spring calendar. –Hidden histories (electric taxis in the 1800s?/Australians went to war against Emus/ Pilates started in prison?
–Health explainers: how does X affect the mind/body?/ what do you mean strokes are on the rise?/food noise is a thing?/seriously, what is cortisol? dense breasts?
–Health debunkers: indicas and sativas are the same?!/sugar doesn’t make kids hyper? I can’t sweat out toxins?
–Health trends: Infrared saunas/dense bean salads/balkan diet/pre-workout/led light therapy
–I wonder stories: What do you mean you don’t have inner monologue/i wonder what cats think about/how do lost dogs find their way home/i wonder what the best position to sleep in is
–Obscure but I’m willing to fight for it: the ancient origins of zodiac signs/ the real history about XYZ blockbuster hit/supernatural-paranormal-weird history.
TL;DR I’m looking for the stories you talk to your friends about over dinner/things that make you ask…why, how, whaaa?! Science-driven, researched backed, holy cow that’s freakin cool stories. *please confirm we’ve not already covered your angle or smthng similar b4 pitching.” See the pitch call/thread here.
Spheres of Influence Uncovered: Foreign investment or other forms of impactful economic cooperation
This is a pitch call posted on n-ost (Network for Border Crossing Journalism). “Spheres of Influence Uncovered is a cross-border media project that is seeking to stimulate and broaden public discussion on economic and geopolitical issues in our project countries of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Georgia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. To do this, we are financially and editorially supporting the work of journalists who are interested in writing on related topics. If you have a story about foreign investment or other forms of impactful economic cooperation – for example, about Russian investment and impacts on the labour market, or EU-China competition to secure critical minerals – let us know! … We are especially interested in data-driven, multi-media, and cross-border stories. … For cross-border stories – you can send a pitch in collaboration with a colleague from another country, pitch alone and note that you would like to be connected with a journalist in our network, OR you could get in touch with your idea before the deadline and we can try and connect you beforehand.
The stories must have relevance for the project countries cited above – for example, a cross-border story looking at an issue in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan would fit our criteria, but not a story about Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.” They pay up to €1,000 per author. The pitch deadline has been extended to 7 January 2025. Pitching is via a form on their website. 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 are open for fee-free submissions now, and will close on 21st January 2025 or when their submission cap is reached, whichever is earlier. Details here.
Perspectives: History
Perspectives is the news magazine of the American Historical Association. According to a recent post by their editor on Bluesky, “#AHAPerspectives offers an honorarium of $100 for articles published in the print magazine. You don’t have to be an AHA member to write for us, and we are always open for pitches on the discipline of history, from research to teaching & learning to professional issues.” Their general guidelines say, “Perspectives welcomes articles on all aspects of the practice of history and by all kinds of historians, at all degree levels, and of all professional ranks. We strive to be a place for historians across the discipline to share their ideas and enthusiasm.” See the pitch call/thread here and their general guide here and here.
Brink: Renewal
Brink is a journal of cross-genre writing; they publish non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. They want submissions on the Renewal theme. “On the surface, renewal suggests restoration. It is the act of returning an object to its original state of existence. We repair used furniture. Our health is restored. We remake that which has been used and revive that which has been spent.
But below the surface, renewal is repetition. It is a pledge to an original object or person or idea. Renewal is a value declaration. It is a signifier of life and potential. We are interested in the moments leading up to renewal, the pause between brokenness and wholeness, the intricacies of repair, the patterns that emerge when we return, again and again, to the source. Show us the space around renewal. Take us to the brink of renewal.
We’re looking for work that reignites our idea of what an essay can do or be. We’re particularly excited about flash essays, ekphrasis nonfiction, lists, diary entries, erasures, manifestos, intense lyricism, auto-theory, translations, and revelatory ruptures in form and syntax that breaks, and remakes, language anew.” They pay $25-100, and the deadline is 31 January 2025. Details here and here.
The Logic: Human impacts of business and tech in Canada
The Logic publishes Canadian business and technology news. Their editor has issued a pitch call: “I’m looking to commission stories about the human impacts of business and tech on our everyday lives here in Canada.” According to their general pitch guide, they prioritize reporting from freelance journalists, “but will consider pitches for fact-based essays that engage with a newsworthy idea or issue. … Freelance stories, which don’t tend to be breaking news, range from 700 words to 2,500 words.” They pay up to $1/word. See the editor’s pitch call/thread here and their general pitch guide here.
Salon: Culture
An editor for Salon has issued a pitch call: “I’m taking on a new role as Senior Editor for Culture, heading up coverage of TV, film, culture trends and who fell down at awards shows!” And, “Rates vary between $150-$300, depending on the pitch.” See the pitch call/thread here.
Singapore Unbound: Suspect – Eco-
Suspect is Singapore Unbound’s journal, and they want submissions for their Eco- themed call. Please note, they only accept work by Asian writers; for collaborations, at least one writer must be Asian. They have detailed guidelines, including, “We invite writing that engages with the powerful tensions and dimensions within the word “eco-”. We want nature writing grounded in physical and social contexts; writing that imagines how economies could center ecologies; writing on the work of becoming and belonging together with others. Works might highlight unappreciated labour (both human and otherwise), demand labour, address land and labour issues; might delve into ecological concepts from edge effects to metabolic rifts; might address houses, homes, displacement, and “homing” back to places like pigeons or salmon.” They accept essays (up to 6,500 words), fiction, poetry, and translations, and pay $100. The deadline is 1 March 2025. Details here.
