[Please carefully read this entire
section before submitting work.]

Our writers are all, with a few exceptions, women living in Western North Carolina.* We welcome writing from corporate execs, university faculty, housewives and mommies. We recognize that wisdom and profound insight, humor and wit can reside within any of us, no matter the letters following our name or our position in society.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

1. WNC WOMAN celebrates the wisdom, insight, experience, and know-how of women. We want to read about women doing stuff: building things—whether it is barns, businesses, or better mousetraps; fixing things, whether it is her plumbing, her car, or her life. We want to know what you have done that you never thought you could do. We want to read about you turning around a bad situation. We want to read about things that work: successful alliances formed, dreams manifested, obstacles overcome. We want to read about women who say "Oh yeah? Says who?" to the lies they have been told, the myths about what is and is not possible. We also want some really juicy fiction, poetry that moves us, (we only accept free verse) and essays that get us thinking. We would love to have at least one belly laugh per issue—a dozen if possible.

2. We have a very particular intent with WNC WOMAN. See our Mission/Vision Statement on our Home page. We have many submissions from which we choose the most appropriate pieces. We encourage you to study the magazine to get a better idea what we are looking for.

3. Writers usually* must be women living in Western North Carolina. Only rarely do we make exceptions. (In our annual June Y Chromosome issue, we invite those with a Y Chromosome to join our ranks! And beginning in July 2010, we are interested in one profile each month of particularly inspiring men or an article about relationships from the male perspective.) And we only write ABOUT women living in Western North Carolina.

4. Length of articles: We like depth so we'll accept pieces up to about 2500 words (and photos or artwork too, in 300dpi); we are interested in short pieces from time to time (say, 500 words) but generally like from 1000 words up.

5. Looking at some new categories: In the past we were not interested in health related articles; however, since the demise of New Life Journal, we feel this area is not well covered in WNC. We are interested in stories of your experiences with health crises, how you coped, who supported you, etc. Articles that inspire others is what we like to read. We love reviews of books by regional writers. If you have an idea for an entirely new category, send us an email at editors@wncwoman.com and we will discuss it with you.

 

WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR:

1. We are NOT interested in what is out there in abundance. Even when we focus on health or music or food, we want an interesting, unusual, perhaps unique and personal viewpoint.

2. We are not interested in "newsworthy" information: we are not a newspaper. We want our content to be as timely a year or six years from now as it is the day it comes out. We do not accept press releases: if you want to get word out about your event, consider a display ad in WNC WOMAN (ads make this publication possible.)

3. We are not interested in self-promotional articles about your product or service: this is the role of paid advertising. Paid advertising is what makes this publication possible. We do a number of profiles of local business women each month, but we want those to be rich with who the woman is, how and why she started her business, what her challenges have been, not simply what she does.

PREPARING YOUR WORK

1. We are looking for excellence in the written word. We encourage a positive tone and active voice. Think about what might go in a sidebar. If there are good websites related to your article, do include their URL. We expect you to have carefully edited and proofed your work, and to have run a spell check.

2. Include your bio which will be printed at the end of your article. Two or three sentences should be sufficient. Please include in your bio whatever contact information you'd like for our readers and put it at the end of your article.

SUBMITTING YOUR WORK

1. Please send your article via email to submissions@wncwoman.com as an attached Word document or directly in the email.

2. At this time we are not able to pay our writers. We want the rights to print your work and have it online, but otherwise, because we are not paying, we do not assume ownership—it is yours to do with as you will after it is published in WNC WOMAN. If it is later published elsewhere, we simply ask that at the end you say "First published in WNC WOMAN" and the date.

3. Even if we express interest in your work and say we intend to publish it, we never know until the very last minute if it will fit in print in a particular month... it may not fit until several months later;we will let you know once the final version goes to the printer.

4. Please put the word SUBMISSION as the first word in the subject line; this helps us retrieve relevant emails easily.

6. The deadline is the first of the month AT LEAST ONE, PREFERABLY TWO MONTHS in advance. For example, we need to receive an article for the January issue by December 1st, hopefully November 1st. We may possibly take work closer to the publication date, so email to ask if you are working on something but won't have it by the two-month deadline... but the FINAL deadline is the first of the month prior to publication. We will give priority to those articles submitted earliest, all things being equal.

7. Please submit your own work, unless you do not have a computer and you submit it through a friend. Otherwise, we do not accept third party submissions (as through an agent or publicist.)

* We are now accepting writing from women outside of Western North Carolina.

UPCOMING THEMES

Our goal with each issue is to focus primarily on a theme and round out the issue with other topics, book reviews, and monthly columns. If you have written something that you don't think "matches" a particular theme, please submit it and let us decide where it might fit!

July 2011:
Miracles, synchronicities, and magical moments.

August 2011:
Our Bodies,
Our Selves:
mind - body - spirit

September 2011:
A Local Harvest: the slow food movement; where to buy local produce; how do local farmers make a living; yummy autumn recipes; extending the summer and fall garden; and more about eating and living local.

October 2011:
It's a Woman's World: let's hear about what's happening locally and around the world in women's lives, young and old and in between. Change; opportunities; growth; obstacles overcome.

November 2011:
The Art of Art: from music to painting to crafts to writing; from hobby to making a living: the creative life, its rewards and challenges.

December 2011:
The Art of Giving: Decfrom money to things to time... What giving means; how you do it now and why. When you give too much.

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Send us YOUR suggestions for
future issues! editors@wncwoman.com

 

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA WOMAN
is a publication of INFINITE CIRCLES, INC.