SPRING 2025 \/\/ Kith & Kin<\/p>\n
The phrase kith and kin\u2014which means friends and relatives\u2014is decidedly folksy, and definitely brings to mind more rural sensibilities. Long ago, \u201ckith\u201d could also refer to knowledge, or to a homeland\u2014how are they all related? Do Americans think of themselves as one people anymore? What should we make now of the adage \u201cOut of many, one\u201d? What makes a friend or neighbor, and why are they important? \u201cKin,\u201d of course, is still in use as a stand-in for \u201cfamily.\u201d Who do we consider family? Do non-human animals count? Do plants and insects? Will AI chatbots really replace human interaction?<\/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<\/li>\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<\/li>\n Essays, book reviews, provocations, cultural criticism and think pieces<\/strong> of 500 to 3,500 words (We\u2019re themed, so make sure you tell us when you submit why it fits the theme). You can write about big issues, movies, TV, books, art exhibitions or anything else that has sparked a good idea. We\u2019re particularly interested here in exploring the media and meaning crises, and nuanced ways to understand the current culture war. Please send full pieces for consideration.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n We are not accepting unsolicited poetry<\/strong> at this time, though we do have an ongoing poetry series in the magazine.<\/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\n