Pitches wanted (cynicism) | $150 per piece

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: FULL STOP

Deadline: 15 October 2021

Most romance will end in heartbreak. The rich will get richer and the poor, poorer. The climate apocalypse has already begun and we don’t see it slowing down any time soon. Once again, the virus will find a new way to mutate and Pfizer will find a way to inject us with yet another booster dose. The idealistic among us will take to the streets, demanding change from spineless politicians. The cynics among us may join, not because we believe that positive change is on it’s way, but maybe because it’s much harder to bear the guilt that sitting at home makes us feel. Bukowski’s ‘Alone With Everybody’ aptly captures our ever-growing cynicism:

nobody ever finds
the one.

the city dumps fill
the junkyards fill
the madhouses fill
the hospitals fill
the graveyards fill

nothing else
fills.

Diogenes, who’s considered the founder of the ancient Greek philosophy of Cynicism, sought to expose society’s hypocrisies and challenge norms by defying what it considered a proper life and instead, chose to live life rather differently. He slept outside on the streets and an important part of his lifestyle was performing private functions like defecating and copulating publicly - he wanted to disturb the distinction between the private and the public spheres. Today, we use the term ‘cynic’ or ‘cynical’ to refer to someone who thinks that people are motivated purely by self-interest, or more colloquially, to someone who doubts the utility or worth of something. In that sense, there’s much in common between ancient Cynics and modern-day cynics - both know that there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

We are seeking writers who explore these different valences of cynicism, ancient and modern, political and personal, especially as it may relate to a cultural artifact like a book, film, song, poem, painting and so on. Other topics that we are interested in, but not limited to, are:

• How does cynicism differ from pessimism or nihilism? Is there a political utility to any of these approaches/philosophies/ways of life?
• The figure of the cynic in poetry (we’re especially interested in poetry from the non-West)
• The depiction of Cynics in film and TV (Bojack Horseman? Rick and Morty?)
• Who gets to be cynical?

We are interested in pieces in a wide variety of genres, including but not limited to: reported journalism, personal essays, critical essays, interviews, creative archives, aesthetic products, and book reviews.

HOW TO SUBMIT:

Please send a short description (250-500 words) of your potential contribution to kudrat@full-stop.net. Since we’re a tiny publication run mostly by volunteers, we are only able to offer a small compensation. All contributions will be paid about 150 USD, depending on the length and breadth of your submission. Pitches should be submitted by October 15th and decisions will be made by October 30th.

About us: Full Stop is a literary magazine founded in 2011, run by a volunteer collective of editors, among them present and former graduate students and veterans of unionization campaigns. The Full Stop Quarterly is a regular epub produced by Full Stop, available to Patreon subscribers, or $5 per issue. All contributions to the Quarterly are published online in the months following the issue’s initial release, and are then available for free. All contributors to the Quarterly are paid $100-150, and all revenue from the Quarterly goes toward paying contributors. The Quarterly is also funded by a grant from the Community of Literary Magazine and Presses and the Whiting Foundation.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Questions / submissions: kudrat@full-stop.net

Website: https://www.full-stop.net/