Pitches wanted (tattooing) | ~$300+ per article

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: XTRA

Deadline: 28 July 2023

Mel Woods, Senior Editor at Xtra, is looking for pitches:

CALL FOR PITCHES: I’m curating a series on Queer Tattooing for Xtra later this summer, and am looking to commission a few reported pieces that look at the intersection of queerness, transness and tattooing.

I am looking specifically for reported features and essays with multiple sources that dive into a specific area of queer/trans tattooing. I’ll only be commissioning 3-5 pieces, so being specific and coming in with some sense of your access to sources is appreciated

Some topics I’m particularly interested in hearing pitches for:

• gender-affirming tattooing/medical insurance coverage
• queer iconography and storytelling through tattoos
• queer-owned shops and teaching -trans and BIPOC perspectives to the front!

What I’m not looking for:

• personal essays on what your tattoo means to you/how it made you queer
• profiles of artists (unless they’re really unique)
• people talking about their queer tattoos (covered elsewhere in series)

We accept pitches from writers around the world, but keep in mind we have a largely Canadian/U.S. audience. Rates vary based on story, but for something like this start around $400 CAD. We pay on publication.

I'm setting a deadline for pitches of Friday July 28. I am looking to publish in late August/early September. Send a few paragraphs outlining your pitch, sources, and prospective word count (along with a few clips if we haven’t worked together before!) to mel.woods@xtramagazine.com

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

• Submissions: mel.woods@xtramagazine.com
• Website: https://xtramagazine.com/

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: Xtra is about building a conversation and community among people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer. Xtra aims to provide a sex-positive coverage of news, arts, culture, lifestyle and events. Through longform features, essays, explainers, video documentaries and podcasts—it engages and inspires its audiences to create a more just, free and inclusive world.
• Read through a selection of recent tattooing stories/articles 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 Database and at SuccessfulPitches.com
• Do not forget to end your pitch with (1) a short introduction about yourself; (2) a paragraph 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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