Pitches wanted (Soviet Jewish experiences) | up to $1 per word

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: JEWISH CURRENTS

Deadline: 23 April 2021

We're seeking pitches for our Fall 2021 themed issue: The Soviet Issue. Send pitches, tips, or finished work to submissions [at] jewishcurrents [dot] org by April 23rd. Rates depend on form and vary significantly, i.e., poetry = $150/poem while investigations are $1/word. Most everything else is somewhere in between.

CALL FOR PITCHES FOR FALL 2021

Jewish Currents invites pitches for our Fall 2021 themed issue, which will focus on Soviet Jewish experiences both in the Soviet Jewish diaspora and in the former Soviet Union. We are looking for reported features, investigative pieces, profiles, conversations, and essays; we also welcome tips for stories even if you can’t write the piece yourself. We invite stories on a range of topics, including but by no means limited to: intergenerational politics in the Soviet Jewish community, Jews in contemporary Russian politics or the role of Soviet Jews in international politics, Holocaust memory and memorial sites, investigations into Russian Jewish philanthropy, personal emigration narratives and analytical interventions into established emigration narratives, explorations of cultural and ethno-religious practices, and more. In addition to our normal editorial review process, we are working with a committee of writers and scholars whose work and life experience is relevant to these subjects.

The issue will include a section re-thinking the American movement for Soviet Jewry and its lasting impact on contemporary American Jewish politics from a progressive perspective. For this project, we particularly encourage proposals from historians and academics for short, targeted interventions into the established narrative.

Proposals for relevant book reviews and other criticism are welcome. We will also review full drafts of creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and comics submissions, as well as images for visual art and infographics. We will also consider narrative or illustrated recipes.

If you are a younger activist and you’d like to interview an older Soviet Jewish activist for our “Office Hours” column, please pitch us.

Please email pitches, tips, or finished work to submissions@jewishcurrents.org by April 23rd with the subject line SOVIET ISSUE: [description of pitch]. Pitches should answer not just the “what?” of the piece, but also “why” “why now?” and “why you?”

We look forward to hearing from you.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

• Questions / submissions: submissions@jewishcurrents.org
• Website: https://jewishcurrents.org/

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: Jewish Currents is a progressive publication of politics, arts and culture. It is committed to the rich tradition of thought, activism, and culture of the Jewish left. More information here.
• Read through a selection of recent Soviet-related 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 Database and at SuccessfulPitches.com.