By S. Kalekar
These are themed pitch / submission calls for non-fiction. Some themes are: Not Yet Extinct – On the trail of Bigfoot and other survivors; Here Be Monsters; Pushing Back; California’s theme parks; Cosmic Laws; Reversal; US Criminal justice system; GTA franchise; TTRPG; and climate crisis. A few also accept other genres, like fiction and poetry.
Orion: Not Yet Extinct – On the trail of Bigfoot and other survivors
This magazine “is about exploring environmental and social issues and looking at what and how people are going about addressing them.” Regarding their theme, “Our next pitch window for story submissions will open from February 15 to March 1, 2025. During that time we’ll be looking for pitches for our Winter 2025 issue, Not Yet Extinct: On the trail of Bigfoot and other survivors, which will feature stories about cryptids. Stay tuned for more details soon.” Please note, they will be looking for non-fiction pitches only, not complete submissions, during this window. Do not send fiction or poetry. Details here.
Ninth Letter: Reversal
They’re accepting works for their web edition, and the theme is Reversal. “In this winter of transition send us stories, essays and poems that portray the speaker’s u-turn, characters making their about face or the self coming full circle. We welcome reversals big and small, tragic or fortunate, long coming or sudden. We’ll be on the lookout for reversals of structure and form, theses refuted or contradictions embodied. In the best submissions, readers should feel the pull of two directions – in space, or time, or spirit.” Please note, they have a submission cap, and will close by genre when full. They pay $75 per prose piece of up to 3,500 words, and $25 per poem. The deadline is 1 April 2025, or until filled. Details here.
(Ninth Letter is also open for their unthemed print issue submissions, which have different guidelines – there is a fee to submit online, but there is no fee for postal submissions until 28th February 2025. Mailed submissions are not accepted for web issues. Details here and here.)
The Appeal: US Criminal legal system
“The Appeal is a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to exposing how the U.S. criminal legal system fails to keep people safe and perpetuates harm. Our work shows the human and economic costs of our expansive carceral system, equips people with the tools to make change, and elevates solutions that seek to create a safer society without clinging to punitive responses.” They have detailed guidelines. They’re currently interested in pitches on the following topics (see What’s The Appeal looking for?):
“– Politics: elections, legislation, policies, and reform efforts
— Alternatives: critical analysis of solutions to elements of the current criminal legal system
— Stories reporting on, and from, the South, Midwest, or rural areas
— Op-eds and personal essays written by people impacted by the criminal-legal system (these will also be considered for our weekly newsletter column)
We also accept a limited number of first-person and commentary pieces.
We highly encourage BIPOC writers, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated writers, and other writers who face systemic barriers to pitch”. They do not want breaking news or aggregation/listicles. Their online articles are usually 800-2,000 words, and newsletter columns are 800 words. They pay $1/word. See their detailed pitch guide here.
Parabola: Cosmic Laws
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 is ‘Cosmic Laws’, and the deadline is 1 March 2025. Details here.
Griffith Review: Here Be Monsters
This is an Australian literary magazine and they want nonfiction submissions that respond to the theme, ‘Here Be Monsters’. “Portent, symbol, metaphor: from the Bunyip of Aboriginal folklore to the Slenderman of social media, from Count Dracula to the (far more sinister) emotional vampire, monsters of all forms have offered us ways to express and exorcise our fears for thousands of years.
This edition of Griffith Review surveys beasts and bogeymen past and present, real and imagined, to peel back the layers of our social and cultural anxieties. What are we most afraid of? When is monstrosity alluring rather than frightening? And what form might the monsters of the future take?” Do not send fiction or poetry. They mostly accept work from writers in Australia, and some work from overseas writers.
Deadline: 16 February 2025 (see guidelines). They pay AUD0.75/word for works up to 4,000 words for the print issues. The deadline is 16 February 2025. Details here and here.
The Metropole: Los Angeles
The Metropole is the official blog of the Urban History Association. They have detailed guidelines. Their theme for May is Los Angeles: “With the Urban History Association’s 2025 conference taking place at the Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles (aka DTLA) from October 9-12, 2025 … we want to feature the City of Angels. We’ve written and published pieces about Los Angeles numerous times including recent contributions by David Helps, David Bruno, Max Felker-Kantor Meredith Drake Reitan, and Becky Nicolaides as well as older pieces exploring Chester Himes’s L.A., the city’s circus like nature and the metropolis’s depiction through film noir. …. Yet we’ve never featured it as a theme month. We invite pitches from historians and other writers regarding the city’s history (we will consider pieces that focus on L.A. suburbs as well), using these examples as a guide to what and how it’s been covered.” The deadline for pitches is 10 March, and drafts are due by 10 April 2025. They pay $200. Their general blog guidelines are here and theme details are here.
