Pitches wanted (cannabis) (worldwide) | 40 cents to $1 per word

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: BROCCOLI 

Deadline: 22 January 2021

The usual courteous banalities feel wholly inadequate to the times we are in, but even so: we hope that this email finds you well and safe and supported, or as well and safe and supported as anyone can be right now, and we hope the new year brings you good things.

Broccoli Issue 12 is in the works, and we’re looking to commission stories. If you haven’t pitched us before, know that we read every single email that comes in during the pitch window. After the deadline, the editorial team has an epic phone call to debate, discuss, and decide which stories to commission. So take the time you need to craft your pitch; there’s no advantage to being first to hit send. If you have a lot of story ideas (wonderful!), please put them all in one email. We’ll respond to every email once the pitch window closes. Please note that we do not publish pitches from PR agencies representing brands.

This round of pitches is due by 9:00 a.m. EST Friday, January 22nd. All stories will be assigned by Friday, January 29th. First drafts will be due by Monday, February 22nd. Any features assigned for Issue 13 will have later deadlines. Keep in mind that there is a three-month lead time between issues, so this is not a space for breaking news. Issue 12 will hit stands in Summer 2020.

Now, for the pitch prompts.

PITCH PROMPTS

BODY AWARENESS: Curious to hear from folks who use cannabis for its physical (not mental) effects and bring that into the creative realm. Think dancers, rock climbers, etc., but no pitches on yoga, please. Could be a Q & A or a profile; 300 to 800 words.

CREATIVE CREATORS: Profiles of game designers, poets, landscape architects, luthiers, and other artistic folk at work right now that don’t always get the limelight. We’re always looking to bring new creative mediums into our pages. 300 to 500 words, or an 800-word Q & A.

WORLD VISIONS: Writers outside of North America, Broccoli wants cannabis-related culture and human-interest stories specific to your localities. Introduce Broccoli readers to your corner of the world: What’s happening in Sri Lanka? Are people vaping in Oman? How do you find weed in Belarus? We’re looking for human-centered tales of how specific people in specific places engage with weed, not capsule histories of legalization policy. Since we have a three-month lead time between issues, these pitches should not center on breaking news or reporting events, unless they can be framed in a way that transcends the moment. Length and format flexible.

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES: Reporting from Indigenous writers who can speak to how legal (or illegal) cannabis impacts their communities. Length and format flexible.

CONVERSATIONS WITH FASCINATING FOLK: Jarina De Marco, Jessamyn Stanley, Mennlay Golokeh Aggrey, Claire Evans... this is just a sampling of some of the interesting people writers have interviews for Broccoli. Pitch a person you'd like to talk to for Issue 11; stories featuring people of color, people outside North America, and people over the age of 50 are especially welcome. Q&A format, assignments range from 800 to 1,000 words.

CLIMATE AND CANNABIS: Reported feature rooted in the story of a specific place or person offering an in-depth look at an unexpected intersection of climate and cannabis, either positive or negative. Up to 1,000 words.

RITUALS: A 350- to 500-word essay that introduces, evokes, or explains a culturally-specific practice by a writer belonging to that culture. Send us a brief note describing the ritual you’d like to write about and your experiences with it. For one take on this, see Noël Duan’s “Money to Burn” about burning joss paper at funerals in Broccoli 02, or “Singing is Adornment to Our Souls,” Rachel Rilkoff’s essay on singing in Doukhobor choirs in Broccoli 10.

THEME: A 1,000-word essay on something worth obsessing over—examples include an exploration of seashells by Dana Covit in Issue 04 and a meditation on mood rings by Ellen Freeman in Issue 03. These semi-deep dives should incorporate some element of history and research; the essential thing is communicating a sense of discovery. Some ideas we’re hoping to commission include rebel/creative nuns (think Sor Juana de la Cruz, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, etc.) and vessels (both as object and metaphor) but we’d also love to hear what you want to write about. Please include links to any relevant published work in your pitch, as well as a short gloss on how you’d approach your theme.

ARTFUL LIVES: Broccoli loves profiles of the interesting women or nonbinary folks who came before us, especially artists, writers, musicians, and designers who blazed their own trails. (See previous issues for Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sister Corita Kent, Pegge Hopper, Leonora Carrington, Maruja Mallo, etc.) Could be dead or living, ideally not a household name. (Pro tip: if you pitch a visual artist, please include who controls rights to the work. Budgets and logistics are real, and we have to be sure we can get permissions and afford to license images.) Looking back in history is an asset; all hail the public domain! 600 to 800 words.

POTLUCK: Want to pitch us something else? Please do. Broccoli is a magazine for cannabis lovers, but only some of what we publish directly references weed. We love fresh, informed writing that is thoughtful, curious, smart and funny.

CONTACT INFO & EXTRA DETAILS

Send all pitch emails to editors@broccolimag.com. Concise pitches are preferred, and please don’t send attachments; keep it all in the body of the email. Include links to the writing that best captures your voice and perspective. Click here for our full pitch guidelines.

We pay all contributors. Rates are negotiated when a piece is commissioned. We’ll do our best to match your standard rate. Rates usually hover somewhere between $.40-$.50/word, with flat rates for shorter pieces in the $75-$100 range. We’ll go up to $1/word for the right story, but it depends on our budget capacity. Writers are asked to submit an invoice after their piece clears fact-checking.

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 do keep us in mind for future pitches.

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. 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.