Calls for Submissions

 
Blog / Calls for Submissions

Call for Submissions: Resilience


In The Fray Magazine | Call for Submissions | September 2020: Resilience

The pandemic has forced everyone to reconsider how to live, survive, and cope during a time of loss, economic upheaval, and social unrest. For some, the period has also been marked by discovery, resilience, and perseverance. How does one navigate when things are out of control, when civil discourse is anything but, and when six feet is today’s social norm?

In The Fray magazine is looking for essays, reportage, and photo essays that examine how people have responded and what has lifted them up during this time of uncertainty. Please review our submissions guidelines at inthefray.org/submit and send a one-paragraph pitch NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 30. 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. Please distribute this call widely across your social networks, or let us know how we can spread the word.

Dear Reader, In The Fray is a nonprofit staffed by volunteers. If you liked this piece, could you please donate $10? If you want to help, you can also:
 
Blog / Calls for Submissions

Call for Submissions: Free Speech


In The Fray Magazine | Call for Submissions | March-April 2015: Free Speech

The massacre of twelve people at the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo provoked outrage around the globe. Street demonstrators and world leaders alike denounced religious extremism and defended the principle of free speech. While they decried the violent acts, however, some prominent voices reacted to the attack by speaking out against the opposite evil—anti-religious extremism—which they saw in Charlie Hebdo‘s deliberately offensive portrayals of organized religion. “One cannot insult other people’s faith,” Pope Francis said in an interview—drawing a fierce rebuttal from critics, who likened his view to, among other things, a wife-beater’s defense.

In The Fray magazine is looking for essays, reportage, and photo essays that have something to say about free speech—its importance and its limits, its necessity and its consequences. When does cultural sensitivity become excessive political correctness and censorship? To what extent does free speech make a democracy more vibrant, and to what extent does it make a culture more hateful?

Please review our submissions guidelines at inthefray.org/submit and send a one-paragraph pitch to the appropriate section editor NO LATER THAN APRIL 30, 2015. 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. Please distribute this call widely across your social networks, or let us know how we can spread the word.

Dear Reader, In The Fray is a nonprofit staffed by volunteers. If you liked this piece, could you please donate $10? If you want to help, you can also:
 
Blog / Calls for Submissions

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.

Dear Reader, In The Fray is a nonprofit staffed by volunteers. If you liked this piece, could you please donate $10? If you want to help, you can also:
 
Blog / Calls for Submissions

Call for Submissions: Resistance


In The Fray Magazine | Call for Submissions | April 2014: Resistance

Ukraine. Venezuela. Thailand. The Arab Spring. We are living in a time of vibrant protest, captured and magnified by cellphone videos and Twitter feeds. On both the political right and left, grassroots movements have emerged everywhere—including America and Europe—to resist authority and overturn the establishment.

We want to hear your stories of resistance: from powerful mass movements to personal relationships. We are seeking profiles, personal essays, and photo essays of individuals and groups who have stood up to power—triumphantly or tragically, honorably or hypocritically. Describe the ways that people have organized and inspired each other to overcome tough odds. On a smaller level, tell us about how you or someone else fought back against domestic violence, bullying, a hostile work environment, or other kinds of intimidation. Importantly, show us how that single case has something to say about larger issues and broader struggles.

Please review our submissions guidelines and send a one-paragraph pitch to the appropriate section editor NO LATER THAN MAY 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.

Dear Reader, In The Fray is a nonprofit staffed by volunteers. If you liked this piece, could you please donate $10? If you want to help, you can also:
 
Calls for Submissions

Call for Submissions: Forgiveness

Send us stories – captured in prose, art, or photography – about how forgiveness has played out in the lives of individuals and communities.


In The Fray Magazine | Call for Submissions | January 2014: Forgiveness

Nelson Mandela, who spent twenty-seven years in prison before leading South Africa out of apartheid as its first black president, championed forgiveness as a means for the country to heal – but not without first using truth to hold perpetrators accountable and reconcile long-segregated communities. Across societies and racial groups, in workplaces and families, reconciliation seems the trickiest bridge to cross, involving the long span of history and the thin skin of pride. And yet forgiveness, a chorus of religious and ethical traditions tell us, is essential.