IHRAM Publishes: The Evolving Gaze – Society’s Voice for Masculinity
This is a call from the literary magazine of the International Human Rights Art Movement (IHRAM). “Exploring society’s voice for masculinity, this edition examines the evolving discourse around emotion, identity, and the male experience. From breaking down the stereotypes of toxic masculinity to embracing emotional vulnerability, it highlights the intersection of language, culture, and societal expectations surrounding what is deemed “masculine” and “feminine.”
We are eager to publish firsthand experiences by men, factual retellings of stories told by men in the author’s life, and reflections of the author’s personal experiences with emotion, identity, and the male experience. We encourage submissions from all over the world, regardless of gender or identity.” Send essays of up to 2,500 words. They pay $50. The deadline is 1 March 2025. Details here.
Gray Area: Whole Earth Redux
Their website says, “Gray Area is a San Francisco-based nonprofit cultural incubator.
Our mission is to cultivate, sustain, and apply antidisciplinary collaboration — integrating art, technology, science, and the humanities — towards a more equitable and regenerative future.”
They’re accepting submissions to the Whole Earth Redux, a forthcoming print publication featuring contemporary writers responding to the Whole Earth Index. “When the Whole Earth Catalog reached the public in 1968, it argued that technology could be personal, living could be communal, and information could be free. Its pages—dense with listings for books on cybernetics, how-to guides for constructing geodesic domes, and advertisements for mail-order organic seeds—presented readers a way of life compatible with both the dawning Information Age and the unfolding ecological crisis. This vision not only inspired a cohort of back-to-the-land counterculturalists bullish about the liberatory potential of technology, but continues to color the aspirations of contemporary technofuturists and econauts alike. But even as Whole Earth’s mythical status has grown, particularly here in the San Francisco Bay Area, actual copies of the Catalog have become harder and harder to access. In 2023, Gray Area (in collaboration with the Internet Archive and the Long Now Foundation) launched the Whole Earth Index, the publication’s first complete online archive, to make it easier to access the tools, ideas, and practices highlighted in the Catalog and its subsequent imprints. Now, we are excited to announce the Whole Earth Redux, a print publication featuring essays and short stories that take an object from the Index and excavate its deeper histories, argue its importance for understanding the present, or imagine the alternate realities it inspires. These works will generate novel insights into Whole Earth’s role in shaping contemporary technoculture, as well as what underexplored potential or cautionary tales the Index reveals for reimagining the role technology plays in constructing (counter)cultures.” The deadline for article pitches on this theme is 14 March 2025. “Contributors will receive editorial support and $450 in compensation. Selected writers will be notified by March 21 and will be expected to produce a draft by May 23.” You can see the pitch call on BlueSky here and on their website, here and here.
Prism: Right to Write section
Prism is “an independent, nonprofit newsroom led by journalists of color. Our mission is to share stories from grassroots perspectives. Our reporting aims to challenge damaging narratives and empower social justice movements. an independent, nonprofit newsroom led by journalists of color. Our mission is to share stories from grassroots perspectives. Our reporting aims to challenge damaging narratives and empower social justice movements.” They only cover issues across the U.S. and in U.S. territories. They especially encourage pitches from BIPOC, women, LGBTQIA+ people, and others from historically oppressed communities. For their Right to Write section, they say, “Our Right to Write (R2W) project welcomes stories from across our verticals and coverage areas from the currently or formerly incarcerated, as well as the proxy journalists, writers, organizations, and community members working with incarcerated writers. These stories can be personal essays, op-eds, features, reported news stories, or explainers. We accept pitches, complete drafts, and as-told-to pieces. All stories must be under 1,600 words.” They also publish news, features, op-eds, Q&As, explainers, and personal essays. They pay $0.50/word. See their detailed pitch guide here.
My Galvanized Friend: Pushing Back
This literary magazine only accepts works from LGBTQ+ writers in the US. They want submissions on the ‘Pushing Back’ theme. “We invite submissions that explore resistance, defiance, and resilience. Whether through speculative worlds, subversive acts, or fantastical rebellion, show us queerness pushing back against power, violence, and injustice. Challenge norms, expectations, or boundaries – on any scale, in any genre.” Send essays (500-3,500 words), fiction, or poetry. They pay $25 for prose and $10 for poetry. The deadline is 31 March 2025. Details here.
