Submissions / story proposals wanted (food, consumption, nourishment) | $500-$1,000 per piece

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: OREGON HUMANITIES (OR) 

Deadline: 12 August 2020

We are now accepting submissions for the fall/winter 2020 issue of Oregon Humanities on the theme “Feed.” We want to hear stories about food, consumption, nourishment, and sustenance. Tell us about feeding a family or feeding your soul, news feeds and livestock feed. How does food drive change, create community, and cause problems? We’re looking for stories about where our food comes from and who benefits from and is harmed by food production; rituals and traditions associated with cooking, eating, and feeding; hunger and food access inequality; and how our consumption relates to racism, sexism, and other forms of injustice. How does food fit into our personal histories and cultural practices, and what is its future? We’re also interested in broader interpretations of the theme—what keeps our systems running, and what feeds our spiritual, social, and intellectual hungers.

We’re looking particularly for stories that relate to challenging questions, diverse perspectives, and just communities. Tell us something we’ve never heard before. Show us something from a different angle. Make us feel, see, hear, smell the world anew.

We welcome all forms of nonfiction writing, including all forms of essays and journalism, and excerpts from forthcoming or recently published books. Please send drafts of personal essays, which should push beyond simple narrative and consider larger thematic questions. If you’re pitching a journalistic or researched piece, please send a proposal, links to your clips, if any, and tell us why you’re the person to write this story. Features generally range between 1,500 and 4,000 words. All contributors are paid between $500–$1000, depending on the length and complexity of the piece. Currently the magazine is distributed free to 12,000 readers. Work from Oregon Humanities has been reprinted in textbooks, the Pushcart Prize anthology, Utne Reader, and Best American Essays, and featured on public radio programs Think Out Loud, State of Wonder, and This American Life.

If you are interested in contributing to this issue, please read past issues and the guidelines for writers. Please note that at this time, we only accept work by writers who reside in Oregon, though no proof of residence is required. Then, submit one proposal or one draft by Wednesday, August 12, 2020, to editors@oregonhumanities.org.

Here are some pieces that demonstrate some of what we’ve been thinking about for the theme:

• Sustainable Halal Meat is Making Inroads in Muslim Communities by Nicole Rasul, Civil Eats
• Poor Conditions at Meatpacking Plants Have Long Put Workers at Risk. The Pandemic Makes it Much Worse. by Gosia Wozniaka, Civil Eats
• Do You Eat Dog? By Soleil Ho, TASTE
• When “Meatless Mondays” Aren't Enough by Alicia Kennedy, The New Republic
• When White People Say Plantation, by Osayi Endolyn, The Sporkful
• Deep Roots by Sam Bakall, Oregon Humanities
• The Farmers of Tanner Creek by Putsata Reang, Oregon Humanities
• The Messy Middle by Camas Davis, Oregon Humanities
• Another Life by Hanna Neuschwander, Oregon Humanities
• The Problems With Palm Oil Don’t Start With My Recipes by Yewande Komolafe, Heated
• How Easy Is That?: Chasing Ina Garten's Perfection With My Mother by Rax King, Catapult
• The Love of Korean Cooking I Share With My White Mother by Noah Cho, Catapult

CONTACT INFORMATION:

• Questions / submissions: editors@oregonhumanities.org
• Website: http://oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine/

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: Oregon Humanities publishes essays that explore the thoughts, perspectives, and experiences of Oregonians, especially those who have been ignored, generalized, or oppressed. It aims to connect Oregonians to ideas that change lives and transform communities. More information here.
• Browse through its selection of recent articles/stories on its website.
• 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.