We want to hear your stories of forgiveness and reconciliation. We are seeking reportage and analysis of groups dealing with the challenges of forgiveness in their own ways. Send us stories – captured in prose, art, or photography – about how forgiveness has played out in the lives of individuals and communities. How have efforts at reconciliation succeeded and failed? How have war-ravaged countries – or abuse-ravaged families – managed to heal and reunite? What would the alternative have been?

Please review our submissions guidelines and send a one-paragraph pitch to the appropriate section editor NO LATER THAN JANUARY 31, 2014. You may attach a complete draft if you have one.

We also welcome submissions on any other topic that relates to the magazine’s themes: promoting global understanding, encouraging empathy, and demonstrating compassion.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Dear Reader, In The Fray is a nonprofit staffed by volunteers. If you liked this piece, could you please donate $10? If you want to help, you can also:
 
Calls for Submissions

Call for Submissions: Incompetence + Stupidity

From social inanities to institutionalized idiocies, we are looking for pieces — both serious and lighthearted — that speak to the all-too-human nature of ineptitude.


In The Fray Magazine | Call for Submissions | October 2013: Incompetence + Stupidity

In a glaring example of governmental dysfunction, Congress has shutdown the US government and may default on the national debt. Many of the most powerful institutions in history have suffered from mismanagement and corruption, but that is only part of the explanation for their failures. Another is good, old-fashioned stupidity.

Organizations can be infuriatingly bureaucratic. Government leaders can be feckless, clueless, and out of touch. Legal loopholes and unintended consequences can create impairments and catch-22’s.

From social inanities to institutionalized idiocies, In The Fray is looking for pieces — both serious and lighthearted — that speak to the all-too-human nature of ineptitude. We want original news features, commentary, photo essays, and review essays focused on incompetence and stupidity.

Please review our submissions guidelines and send a one-paragraph pitch to the appropriate section editor NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 30, 2013. You may attach a complete draft if you have one.

We also welcome submissions on any other topic that relates to the magazine’s themes: promoting global understanding, encouraging empathy, and demonstrating compassion.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Dear Reader, In The Fray is a nonprofit staffed by volunteers. If you liked this piece, could you please donate $10? If you want to help, you can also:
 
Calls for Submissions

Call for Submissions: Secrets

How does secrecy, even if well-intentioned, affect human relationships? To what extent does it undermine the credibility of government institutions? Does full transparency help or hurt us? In The Fray wants to know your secrets.


In The Fray Magazine | Call for Submissions | July 2013: Secrets

The classified intelligence leaks by former U.S. government contractor Edward Snowden threw a light on the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs. In response, the Obama administration has argued its methods have been legal, transparent, and successful in foiling dozens of terrorist plots.

To what extent does it undermine the credibility of government institutions? How does secrecy, even if well-intentioned, affect human relationships? Does full transparency help or hurt us?

In The Fray wants to know your secrets. This may be a photo essay on hidden places travelers could enjoy in your city or a narrative exploration of an underground community. You might tell us about a time you kept a relationship under wraps or hid a medical diagnosis. We also want to hear humorous accounts of keeping and learning secrets.

Please review our submissions guidelines and send a one-paragraph pitch or draft to the appropriate section editor NO LATER THAN JULY 31, 2013. Include three samples of your previous work (links are preferred).

We are open to submissions on any other topics that relate to the magazine’s themes: promoting global understanding and encouraging empathy.

We look forward to hearing from you.

The Editors of In The Fray Magazine
submissions@inthefray.org

Dear Reader, In The Fray is a nonprofit staffed by volunteers. If you liked this piece, could you please donate $10? If you want to help, you can also:
 
Calls for Submissions

Call for Submissions: Transience

In The Fray is seeking submissions on the theme of transience. The chaos of our lives can be difficult to reconcile, and it is hard to find comfort in knowing everything is in a constant state of flux. For some of us, the experience of transience is more apparent. It is a way of being — sometimes chosen, sometimes not — that defines us.


Note: In addition to the theme below, we welcome submissions on all topics. In particular, we are seeking photo essays on any subject matter.

In The Fray Magazine | Call for Submissions | May 2013: Transience

In his essay, “On Transience,” Sigmund Freud relates a walk he once took through the countryside with a poet friend. This companion told Freud that he could not enjoy the natural beauty when he considered its impending doom. Freud found it incomprehensible that the transience of beauty should interfere with our enjoyment of it.

“A flower that blossoms only for a single night does not seem on that account less lovely,” he wrote.

