Culture11 is a new Web magazine seeking talented freelancers.
They aim to publish exceptional reportage, skillful storytelling, provocative cultural analysis and intellectually honest argumentation. Our subject matter includes the arts, politics, education, leisure, faith, family, ideas, community, technology, commerce and media. Our editorial slant is big tent right-of-center -- as open-minded about what we publish as The New Republic, The New Yorker or The New York Times Magazine, but on the center-right rather than the center-left. They'll publish apolitical pieces, explicitly conservative and libertarian pieces, and even an occasional left-of-center piece. They're committed to rendering the world as it is, engaging ideas rather than dismissing them, and conversation rather than polemic. There isn't any ideological litmus test for the writers.
Submission guideline:
FEATURES EDITOR seeks exceptional non-fiction, ideally with a narrative element -- 1,000 to 3,000 words, a premium put on great reportage, skillful storytelling and fresh ideas. Also considered: personal essays, idea driven arguments and dispatches that make an argument about what a place is like (see our Pins on a Map feature). Some writers who execute the kind of feature pieces in which we're interested include Michael Lewis, Tom Wolfe, Heather MacDonald, Malcolm Gladwell, Joan Didion, Jack Hitt, Josh Levin, Susan Orlean, Lawrence Weschler, Ian Frazier, Clive Thompson, Lawrence Wright, Ted Conover and Chris Anderson.
Send pitches and/or submissions to conor@culture11.com - at least one idea for a piece.
POLITICS EDITOR seeks confident, thoughtful reported stories and ideas commentary, 700 to 1600 words. Emphasis is on direct, firsthand experience; a premium is placed on your ability to contextualize big, important issues within a framework that your experience creates. Think Hunter Thompson on the '68 Convention, Christopher Hitchens on Cyprus, David Rieff, Rebecca West, Taki, David Brooks. Direct pitches and submissions to conor@culture11.com and put POLITICS in the subject line. Pitches must be clearly, concisely, and thoroughly detailed, unless they are brilliant, in which case they may be of whatever length or detail. The editor is willing to take risks and even wing it but is not to be trifled with.
ARTS EDITOR seeks informed criticism and reported essays on the state of pop culture in the 800-1500 word range. A wide range of subjects will be considered: Movies, television, video games, music, celebrity culture, popular fiction, technology, and Internet trends are all areas of interest. Tonally, pieces will vary -- some will be enthusiastic, some critical, some serious, others frivolous -- but they'll all share a strong curiosity about how Americans interact with the world of technology and pop culture. So if you've got innovative ideas, clear prose, humor, and a strong grasp of the pop landscape, send your pitches (2-3 paragraphs) to peter@culture11.com.
RELIGION EDITOR seeks fresh and provocative non-fiction pieces 800-1400 words. Original essays and reported profiles about new movements, institutions, and religious leaders are preferred. Religion pieces should seek out the odd, rare, and surprising. Spiritual autobiography is strongly discouraged, unless it has Thomas Merton-like literary merit. Send pitches to conor@culture11.com with RELIGION in the subject line.
SPORTS EDITOR seeks pieces that uncover new trends, criticize sports-media, or celebrate historical figures (so long as the author provides a new perspective on the subject). Special favor will be shown to pieces that combine witty writing with original arguments and strong statistical analysis. Think of the spirited prose and arguments of Bill James, and the sites Football Outsiders and FireJoeMorgan. Charts and graphs are welcome. Send pitches to conor@culture11.com with SPORTS in the subject line.
Payment negotiable on a per piece basis.