Book XI: A Journal of Literary Philosophy – Things
Book XI is a journal dedicated to publishing personal essays, memoir, fiction, science fiction, humor, and poetry with philosophical themes. The journal is affiliated with Hamilton College’s Arthur Levitt Center for Public Affairs. They recently opened for submissions on the ‘Things’ theme. All submissions should be made through Submittable. Pay is $200 for 1,000-5,000 words of prose, and $50 per poem. They will close this call when they hit their submission cap. Details here and here.
MIT Technology Review: Power
MIT Technology Review will publish a Power-themed print issue in July/August 2025. For print, they run short news stories and profiles (500-800 words), op-eds, and data spreads in the front of the book and essaysand book reviews in the back of the book (usually around 2,000 words). They also publish narrative features, investigations, big profiles, and reported essays (generally between 2,500-4,000 words); the features are around the issue theme. “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” and according to their general guide, the pitch deadline for the Power theme is mid to late January 2025 (please see their note about more specific deadlines on the guidelines page). See their general pitch guide, which also includes themes for future issues, here.
Restart: Gaming
Restart is a gaming news outlet, and they are affiliated with Walmart. They recently posted on their website, “we’re looking to engage freelancers for reviews and other feature pieces. The final rate for each piece will be determined by the article type, but you can expect the average to be $200.
Restart is interested in connecting with both established freelancers / content creators and up-and-comers … Please send your content ideas and at least two writing samples”. Details here.
The Markaz Review: Love, War, and Resistance
Their website says, “The Markaz Review is a literary arts publication and cultural institution that curates content and programs on the greater Middle East and our communities in diaspora.” They are accepting work on the Love, War, and Resistance theme for their February issue. They have detailed guidelines, including, “The Markaz Review is seeking compelling and imaginative works that explore diverse experiences and points of view. Query first or send us your completed essay, short fiction, book excerpt, art, film, music, photography or other creative expression, which may spark important conversations.” Submissions range from 750-3,000 words. They pay an honorarium. They accept both, submissions and queries. The query deadline is 20 January, and you must submit the copy by 25 January 2025. Details here.
Type Investigations: The erosion of rights, and more
Their website says, “Type Investigations is a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to transforming the field of independent investigative journalism.” Currently, they are particularly interested in pitches on the following topics:
– The erosion of rights
– Political influence and corporate malfeasance
– Climate change and environmental justice
Also, “We welcome pitches from reporters outside of the United States, but your pitch must have a clear and direct U.S. tie-in.” And, “Written features generally run between 3,000 and 5,000 words — though we do publish articles that are shorter and longer. Typical budgets range from $3,000 to $6,000(including travel and other reporting expenses, as well as the reporting fee) and are based on the submission of a detailed reporting plan. We pay a portion of the fee upfront. When stories are published, we expect partner outlets to pay reporters their normal article fee as well.” See their detailed guidelines here.
Bright Wall, Dark Room: Fashion
This magazine publishes non-fiction on cinema. “We’re looking for thoughtful analysis and wholehearted engagement, as opposed to standard reviews, clickbait, or hot takes. We publish interviews, profiles, formal analysis, cultural criticism, personal essays, and humor pieces. We’re looking for writing that is savvy and insightful about filmmaking, but that also grapples in some way with the business of being alive.” Their upcoming theme is Fashion – “we’re looking for smart writing on movies that lean in heavily to fashion, clothing, and costume design.” Their website says they will publish detailed guidelines on the theme soon. They pay $100, and the deadline is 31 January 2025. They’re also accepting off-theme submissions (no deadline). Details here and here.
Writer’s Digest: Setting the Scene
This print and online magazine for writers aims to “keep readers abreast of industry trends, of the latest writers who found success and what they did to achieve it, and of innovative ways to improve and empower the inner raconteur” of their readers. They consider completed manuscripts on spec, as well as original pitches. They say writers should allow 2-4 months for a response. They’re accepting work for their July/August 2025 theme, ‘Setting the Scene’. “When it comes to setting the scene, all writers know it’s critical piece to ensuring readers have a clear grasp of what their reading, whether it be a physical setting in a novel or narrative nonfiction or the reason why information matters in instructional nonfiction. Setting also matters when it comes to a writer’s writing life. This issue aims to explore all facets and interpretations of how writers can set the scene.” You can read about that, and other upcoming themes, here; pitching for each theme is via a form on their website, which will close when the issue is filled. Apart from features, they have several departments and columns. They pay $0.50/word for first world rights for one-time print use and perpetual electronic use. They do not pay for unsolicited online articles and guest posts, except in rare cases when the content is highly focused or unique, in which case they pay $50-$100. General submission guidelines are here.
C Mag: STOP!
