\u201cPeople in glass houses shouldn\u2019t throw stones.\u201d It\u2019s a phrase that evolved from Chaucer and on through the proverb mill, with Benjamin Franklin and others taking turns at the wheel. It\u2019s related to the idea that \u201cthose without sin should not cast the first stone\u201d in that both convey a sense of needing to be self-aware about our own faults and vulnerabilities before we attack others. Though we live in a selfie culture, we seem to have become correspondingly less self-aware. What can we do to pause, and to reflect? What might help us in the process of regarding others as full human beings, even when we may disagree with them? Why do we hate hypocrites so much?<\/p>\n
WHAT WE\u2019RE LOOKING FOR:<\/strong><\/p>\n Fiction<\/strong>, including experimental fiction and erotica, is welcome. Please send pieces of 500 to 2,000 words.<\/p>\n Personal essays or articles<\/strong> for our \u201cSwitchbacks\u201d section that relate points of inflection in a person\u2019s life that have taken them to an unexpected and new place. Please send full pieces for consideration.<\/p>\n TONE & STYLE<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s okay to have a distinctive voice! But we\u2019re also looking for writers who will largely forgo snark, condescension, bullying, point-scoring, self-serving virtue signaling, etc., and will instead try on for size some finesse, awe, grace, wit, and humility. It\u2019s okay to have questions and not answers. Ideas and issues are complicated, and they take time to unwind.<\/p>\n We\u2019re also looking for people who aren\u2019t afraid to write a piece even if people within their bubble might disagree with it. Two great examples are here<\/a> in The Atlantic <\/em>and here<\/a> in Seattle\u2019s Weekly, The Stranger<\/em>. Both are written by hardcore liberals who are willing to call on other liberals to be more rigorous with their arguments.<\/p>\n Be wild, be funny, be weird, be contrarian. The worst we can say is \u2018no.\u2019<\/p>\n COMPENSATION<\/strong><\/p>\n This is a volunteer-run project, and it\u2019s a barn-raising in every way. Printing bills are expensive. But we know your time is valuable and that art isn\u2019t free. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve got a subscription-based model and we don\u2019t give our content away online.<\/p>\n We typically give honorariums of $50 to $150 depending on the piece and its length, as well as for artwork contributions that illustrate articles. Longer, solicited profiles or articles will be compensated at 10 cents per word, to be determined at the time we agree on a proposal and consult our current funds. If there\u2019s a piece that absolutely needs to be written but would require more time and research, we\u2019re willing to look into grants that may fund the work; we are a fiscally-sponsored project of Cultureworks in Philadelphia, and can accept tax-deductible contributions.<\/p>\n *If you are suffering from financial hardship and can\u2019t afford a single issue at $15, you may send an email to editor@rootquarterly.com and we\u2019ll work something out.<\/p>\n