Popverse: Monster Hunter Wilds; The Ragpicker King; Assassin’s Creed: Shadows; The Cartoonist Club
Popverse is “a modern entertainment brand from ReedPop – the people behind vibrant live events such as New York Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration, C2E2, and PAX.” They cover comics and pop culture. “Popverse delivers … comics-wide perspective that includes not just superhero comics, but also manga, webtoons, creator-owned comics, and even those memorable comic strips from your social media feed. … we also delve into the movies, TV shows, games, and all that other media that you’d imagine would be at a comic and pop culture convention. … All of our coverage is all done from the perspective of fans – for fans, by fans, and we’ll even dive into the fandoms of your favorite celebrities.” You can read about them here. They are “seeking feature pitches from writers for Monster Hunter Wilds, The Ragpicker King, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, and The Cartoonist Club. Personal stories, opinions, and interviews with unique and relevant angles is what we’re after.” They pay. See the pitch call from their editor here and general guidelines here.
Restart: GTA 6 / GTA franchise
Restart publishes gaming news, and is affiliated with Walmart; you can read about them here. They are looking for pitches “related to GTA 6 and the wider GTA franchise (think retrospectives, rankings, etc.). Our average rate is $200. Please send pitches and recent writing samples”. See the pitch call on BlueSky here.
SFGate: California theme parks
An editor has issued a call for SFGate: “Have a fresh and interesting angle on California theme parks? I’m looking for pitches on #Disneyland and other theme parks (#KnottsBerryFarm, #MagicMountain, etc.). Rates: $250-$350.” They’re looking for hidden histories, “not just Disneyland, we’re interested in the histories behind other theme parks as well”, profiles of interesting jobs at the theme parks, and what could have beens. See the pitch call/thread here.
QueerAF: Trans + History Week
They’re commissioning creators, including writers, to create work for Trans + History Week. Their website says, “We’re looking for pitches for 700-1000 word history articles, we’ll commission seven in total – one for each day of Trans+ History Week … Each commission will come with QueerAF’s unique communication and journalistic ‘Retro’ skills session – described as like “therapy, but for your writing” – designed to put you in charge of your edit.
They should be ‘think pieces’ in format which aims to be thought-provoking and speculative. They will consist chiefly of background material and analysis and can contain some opinions.
We’re looking to tell history stories, but we’re interested in focusing on the lessons from them.
We’re looking for your perspective on history, so the topic you pick will be strongest if it’s based in your experiences and viewpoint.” Pay is £170. The pitch deadline is 16 February 2025. Details here (scroll down).
Motherwell: What keeps us up at night as parents? And more
They publish work in various formats, including essays, on parenting. Their current call for submissions says:
“What keeps us up at night as parents? Topics might include: raising kids in a digital world as well as a comparative culture; parenting from a place of calm rather than self-doubt and anxiety; keeping our kids safe; adjusting expectations as our children experience life’s hardships and challenges.
What it means to navigate our identities and life changes as kids get older. Topics might include: how divorce or the shifting of relationships affects us; reclaiming purpose/redefining ourselves as women; balancing the role of caring for older kids and older parents; adapting to dynamics as our families regenerate, evolve and grow. All formats welcome; suggested word count up to 1,200. Completed essays only and please include word count.” They’re open for other themes/sections as well; personal essays, perspective pieces, Moterwell Books, and Holidays as a Parent. Pay is unspecified. Some formats are unpaid (see guidelines). Details here.
Business Insider: Parents who only have baby photos of their kids with filters
An editor for Business Insider has issued a pitch call recently: “Looking for pitches from parents who had kids in 2016ish and only have baby photos of their kids with filters — you know, the puppy ears filter, or the rosy cheeks one. Open to whether you love them, regret only taking photos with filters, wish you had taken more, etc.” See the post on Threads here.
SubTerrain: Dreams
This Canadian literary magazine wants submissions on the ‘Dreams’ theme. They accept non-fiction (up to 4,000 words), fiction, and poetry. “Dreams are like short, strange films that our mind produces while we sleep. They take place in the theatre of the subconscious, that amorphous space that can seem familiar and unfamiliar at the same moment. A place where you wander, like a character in a shadowy noir mystery, trying to figure out what is going on, trying to make sense of a world that makes no sense … as if there is always an “explanation” for what is going on.
We invite you to mine the depths of your mind and send us your surrealist trips through dreamland — your beautiful nightmares, your daydreams, or dreams of the future.” They pay CAD0.10/word of prose, up to CAD500, and CAD50 for poetry. They charge for online submissions, but there is no fee for postal submissions. The deadline the Summer/Fall Dreams issue is 7 March 2025. Details here (scroll down).
(SubTerrain will also open a short, 100-hour submission window for their Spring issue, which will also be their 100th issue; they want submissions of 100-word fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and the deadline for Issue 100 is 17 February 2025.)
Business Insider: Parenting or relationships
The pitch call says, “For @businessinsider I’m looking for feel good essays related to parenting or relationships. Did someone help you out when your toddler was having an epic tantrum? Did you fall in love like in the movies? Did you change careers and found your passion? Did you move for retirement and are loving it?” See the editor’s call on Threads here.
