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

Our writers are all, with a few exceptions, women living in North Carolina.* We welcome writing from corporate execs, university faculty, housewives and mommies, as well as women who ask "Would you like fries with that?".

We are not impressed with celebrity, awards, degrees or pedigrees. Well yes, congratulations and all that, but we also 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 and are growing more and more selective with each issue as we continue to refine what we are all about. 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 must be women living in Western North Carolina. Only very rarely do we make exceptions. (In our June Y Chromosome issue, we invited those with a Y Chromosome to join our ranks!) And we only write ABOUT women living in Western North Carolina.

 

WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR:

1. We are NOT interested in what is out there in abundance. We are not looking, for example, for articles on health, yoga, natural foods, etc. as New Life Journal locally and many many national publications handle that beautifully already. We are not interested in articles on fashion, beauty, home decor...these too are well covered in other publications. We are not open to profiling anyone who has been profiled recently in local media.

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.

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.

4. We are not excited about publishing work that has been published elsewhere, but if it is very unusual and has not been published in WNC, we will consider it.

PREPARING YOUR WORK

1. We are looking for excellence in the written word. Please DO NOT simplify your writing for an eighth-grade reader! 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 send us their URL. We expect you to have carefully edited and proofed your work, and to have run a spell check. If you do not take your work seriously, we won't either.

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. Please include the town where you live.
THIS IS IMPORTANT TO OUR WORKFLOW. IF YOU DO NOT PUT YOUR BIO RIGHT AT THE END OF YOUR ARTICLE WE WILL RETURN YOUR WORK UNREAD.

SUBMITTING YOUR WORK

1. We judge each submission on its own merit and will not be swayed by your resumé, list of credits, awards, etc. so no need to include them. We are as happy to print work from someone who has never been published before than from someone who has a slew of awards!

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.

4. Please send your article via email to submissions@wnc-woman.com as an attached Word document or directly in the email.

PLEASE NEVER EVER MAIL US SOMETHING YOU WANT BACK.

5. In the body of the email, please include the sentence "I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD WRITER'S GUIDELINES" and please put the word SUBMISSION as the first word in the subject line.

6. The deadline is the first of the month TWO MONTHS in advance. For example, we need to receive an article for the January issue November 1st.

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 have just opened up to accepting writing from women outside of Western North Carolina.

THEMES FOR 2008
(subject to change!)

Our goal with each issue is to focus primarily on a theme and round out the issue with other topics.

APRIL 08:
AH WHAT FOODS THESE MORSELS BE!
Food in all its magnificence and seductiveness. The food/culture connection and the foods of our youth. This issue we will actually have...recipes! (Please include a recipe with each submission.)

MAY 08:
THE ONLY THING CONSTANT... IS CHANGE
How do we deal with change in our lives? What pattern interrupts have we experienced that sent us in more joyful directions? What paradigms have shifted for us? Do we fear change, or do we embrace it?

JUNE 08:
THE Y CHROMOSOME
Our fourth Y CHROMOSOME ISSUE in which we write about men and invite men to write. Let's hear some new voices this year!

JULY 08:
THE FUNNY BONE
We love humor in each issue, but let's really go to town this month. Tickle us with your funniest storys, jokes, maybe cartoons? What is the
rôle of humor in your life? Have you ever stopped in your tracks in an uncomfortable situation and turned it around with humor?

AUGUST 08:
'IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO HAVE A HAPPY CHILDHOOD'
How have we created our own stories? Do we go through life playing the victim, or do we choose for ourselves what we make of our lives? [See Byron Katie and The Work for inspiration.] When getting to know others, do we lead with stories of our victimhood? We'd also love to read in this issue small stories of magic in your life: guidance keeping you safe, giving you direction, happy endings. What about our memories... are they real? What about the great variety in eye witness reports... did we even experience what we thought we did?

SEPTEMBER 08:
THE 'S' WORD
Once upon a time, SEX was a word that was not even uttered in 'polite society'. Then some of us lived through the sexual revolution... and some just cheered from the sidelines.

What rôle does sex play in your life? Is it "been there, done that" or are you just discovering your sexual self?

For this issue we invite the erotic: poetry, fiction, etc. We'll figure out how far we will stretch the envelope.

Maybe we could have some funny 'first time' stories?

Birds-and-bees story... how did your parents tell you? How did you tell your children?

OCTOBER 08:
TIME TO BE THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE
It's a historic moment: either the first woman or the first black person will be the Democratic nominee for President. How has this election affected you? Has it rekindled hope or created more same-old-same-old thoughts? Have you or someone you know voted for the first time because of the nature of the candidates or the issues?

Personal experiences, please, not political ideology.

NOVEMBER 08:
WOMEN AND MUSIC
Idea submitted by Susan Lachmann who said: "I think of everything from music in my childhood, marching band and first trip to Europe, singing around the campfire and community building, attending events and inspiration it brings (STOMP, Indigo Girls, Glenn Miller Orchestra) also DRUM circles, teaching guitar to at-risk youth, what I play to calm down, what I play to uplift, Mom singing to the radio, Dad playing American popular songs on reel to reel .......... MUSIC is an essential rhythm of life.
Developmentally, pitch and rhythm are essential to language learning and communications
Physiological and emotional responces, as in music therapy
 
Ask readers to name a favorite song - tell where/when/why -  and see how many stories you get!"

DECEMBER 08:
Women and Fairy Tales
Patty Brooking came up with this month's them:
How about ‘Women and Fairy Tales’  (fairy tales that did/didn’t come true, were shattered, married prince charming?, kissed the frog, but never got the prince? new twists on old tales, misunderstood tales, tales that inspired, confused?  Ever feel like a princess?  Write a new modern  fairy tale, update an old fairy tale etc. etc.

For example, I did not find out that Humpty Dumpty was an egg until I was in college. Now there’s a story!"   

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Send us YOUR suggestions for
future issues!

 

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