Pitches wanted (creative work, music) | $100 per article
Added 2025-03-16 02:58:28 +0000 UTCCOMPANY/PUBLICATION: BROAD SOUND
Deadline: 2 May 2025
CALL FOR PITCHES: After we cover The Sunset Tree next month, we’re moving on to the next Broad Sound Spotlight. ANNOUNCING: Experiments in “Thunder Road.” Send pitches by May 2 for analysis of/creative work inspired by a masterpiece of music. Pay: $100.
BROAD SOUND SPOTLIGHTS: Experiments in Thunder Road
In 1947, Raymond Queneau published the book Experiments in Style. In this remarkable work (available in full here), Queneau told the same story 99 times in 99 styles, ranging from conventional narrative, to philosophy, to comedy, to sonnet, to haiku, to everything he could imagine.
At Broad Sound, our only question is: why not arts and culture analysis? So for the next edition of Broad Sound Spotlights—special editions devoted to a single work of art—we’re announcing Experiments in Thunder Road.
We’re seeking pitches for thoughtful and creative engagement with Bruce Springsteen’s 1975 masterwork “Thunder Road,” the opening track off Born to Run. We’re looking for analysis of the song both technical and personal. We’re looking for short fiction and poetry. We’re looking for quite literally any way you can think of to work with this incredible song. All that matters is that you have a unique angle on the work, one that distinguishes your pitch from the others. If we’re dividing “Thunder Road” as many ways as we can, which portion do you want to lay claim to, and how do you mean to do it?
There are as many ways to take this prompt as there are minds reading it, but a few ideas to get you started:
Do you know the definitive composing and recording history of “Thunder Road”? We’ll need that!
Did the song change your life? We wouldn’t be surprised! How so?
Bruce has changed how he plays it over the years. What distinguishes his different interpretations?
How do the lyrics of “Thunder Road” hold up as poetry?
Bruce learned to make his guitar talk. What is it saying?
Who is Mary? How does she fit into the pantheon of the Boss’s objects of adoration?
Who’s got the all-time best cover?
And please do send us short fiction, poetry, and experimental work. This is not an anthology of analysis. This is Experiments in Thunder Road.
Pay: $100 USD upon completion of the editorial process.
Deadline: Send pitches (and yes, creative pieces can be pitched) to broadsoundmag@gmail.com by midnight EST on May 2, 2025. Pitches will be accepted on a rolling basis.
Usual fine print: By pitching, you’re agreeing to engagement in a sometimes involved editing process. You’ll get notes from editor-in-chief Ethan Warren, and from there, you’ll do a multi-round process with copy-editor/fact-checker Sydney Urbanek. A good-faith engagement this routine is essential to Broad Sound operating, so by pitching, you’re signing up for the full experience. People tend to agree it’s worth it.
Now let’s trade in these wings on some wheels and pull out of here to win with a remarkable new collection devoted to a remarkable work of art.
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CONTACT INFORMATION (please do not share the email address publicly):
Questions/submissions: broadsoundmag@gmail.com
Website: https://www.broadsoundmag.com/
TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:
Learn more about the publication: Broad Sound is an annual journal of arts and culture featuring essays, interviews, and creative writing. It covers topics such as film, music, fine art, and literature, with contributions that range from academic to personal and experimental. The journal aims to provide a platform for diverse voices exploring various aspects of contemporary culture.
Read through a selection of recent articles/stories on its website.
Review the submission guidelines here. Note that these are the publication's general guidelines to help you refine your pitch. You must still follow the editor's specific instructions above.
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.
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