Pitches wanted (cannabis, culture, art, history, etc.) (worldwide) | ~40 cents to $1 per word

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: BROCCOLI 

Deadline: 18 January 2022

Ring out, wild bells! It is a new year and time to plan Broccoli’s 15th issue; let’s defrost our creative ideas.

FIRST, THE ESSENTIAL DETAILS:

• Pitches for Issue 15 are due by 9:00 a.m. EST Tuesday, January 18.
• Send pitch emails to editors@broccolimag.com.
• All Issue 14 stories will be assigned by Friday, January 21.
• First drafts for Issue 15 will be due by no later than February 18. Any features assigned for Issue 16/Fall 2022 will have later deadlines.
• Issue 15 will go to print at the end of March and hit stands in Summer 2022.

Now, on to the fun stuff—pitch prompts:

FRESH FACES: Looking to assign two front-of-book features—a 500-word profile and an 800-word Q &A—showcasing someone doing something fresh and noteworthy who is a little under the radar. In previous issues, Broccoli has featured glam wrestlers, computer programmers, gelatin sculptors, sonic installation designers, yogis, and intimacy experts, so let your curiosity be your guide, pitch us who you find compelling, and tell us why. Remember, we’re looking to shine a light on folks who aren’t already spotlit. If someone has had a ton of press, they are probably not a good candidate.

THEME (BUT MAKE IT MINI): Theme features are a Broccoli favorite–a showcase for writers to explore peculiar obsessions. Past examples include seashells, mood rings, rock collecting, and field recordings. These dips into the tidepools of curiosity should look beyond the trend horizon and incorporate some element of history and research; communicating a sense of wondering discovery is essential. For Issue 15, we are looking for pitches that can comfortably be explored in 500 words or less.

NEW HISTORY: Who hasn’t gotten their due? Looking for profiles of historical women or nonbinary folks who deserve wider recognition. (Previous issues have featured Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Corita Kent, Leonora Carrington, Maruja Mallo, Tina Bell, and Qiu Jin.) If you pitch a visual artist, please include who controls rights to the work—budgets and logistics are real, and we have to be able to get permissions and print-friendly files (which can be tricky for archival stories). 600 to 800 words.

ARTS AND LETTERS: 800-1200-word profile of a working artist. (Previous issues have featured the visual artists Mayumi Oda, Pegge Hopper, and Katalin Ladik, and the poet Jasmine Mans.) Ideally, the profile should include quotes from the artist. Again, rights come into play—we cannot commission stories if we cannot get access to or afford image licensing, so please include in your pitch some details on who controls reproduction rights.

EXTRA, EXTRA: Thoughtful reporting on facets of cannabis community and culture with a compelling hook and clear human interest. Should center the voices and experiences of key individuals to illuminate a story that Broccoli readers may not know much about—or that may not be finding space in more traditional publications. Our production timeline is three months, so time-sensitive stories are not a good fit. 800-1,500 words. Particularly interested in stories touching on climate change, culture clashes, and/or equity in the cannabis space.

GRAB BAG: Want to pitch us something else? Please do—and it does not have to be related to weed. Stories that show the writer’s singular thinking, perspective, and voice make us sit up and take note, though personal experience essays are usually a tough sell. We’re always seeking the curious and thoughtful, the witty and strange, the delightful and fun, the deep and nuanced. Hard pass on snark, cruel humor, nihilism, and anything lazy/click-baity.

And one call for a Russian-speaking writer open to assignments— Are you fluent in Russian? Looking for a writer to interview a new-to-us music group for a short 300-500 word feature in English full of sensorially rich prose that pulls a reader into a mesmerizing sonic landscape. If this is you, email us!

If you have many story ideas (wonderful!), please put them all in a single email. Concise pitches are preferred, and please don’t send attachments. Include links to the writing that best captures your voice and perspective. Click here for our full pitch guidelines.

We respond to every pitch, but you may not hear from us until the pitch window closes. We appreciate your patience.

We pay writers. Rates usually hover somewhere between $.40-$.50/word, with flat rates for shorter pieces (350 words or less) between $75 and $100. We’ll go up to $1/word for the right story, depending on our budget capacity. Writers are asked to submit an invoice after their piece clears fact-checking.

All commissioned writers will receive a free copy of the magazine where their work appears.

Questions? Reach out to editors@broccolimag.com

You are getting this email because you have pitched us or written for Broccoli. Not interested in being on the list? Use the unsubscribe link below—but keep us in mind for future pitches.

ABOUT BROCCOLI

Broccoli explores and shapes modern stoner culture by looking at cannabis through an art, culture, and fashion lens, giving the plant a dedicated space to be discussed in a fresh, stylish, and approachable new way. In each issue, Broccoli’s team explores everything from ambient music to screenprinting nuns to weedy concepts with humor and style. Broccoli is published three times each year.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

• Questions / submissions: editors@broccolimag.com
• Website: https://broccolimag.com/

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: Broccoli explores and shapes modern stoner culture by looking at cannabis through an art, culture, and fashion lens, giving the plant a dedicated space to be discussed in a fresh, stylish, and approachable new way. In each issue, Broccoli’s all-women team explores everything from ambient music to screenprinting nuns to the latest CBD products with humor and style. Broccoli is published three times each year. More information here.
• Review the submission guidelines here.
• Check out our collection of pitch excerpts on this page and find more sample pitches at The Open Notebook Database and at SuccessfulPitches.com.

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