C Mag is a Canadian magazine of art and culture, and they’re looking for pitches on the STOP! theme. They have detailed guidelines, including, “In Experiments in Imagining Otherwise, Lola Olufemi writes of a will to live differently as “that thing which keeps you alive, or the ferocity with which you detest this world.” After Olufemi, this issue asks: What must be stopped, in an untenable world, so that we arrive elsewhere? To stop—as act, strategy, and sign—counters the relentless, forward pace of progress myths. “STOP!” is a wish, a call, an imperative.
For this issue, we invite pitches that consider “STOP!” in relation to the aesthetic and political. This encompasses the limitations and possibilities of failure, silence, slow time, and so much more. What role, if any, might cultural production, or even the withholding of cultural labour, have in placing the genres of empire under pressure? The stop is the gum in the machine: a pipeline blockade by Wet’suwet’en land defenders, the labour strike, disrupting the flow of weapons killing Palestinians, the refrain of “shut it down,” and ultimately, the end of this world—and all of its attendant violences—as we know it.
Thematic feature, artist project, and column pitches accepted until January 15. Review pitches, not required to be on theme, are accepted on a rolling basis.” They pay CAD0.35-45/word. Reviews are paid a flat rate. Details here and here.
Rocky Mountain Reader
“We welcome original essay submissions from anyone with a Colorado connection, whether you’ve published a book or not. We’re interested in thoughtful, timely, pertinent, well-written essays that tell a true story in a compelling way. Send essays for possible publication to the editor and be sure to include a note explaining your Colorado connection. Ideal length is 800-1,200 words. We pay on publication: $150.” They also accept books for review on their website from authors with a Colorado connection. Book reviews are by assignment, and you can contact them if you want to contribute book reviews/features, for which they pay $150 (see guidelines). Details here.
The Metropole: The City Aquatic
The Metropole is the official blog of the Urban History Association. They have listed a few themes for 2025, and have detailed guidelines. The March theme is The City Aquatic: “Chicago reversed the flow of its river in order to improve sanitation and limit disease, flood control in 20th century Manila drove political discourse, and Mexico City’s location on a lake has long bedeviled it, as Matthew Vitz wrote for The Metropole in 2017 “a city with simultaneously too much water and too little, flooded while desiccated.” The Metropole welcomes pitches for its March theme month on cities and water, The City Aquatic: cities that stretch across archipelagos, cities dealing with rising sea levels/flooding, cities and drinking water, cities where the water is a major source of tourism and other related aspects of this metropolitan relationship.” The pitch deadline 15 January, and initial drafts due 10 February 2025. Word count of the final commissioned pieces is 1,200 and 3,000 words, and they pay $200. Their general blog guidelines are here and theme details are here.
American Craft: Adorn
This is a magazine about American craft and its makers. They publish reported articles, essays, and opinion pieces. “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 Fall 2026, they will publish work on the Adorn theme; they have detailed guidelines, please read them carefully. The issue will also have special coverage, and the themes for those are: Jewelery; Fashion; and Craft Collections. (They’re also reading on the Winter 2026 issue, on the Dream theme; that has a later deadline). 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 Adorn theme are due 10 February 2025. Detailshere.Ecotone
This is “the literary magazine dedicated to reimagining place”, and they continue to seek work on the climate crisis. They have detailed guidelines, including, “We appreciate a wide range of essays, and are especially interestedin nonfiction that engages deeply, but not overly seriously, with the sciences—ecology, natural history, and other fields, in both Western and non-Western contexts.” They accept non-fiction (up to 10,000 words), fiction, and poetry. They usually charge for online submissions, but will open a brief window for fee-free submissions, 26-31 January 2025; they specially welcome work from writers historically underrepresented in literary publishing during this submission window. And February 1–6 is their general submission window for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction ($3 fee via Submittable, no fee via post). February is the submission window for their subscribers. They pay a minimum of $200 for prose, and a minimum of $100 for poetry. Details here.
Briarpatch Magazine : May / June 2025
Briarpatch is a Canadian magazine of politics and culture, which offers reporting, insight, and analysis from a grassroots perspective. “We are looking for investigative journalism, interviews, feature articles, narrative reporting, project profiles, comics and graphic texts, book reviews, and photo essays that are rooted in anti-colonial, anti-capitalist, feminist struggle. While we are open to all pitches, we especially invite specific pitches on rural/non-metropolitan stories and pitches from the Prairies, the North, and the Maritimes.” They accept features and columns, and have detailed guidelines. They are accepting pitches for the May/June 2025 issue, and the pitch deadline is 6 January 2025; if your pitch is accepted, first drafts are due 10 February 2025. They pay CAD150-350. Details here.
Rough Cut Press: Reach
They publish work from the LGBTQIA community, and have monthly themed submission calls. Send short prose of up to 650 words on the ‘Reach’ theme. Pay is $25. The deadline is 27 January 2025. Details here.
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: — Origins: When did the LGBT movement really begin?
— Anthropologies: Sexual variants in non-Western cultures
— The State of LGBT Rights: What’s next for the movement?
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.
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.
— The Creative Brain
— Infection & Inflammation & The Brain
— Prediction & Decision Making
— The Brain & Interpersonal Connections
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.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.