Poets & Writers: Agents and Debut Fiction
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 July/August 2025, the issue theme is ‘Agents and Debut Fiction’ (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).
Rough Cut Press: Spirals
They publish work from the LGBTQIA community, and have monthly themed submission calls. Send short prose of up to 650 words on the ‘Spirals’ theme. Pay is $25. The deadline is 27 February 2025. Details here.
Tribal College Journal: Data Sovereignty
They want themed feature articles and shorter pieces. All articles must engage tribal colleges and universities in some way. Possible feature article topics are specified on the website, but alternative topics on each theme are welcome. They want both long features (2,500-5,000 words) and shorter features (1,500-2,000 words), and various department pieces (some of which are unpaid – read guidelines). The theme for Fall 2025 is Data Sovereignty. “Over the past two centuries, Native peoples in the United States and Canada have been subjected to intensive efforts at assimilation and cultural erasure. Yet at the same time, traditional knowledges, cultural artifacts, languages, stories, artforms, as well as genetic data and physical remains have been taken, coopted, and utilized without regard for or benefit to tribal communities. Today, many leaders in Indian Country are calling for “Data Back.” How are Native nations working to reclaim and assert sovereignty over both their material and intellectual assets? What are some of the strategies and best practices? What role can tribal colleges and universities play in this movement?” Deadline for feature story suggestions – 21 February; features deadline – 11 April; On Campus featurettes deadline – 18 April 2025. Pay is unspecified. Details here (theme details) and here (guidelines).
Catapult: No Contact – An Anthology About Family Estrangement
They want personal essays and flash non-fiction about the following topics: “Estrangement from family members (including in-laws) due to politics. What caused the rift and how have you managed it and moved on?
Estrangement from family members as it connects to estrangement from land, culture, and/or ancestry. How did these estrangements parallel or exacerbate each other?
POV of parent estranged from children, due to divorce, legal system, addiction, or other reasons. Essay should be focused on the experience of estrangement (less than on the reasons) and the work done toward healing and repair.” And, “According to research, up to 27% of Americans are estranged from at least one family member. This reality affects over a quarter of our population, yet estrangement can be a source of great shame: rarely discussed and often stigmatized. The perspectives in this anthology will bring connection and validation to readers who have experienced estrangement, and will foster understanding and empathy in those who have not. ” They encourage writers from underrepresented and marginalized communities to submit. Send 100-500 words for flash non-fiction, and up to 1,500 words for personal essay. They will pay a minimum of $50 flash non-fiction and $100 for essays. Details 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 is 1 March 2025 for the Summer issue. Details here.
The Globe and Mail: Business opinion pitches
An editor from The Globe and Mail has issued a pitch call. “This is my regular callout for pitches for the Globe and Mail’s business opinion section.” See the pitch call here.
Never Mind the Dice Rolls: TTRPG
Their guidelines say, “Do you have a podcast or twitch stream you want to shout to the world about?
Do you have an article about gaming, running a game, or anything else in the world of TTRPGs that you want others to read?
Do you have a cracking review whether it is an older game or newly released?
Do you have a new game out and want to show off a preview? … At Never Mind the Dice Rolls magazine we welcome articles, reviews, and adventures from everyone. You do not need to have any formal writing experience, or have been published elsewhere to write for the magazine, just a love of TTRPGs. … We are after anything to do with TTRPGs.” They pay £25 for articles of 500-1,500 words. Details here.
Skin Deep
They want pitches for work at the intersection of racial justice and culture. “What we love:
Slow, thoughtful work that is less reactive to the news cycle
Stories that go below the surface, exploring the social, political, and economic forces shaping our world
Original angles and takes that challenge the norm” They are open to first-person & opinion, reviews, interviews, creative writing, visual art, audio, deeply researched pieces and investigations, and experimental formats. They are open to work outside of the UK and US. They pay £150-300. See the call here and their detailed pitch guide here.
The Stinging Fly: Climate Crisis
This respected Irish journal is accepting creative non-fiction pitches for the Climate Crisis theme. Please note, this is only a call for creative non-fiction pitches – do not send complete submissions, or work in any other genre. “The Winter 2025-26 issue of The Stinging Fly, due to publish in November 2025, will have a special focus on the climate crisis, where we will showcase visionary, provocative, and original new work about the climate and the endangered future of our planet.
We now invite pitches for pieces of creative non-fiction engaging with this topic. Your pitch, which should be submitted through this form, should clearly outline what you wish to write about, how you intend to develop it, and what will make your essay effective, unique or compelling.” They will open for fiction and poetry submissions in May. They pay €45 per magazine page of non-fiction, but with a minimum/maximum payment of €325/€1,200. For shorter essays (1 – 2 pages), they pay €150. The pitch deadline for creative non-fiction on this theme is 31 March 2025 (see guidelines). Details here, here, and here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.