Call for Submissions: Frenemies

In The Fray Magazine | Call for Submissions | August-September 2014: Frenemies

“Frenemies”: friends with fewer benefits. It’s often an apt term to describe our working lives, where polite interactions mask fierce competition. But it applies to other domains as well: from the love-hate relationships of siblings and lovers, to the tangled web of international relations (take, for example, longtime allies Germany and the US, recently in a bitter spat over American espionage). Yet having a frenemy is not necessarily a bad thing. Musical rivalries produce great songs (see the hit musical Beautiful). One-time political opponents sometimes become the most formidable of allies (see Bush v. Gore veterans/gay-marriage crusaders David Boies and Ted Olson).

In The Fray magazine is looking for profiles, essays, and photo essays that have something to say about friendly rivals, and rival friends. Tell us about the struggles that ensued, and the regrets and resolutions that followed. Tell us about battles between best friends, reluctant enemies, or best and worst selves. 

Please review our submissions guidelines and send a one-paragraph pitch to the appropriate section editor NO LATER THAN OCTOBER 1, 2014. You may attach a complete draft if you have one.

We also welcome submissions of news features, commentary, book and film reviews, art/photography, and videos on any other topics that relate to the magazine’s themes: understanding other people and cultures, encouraging empathy and compassion, and defying categories and conventions.

We look forward to hearing from you.