The Here section is devoted to short (200-750 words) personal essays situating the personal in a sense of place, whether that be a specific location/building, a community/region, or even a specific object/animal/photo. You should have a tie to the lower Midwest (primarily, but not exclusive to Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska)—whether that means you grew up in, are a transplant to, or have had a meaningful experience in the region.

What to Submit:

• 200-750 word essays.
• File name should begin with author’s last name and include genre of submission.
• Include page numbers and your name and email address in the header or footer.
• .docx files preferred.
• Although we prefer completed essays when choosing Here pieces for publication, we will be happy to consider pitches or photo collections that fit the section guidelines.

Features may include literary journalism, longform creative nonfiction, photo essays and other nonfiction work. We appreciate ecological journalism and personal narrative that is woven into larger social themes. 

During the drafting process, we will connect you with an editor who can help make your story sing. Please don’t let experience keep you from pitching.

Section specifics:

• Written features: In 3-5 paragraphs pitch longform features. Features will run no fewer than 2,000 words of narrative, investigative or immersion stories from the Lower Midwest.
• Photo essays: Pitch photo essays or let us know your availability for assignments. See our Photography and Art Submission Guidelines for more.

What to include in your pitch:

• Content: Show us your plan for the narrative arc, sources/characters, the story's relevance to our focal region (including but not exclusive to Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska).
• Length: How long you expect the piece to run. Note that our written features tend to run 2,000-5,000 words.
• Time Required: How soon it could be ready for publication.
• Your Connection: Why you’re the right person to write the story.
• Clips: Include 2-3 of your best clips (unpublished work for a class or personal project is perfectly acceptable).
• Drafted Work: If you have drafted the piece or a portion of the piece, please include a link to the draft. For creative nonfiction and personal essays submitted to the feature section, we request that drafted content of the pitched feature be included.

Our literature section seeks fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama, comics, and genre-benders with teeth, a heart, and a roving intelligence trained on and emerging from the Lower Midwest, which we loosely define as the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.

Women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to send their work our way. We want to hear from you!

Parameters for Fiction Submissions

• Single document of up to 25 double-spaced pages.
• Cover letter should touch briefly on your connection to the region and should list the word count of your submission.
• Include page numbers and your name and email address in the header or footer of your document.
• File name should begin with author’s last name and include genre of submission.

Our literature section seeks fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama, comics, and genre-benders with teeth, a heart, and a roving intelligence trained on and emerging from the Lower Midwest, which we loosely define as the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.

Women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and the differently abled are strongly encouraged to send their work our way. We want to hear from you!

Parameters for Creative Nonfiction Submissions

• Single document of up to 25 double-spaced pages
• Cover letter should touch briefly on your connection to the region and should list the word count of your submission
• Include page numbers and your name and email address in the header or footer of your document
• File name should begin with author’s last name and include genre of submission

Our literature section seeks fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama, comics, and genre-benders with teeth, a heart, and a roving intelligence trained on and emerging from the Lower Midwest, which we loosely define as the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.

Women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to send their work our way. We want to hear from you!

Parameters for Poetry Submissions

• Single document of up to 10 pages or 5-8 poems, with each poem beginning on a new page
• Cover letter should touch briefly on your connection to the region and should list the title of each poem
• Include your name and email address in the header or footer of your document
• File name should begin with author’s last name and include genre of submission

The New Territory seeks reviews on books, events, films, cafés, food, music, fashion, art, monuments, and anything else in the Lower Midwest that deserves to be spotlighted. The reviewer should have a connection to the Lower Midwest (which we loosely define as Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma) and, ideally, the subject that’s reviewed would also have a tie to the region.

Review pitches should include:

• The subject of the review, its relevance to the Lower Midwest, and the angle you expect to take in your review.
• Information about yourself and your connection to the region. Include your name and contact info.
• 2-3 relevant clips as links (unpublished work for a class or personal project is perfectly acceptable).

Parameters for completed reviews are:

• The review should be up to 750 words in length.
• Include your name and email address in the header or footer of your document.
• Include your bio. Touch on your connection to the Lower Midwest and include a brief description of what compelled you to write your review.

If you are the creator or agent of a piece of media you would like The New Territory to review: Please email Melanie directly at melanie@newterritorymag.com. Please note we run 3-4 reviews per printed issue.