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HOW TO SUBMIT
"The door is open but the bar is high."
Please take a look at our masthead.
"Philadelphia" means that we prefer writing that is from and/or about the city of Philadelphia
(although we are also interested in rest of the world, especially cities).
"Independent" means you should speak your own mind, not somebody else's.
Wherever possible, research your subject until you can speak from a position of authority,
and then use your familiarity with the facts to say something new.
"General Interest" means you need to write in English that is both original and
comprehensible to a wide audience, with as few clichés and empty jargon terms as possible.
"Miscellaneous" means we have a fairly omnivorous menu of beats we're interested in,
and we're always open to adding more hotel pans to the steaming buffet.
"Bimonthly Journal" means that whatever you write needs to be worth reading
twelve months from now. "Particulars" mean you should find and describe interesting cases
in their full detail, rather than flattening them into conforming with a general hypothesis.
First, please submit via email if possible.
Second, we take deadlines very seriously and expect our contributors to do the same.
Generally, Go slowly. Pay attention. Be honest.
News: How does one write a news report every sixty days? We usually wrestle with this problem in-house,
but if you've got experience, an idea, and a love for the facts, send us a pitch.
Essays, Reports, Experiments & Miscellany: Write up a short proposal containing
one or more article ideas and email it to [email address removed],
or mail it to the address on the left. If you are interested in a field of particulars,
such as fire hydrants or locksmiths, you should find one or two instances to write about
rather than attempting to summarize all of them at once.
Fiction: We welcome unsolicited fiction.
Email [email address removed], or mail your submission to the address on the left.
Poetry: We welcome unsolicited poetry. Email [email address removed] or mail submissions to
Molly's Bookstore, Attn: TPI Poetry, 1010 S. 9th St., Philadelphia, PA, 19147.
The Microscope: This is the likeliest way to be published in The Philadelphia Independent:
Find a book, a play, a publication, a band, a restaurant, a bodega, a park, a person,
or anything else that's in Philadelphia, that's never before been written about, ever,
and that you're excited about, and be the very first person to explain in print
exactly what this thing is and what makes it so great, in 200 to 1,000 words.
Fine Art: Send digital files at 300 dpi. You can burn a CD and mail it, or email us a TIFF or JPEG attachment.
If that didn't make any sense, call us on the phone, make an appointment,
and drop by with originals for us to scan.
Things We Like: The analysis of civic and public systems. Grand and earnest public proposals.
New or forgotten histories. Verifiable facts that have never been written down before.
Writing that doesn't sound or feel like the writing we're already publishing.
Anything from abroad.
If You Are Angry: Please be patient. We are perpetually behind.
If you're mad, please write us an email and say so. Even better, email us and tell us to hurry up before you get mad.
On Style: There is no "house style" at The Independent.
We leave the matter of style in your hands.
We do caution against underestimating the 's intelligence.
You should assume your piece will be read by an educated,
patient reader who has very limited knowledge of Philadelphia and its environs.
We also caution against trying to make your writing sound or read like what's already in the paper.
Your writing should sound like itself, and be suited to your subject matter.
On Assignments: We do not give assignments to new writers.
If you do not have any ideas to propose to us, your first assignment is to come up with some.
We are not able to give writers money at this time.
Contributors are entitled to a limited amount free advertising space,
which is cumulative and transferable to others.
On the First Person: Whenever possible, avoid giving first-person accounts of your own deeds.
Never, ever, refer to yourself as an established or aspiring writer, poet, or artist of any kind in your own writing.
If you want to establish yourself as such through the paper, the best way is to
submit work for publication in the relevant discipline.
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