Pitches wanted (food) | up to ~$1,000+ per piece

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: OXFORD AMERICAN

Deadline: 15 November 2025

The Oxford American is now accepting pitches for our upcoming Spring 2026 Food Issue. We’re looking for stories that explore how food preserves a legacy, crosses borders, and creates connection. Learn more and submit your work by November 15.

2026 FOOD ISSUE

The Oxford American is now accepting pitches for our Spring 2026 Food Issue. With this issue, we hope to survey the ways in which food holds a legacy, crosses a border, or creates a connection.

We’re looking for original, narrative-driven stories that explore the Southern food landscape in all its complexity—whether through cultural criticism, reported features, or profiles.

More specifically, we’re looking for:

• Reported features on food systems, sustainability, or labor

• Profiles of food innovators, activists, or unsung culinary heroes

• Deep dives into the history or politics of a dish, ingredient, or culinary tradition

• Personal essays that use food as a lens to explore identity, culture, family, or place

• Thoughtful critiques or trend pieces

The deadline to submit pitches is November 15, 2025. Pitches can be sent to submissions@oxfordamerican.org and should include:

• A clear and concise explanation of the story

• A plan to make your story a great read (is there an interesting figure at the center? A narrative arc to the story?)

• A very short argument for why this story is interesting, unique, and needs to exist

• A note on why you should be the person to write it

• A plan to make it happen

CONFIDENTIAL NOTE: Reports indicate that Oxford American pays up to $1,000+ per piece. It is recommended that you discuss the rate(s) with the editor upon the acceptance of your pitch.

--------------------

CONTACT INFORMATION (please do not share the email address publicly):

• Questions/submissions: submissions@oxfordamerican.org

• Website: https://oxfordamerican.org/

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: Oxford American is a nonprofit quarterly magazine that publishes fiction, poetry, essays, and long-form cultural writing centered on the American South. It covers Southern music, literature, art, and lived experience through print and multimedia features. Its aim is to capture the depth and diversity of Southern identity through storytelling and creative expression. More information here.

• Read through a selection of recent articles/stories on its website.

• Check out our collection of pitch excerpts on this page and find more sample pitches at The Open Notebook and at SuccessfulPitches.com.

• Do not forget to end your pitch with (1) a short introduction about yourself; (2) a few lines highlighting your writing experience, relevant credentials and publication credits; and (3) links to your strongest work or portfolio, and online profile.

--------------------

LOOKING FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES? Find additional jobs on Extra. Check out the upcoming deadlines on our PLUS+ Calendar. Filter the listings by category (worldwide opportunities, high-paying leads, paying publications, and non-pitching jobs). Use the search form on the homepage to find opportunities relevant to your interests.

WANT OUR DIGEST delivered to your inbox? Go to your email settings and make sure the notifications for Write Jobs PLUS+ are turned on. Want more tips? Read the welcome notes here.