Open call for Pitches for the 2024 Are.na Annual

Each year, we put together a book of essays, interviews, and other contributions by members of the Are.na community. We ask for submissions around a given theme — past anthologies have been themed “tend” “portal” and “service” — that take root in a channel. In that way, the writings are another manifestation of the kind of thinking and research that takes place on Are.na.

This year, we’ve landed on the theme “trace,” as in to find or discover through investigation; to copy, sketch, or superimpose; a mark, a sign, an inkling, a glimpse.

As always, this theme should be taken more as guidance than restriction — we’re curious what “trace” brings up for you. We also made this open channel to collect ideas, lines of thought, and potential directions (feel free to add to it). You might look to some of last year’s pieces as examples: The Instability of Stone by Morgan Strahorn, Wild Domesticity by Alice Yuan Zhang, and ASDFGHJKLKGJL by Tiger Dingsun are all now up on the blog. We’ve also published fiction, poetry, recipes, and pieces that weave together text with imagery, or otherwise don’t fit into a conventional format.

Submissions close June 1, 2023. The Are.na Annual will publish in December, and published authors will receive a $100 honorarium. 

Here’s the process for pitching: 

1. Choose a channel that you’d like to expand upon in a piece of writing OR create a channel expressly for this purpose. (If you don’t already have an Are.na account, you can sign up here: are.na/sign_up.)

2. Use the theme “trace” to guide you in your selection. Trace, as in to find or discover through investigation; to copy, sketch, or superimpose; a mark, a sign, an inkling, a glimpse.

3. Write a short paragraph detailing what you’d like to write about. What’s the main idea and how does it relate to the theme? Why are you interested in writing about it? What format do you envision it taking? Note: No particular writing experience is required, just a strong idea and willingness to collaborate / work with an editor. 

4. Fill out this form to send the paragraph and a link to your channel by June 1, 2023 and we’ll respond (to everyone) shortly thereafter. Feel free to share with anyone who may be interested!