The chaos of our lives can be difficult to reconcile, and it is hard to find comfort in knowing everything is in a constant state of flux. For some of us, the experience of transience is more apparent. It is a way of being — sometimes chosen, sometimes not — that defines us.

In The Fray is seeking submissions on the theme of transience. This might be a travelogue from a meaningful journey, an essay about migrant workers who see something new with each passing season, contemplations on how changes occur over time, or a humorous story about a short-lived job.

Please email submissions@inthefray.org with a well-developed, one-paragraph pitch for your proposed piece — along with three links to your previous work — NO LATER THAN JUNE 30, 2013.

We are open to submissions on any other topics that relate to the magazine’s themes: promoting global understanding and encouraging empathy.

All contributors are urged to review our submissions guidelines at http://inthefray.org/submissions/.

We look forward to hearing from you.

The Editors of In The Fray Magazine
submissions@inthefray.org

Dear Reader, In The Fray is a nonprofit staffed by volunteers. If you liked this piece, could you please donate $10? If you want to help, you can also:
 
Calls for Submissions

Call for Submissions: Mental Health in Context

In The Fray seeks stories that bring to life the experiences of individuals as they address mental health issues in schools, at home, and in the workplace.


Note: In addition to the theme below, we welcome submissions on all topics. In particular, we are seeking photo essays on any subject matter.

In The Fray Magazine | Call for Submissions | January 2013: Mental Health in Context

After the Newtown elementary school shooting in Connecticut, stories about mental health and gun violence abounded in the news. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that one in four American adults lives with mental illness — and many people with serious mental health conditions are unable to access care. In many countries, the topic of mental health is still taboo, and adequate, respectful treatment is hard to find.

In The Fray is looking for original reportage, commentary, interviews, first-person narratives, and photo essays about mental health, broadly defined. Tell us about how mental health conditions or institutions affected you, your family members, or your friends. Send us stories that bring to life the experiences of individuals — educators, therapists, psychiatrists, employers, and parents — as they address mental health issues in schools, at home, and in the workplace.

Please email submissions@inthefray.org with a well-developed, one-paragraph pitch for your proposed piece — along with three links to your previous work — NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 28, 2013.

We are open to submissions on any other topics that relate to the magazine’s themes: promoting global understanding and encouraging empathy and tolerance.

All contributors are urged to review our submissions guidelines at http://inthefray.org/submissions/.

We look forward to hearing from you.

The Editors of In The Fray Magazine
submissions@inthefray.org

Dear Reader, In The Fray is a nonprofit staffed by volunteers. If you liked this piece, could you please donate $10? If you want to help, you can also:
 
Calls for Submissions

Call for Submissions: Rivalries

This month, In The Fray wants your stories of rivalries. Tell us about the spirit of competition and how these experiences led to an unexpected revelation. Show us the ways that rivalries make people better — and the ways they make people worse.


In The Fray Magazine | Call for Submissions | December 2012: Rivalries

Every one of us has had a rival at one point in our lives: siblings, classmates, coworkers, even strangers. At a national level, we’ve just witnessed a bitterly fought U.S. presidential election, but some of the most iconic rivalries have little to do with politics. Yankees and Red Sox. Microsoft and Apple. Vampires and werewolves. Leno and Letterman.

This month, In The Fray wants your stories of rivalries. Tell us about the spirit of competition and how these experiences led to an unexpected revelation. Show us the ways that rivalries make people better — and the ways they make people worse. As usual, we are open to stories that deal with the topic broadly construed, and in a variety of approaches: profiles, interviews, reportage, personal essays, op-eds, travel writing, photo essays, artwork, videos, multimedia projects, and review essays of books, film, music, and art.

If interested, please email submissions@inthefray.org with a well-developed, one-paragraph pitch for your proposed piece as soon as possible — along with three links to your previous work — NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 15, 2012. All contributors are urged to review our submissions guidelines at http://inthefray.org/submit.

We are also looking for artists, photographers, and writers who can take care of specific assignments, including book and film reviews, interviews, and accompanying photos and artwork. If interested, please follow the instructions at the bottom of http://inthefray.org/submit to join our contributors’ mailing list.

We look forward to hearing from you.

The Editors of In The Fray Magazine
submissions@inthefray.org

Dear Reader, In The Fray is a nonprofit staffed by volunteers. If you liked this piece, could you please donate $10? If you want to help, you can also:
 
Calls for Submissions

Call for Submissions: Corruption

Tell us the ways that dishonesty and greed undermine the proper workings of organizations, from Congress to corporations, from regulations to relationships. Is corruption an inevitable human tendency or a curable condition?


