A Blog of One’s Own:

A Call for Contributors

by Jason Tseng, Community Engagement Specialist at Fractured Atlas

Fractured Atlas’s 60,000+ members make this organization incredibly unique. The diversity of experience, of discipline, of aesthetic and of scale is breathtaking. Every kind of artist under the sun can, and probably has, walked through our digital doors and become part of the global community of creative meaning-makers that is Fractured Atlas.

Also, in this period of political unrest and authoritarian attacks on free expression, we feel that, more than ever, the voice of artists need to be elevated.

That’s why we’re inviting you, our members, to contribute to our blog as guest writers. We’re looking for all kinds of pieces. Everything from tutorials of running an arts business or professional development/education to a uniquely artistic perspective on the latest political news story or health and wellness as an artist: we’re open to it. No matter what discipline you work in, or where you are in the world — if you have something interesting and important to say about art, technology, and politics — we’d love to hear it.

And before you ask, yes… we’re paying for your content.

The Details

We pay $100 for feature stories, op-eds, and personal essays (800–1,500 words). We are open to shorter stories like listicles, tips and tools, etc. but those are paid at a lower rate. All multimedia submissions are paid for on a case-by-case basis, but we are committed to paying a fair, nonprofit market rate.

How to pitch:

To submit a pitch, fill out the pitch form below. Your pitch should be 2–3 paragraphs in length and as specific as possible. Due to staff limitations we will only be following up with pitches that we are pursuing, and we reserve the right to turn down pitches without feedback. We are open to publishing non-original content, but the rates for those stories are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Please include when applicable:

• A thesis
• Why your proposed piece is important
• Existing research you’re looking to draw from
• Any potential interview subjects
• Relevant information on a news hook
• Expected word length
• You’re also welcome to submit full-length, previously unpublished articles. Please feel free to link us to a draft of your article (i.e. google doc, medium, etc.).

Some helpful criteria:

At Fractured Atlas, we are interested in using our blog to elevate the stories and the voices of our members in relation to our mission: to break down practical barriers to creative expression. We will be evaluating pitches based off of the following, loose criteria:

1. Align with our mission and themes: Each story must align with our mission, and one or (preferably) more of our themes. Our themes include: innovation, creativity, artistic practice, technology, entrepreneurship, cultural equity, public policy (specifically non-establishment arts policy).
2. Tell a Story: Successful submissions must tell a compelling story, no matter how brief. Whether detailing how you solved a ticketing snafu with an angry patron or a wonky rundown of the latest policy position by the FCC and its effect on the creative class, compelling content tells a story.
3. Illuminate and Educate on Important and Relevant Topics: Each story should try and tap into an important topic that resonates with a broad, diverse community like Fractured Atlas’s membership. Personal stories are totally acceptable, but please be sure that these stories have broader applications/learnings/insights.

You can pitch us stories using this form: