Calls for Submission

Pitch us!

We’re looking for writing about writing—smart and insightful ideas related to the art, craft, history, or philosophy of creative nonfiction.

We’re open to pitches for these kinds of pieces:

  • “Then & now” stories or timelines (examples here and here);
  • Explorations of specific subgenres, considering the work of more than one writer (examples here and here);
  • Arguments or research or ideas about why/how true stories matter (examples here, here, and here);
  • Craft pieces, particularly related to structure, voice, or finding inspiration (examples here, here, and here);
  • Pieces that explore connections between creative nonfiction and other fields/forms (examples here, here and here);
  • In-depth interviews with prominent voices in the field (examples here and here);
  • Or, generally, work that engages deeply in some way with creative nonfiction as a form or practice.

We’re not especially interested in:

  • Book reviews 
  • Op-ed style pieces
  • Literary criticism
  • Pedagogy
  • Philosophy
  • Recurring columns. We do sometimes call this kind of writing “a column,” but this is not the place to pitch a weekly series of dispatches from, say, a cross-country road trip. 
  • Generally, writing that is not about writing. We are, of course, generally very interested in personal essays and narratives, but we don’t accept pitches for these; please submit entire completed works if/when they fit with our other submissions calls.

For upcoming issues, we’re currently looking specifically for pitches related to:

  • flash nonfiction

To pitch an idea, you’ll need:

  • A brief summary of the piece you propose to write: what question or area are you hoping to explore? Why would it be interesting or relevant to Creative Nonfiction’s readers?
  • As applicable, a short list of writers/works you plan to include
  • A brief bio/personal statement: what qualifies you to write this piece? What else have you written/published? 

Writing-about-writing generally ranges in length from 1,000 – 3,000 words; this is a paying market.

Please send pitches via Submittable only. Thanks!