In The Fray Magazine | Call for Submissions | June 2012: Corruption

Corruption is an inevitable part of political life, in countries rich and poor. In India, a Transparency International study finds that 55 percent of citizens have had firsthand experience with bribing government officials. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, storeowners pay police officers protection money to “watch over” their shops. And in the United States, corruption has become a high, if hidden, art, with politicians and lobbyists conspiring to rewrite the rules to grant special interest groups an unfair advantage in the marketplace.

But in recent years, advancing technology and increased public awareness have changed the ways that corruption is tackled, exposed, and ultimately punished. In India, almost a quarter of the country’s members of parliament were recently facing criminal corruption charges, and a strong case can be made that the evolving digital news environment is responsible for their undoing. Websites like Wikileaks have made it easier for whistleblowers to bring misdeeds to light — while also weakening the secrecy that governments argue is necessary for their diplomacy and strategizing.

This month, In The Fray wants your stories of corruption — political and otherwise. Tell us the ways that dishonesty and greed undermine the proper workings of organizations, from Congress to corporations, from regulations to relationships. Is corruption an inevitable human tendency or a curable condition? As usual, we are open to stories that deal with the topic broadly construed, and in a variety of approaches: profiles, interviews, reportage, personal essays, op-eds, travel writing, photo essays, artwork, videos, multimedia projects, and review essays of books, film, music, and art.

If interested, please email submissions@inthefray.org with a well-developed, one-paragraph pitch for your proposed piece as soon as possible — along with three links to your previous work — NO LATER THAN JULY 1, 2012. All contributors are urged to review our submissions guidelines at http://inthefray.org/submit.

We are also looking for artists, photographers, and writers, who can take care of specific assignments, including interviews, book and film reviews, and accompanying photos and artwork. If interested, please follow the instructions at the bottom of http://inthefray.org/submit to join our contributors’ mailing list.

We look forward to hearing from you.

The Editors of In The Fray Magazine
submissions@inthefray.org

Dear Reader, In The Fray is a nonprofit staffed by volunteers. If you liked this piece, could you please donate $10? If you want to help, you can also:
 
Calls for Submissions

Call for Submissions: Debt

Tell us your stories of a debt that was held, paid, or forgotten. Review a book or film that says something meaningful about those of us who owe money or something more. Send us interviews, profiles, and photos of people and groups that bring new meaning to the age-old relationship between debtor and creditor.


In The Fray Magazine | Call for Submissions | March 2012: Debt

Note: This month we are looking in particular for photo essays. Please email us at submissions@inthefray.org if you are a photographer and have work to submit or ideas for a potential project.

Scan a recent headline and there is something about debt: budget deficits, toxic mortgages, leveraged buyouts. Lending greases the gears of our economic machine. In The Fray wants to look at “debt” in all its senses, financial and otherwise. Debts in our relationships, debts in our culture. The perpetual indebtedness of modern life, and the obligations passed down through generations. Forgiveness of debts — those of a person, or a country. Tell us your stories of a debt that was held, paid, or forgotten. Review a book or film that says something meaningful about those of us who owe money or something more. Send us interviews, profiles, and photos of people and groups that bring new meaning to the age-old relationship between debtor and creditor.

We are currently accepting pitches for articles that relate to this theme or more generally to the magazine’s mission of understanding other people and encouraging empathy and tolerance. We are looking for profiles, interviews, reportage, personal essays, op-eds, travel writing, photo essays, artwork, videos, multimedia projects, and review essays of books, film, music, and art. If interested, please email submissions@inthefray.org with a well-developed, one-paragraph pitch for your proposed piece as soon as possible — along with three links to your previous work — NO LATER THAN APRIL 8, 2012. All contributors are urged to review our submissions guidelines at http://inthefray.org/submit.

We are also looking for writers, photographers, and artists who can take care of specific assignments, including interviews, book and film reviews, and accompanying photos and artwork. If interested, please follow the instructions at the bottom of http://inthefray.org/submit to join our contributors mailing list.

We look forward to hearing from you.

The Editors of In The Fray Magazine
submissions@inthefray.org

Dear Reader, In The Fray is a nonprofit staffed by volunteers. If you liked this piece, could you please donate $10? If you want to help, you can also: