Submission Deadline: Oregon Humanities: Features for Possession

We are now accepting submissions for the Spring 2021 issue of Oregon Humanities on the theme “Possession.” We want to hear stories about property and wealth, having and holding, things gained and taken away. Explore issues relating to sovereignty, self-determination, dominion, or ownership. Tell us about how control of wealth and territory show up in Oregon’s history and present. Write about influences on your own life or work, for good or ill, or about the things you possess: land, belongings, emotions, beliefs, or innate characteristics.

We’re looking particularly for stories that relate to challenging questions, diverse perspectives, and just communities. Tell us something we’ve never heard before. Show us something from a different angle. Make us feel, see, hear, smell the world anew.

We welcome all forms of nonfiction writing, including all forms of essays and journalism, and excerpts from forthcoming or recently published books. Please send drafts of personal essays, which should push beyond simple narrative and consider larger thematic questions. If you’re pitching a journalistic or researched piece, please send a proposal, links to your clips, if any, and tell us why you’re the person to write this story. Features generally range between 1,500 and 4,000 words. All contributors are paid between $500 and $1000, depending on the length and complexity of the piece. Currently the magazine is distributed free to 12,000 readers. Work from Oregon Humanities has been reprinted in textbooks, the Pushcart Prize anthology, Utne Reader, the Guardian, and Best American Essays, and featured on public radio programs Think Out Loud, State of Wonder, and This American Life.

If you are interested in contributing to this issue, please read past issues and the guidelines for writers. Please note that at this time, we only accept work by writers who reside in Oregon, though no proof of residence is required. Then, submit one proposal or one draft by Sunday, January 3, 2021, to editors@oregonhumanities.org. Questions welcome by email. No phone calls, please—we aren’t in the office to answer.