Pitches (Briarpatch’s 2023 Labour Issue)

Pitches for the labour issue are due July 3, 2023.

Every year, for our November/December issue, Briarpatch publishes an issue devoted to reporting stories about the labour movement. This year, we’re looking for articles, investigative reporting, historical analysis, photo essays, timelines, personal essays, reviews, profiles, recommendations, lists, humour, comics, and art for the issue.

Your pitch should outline what ground your contribution will cover, give an estimated word count, and indicate your relevant experience or background in writing about the issue. If you haven’t written for Briarpatch before, please provide a brief writing sample. Send pitches to pitch[at]briarpatchmagazine.com.

Before pitching, take a look at some of our back issues to see what we have recently covered. Please review our submission guidelines and a guide to pitching Briarpatch to improve your pitch.

We’re looking for submissions that dissect complex, multi-layered stories and angles. Below is a partial list of suggestions, and we invite submissions beyond the themes listed here.

Why unions matter; learning from militant labour tactics of the past
Zero-work; anti-work; anarcho-labour
Cyber-proletariat, online labour, labour surveillance technologies, labour standards in tech industries
Investigations into the business lobby, corporate practices, deregulation, and corporatization of non-profits
Tax reform; debt forgiveness
International workers’ solidarity; Indigenous–labour solidarity; solidarity with unorganized workers
Labour leadership
A just transition for workers; investments in green jobs and renewables
Working class art and culture
Work in the North and on reserves
Reproductive labour; care work; gendered work
Labour and the body; occupational health and safety; disability and work
The future of labour organizing in Canada

We’re hoping to work with more writers of colour, especially Black and Indigenous writers. If you’re a writer of colour who wants more support in crafting a pitch or developing an angle for your story, you can email sophie[at]briarpatchmagazine.com before June 27.

We aim to reply to every pitch – including those we reject. However, because of time constraints, this isn’t always possible. If you don’t hear back from us within three weeks following the pitch deadline for the issue that you submitted to, please assume that we won’t be accepting your pitch. Feel free to pitch us again, though!

Our rates are as follows:

$150 – Profiles, short essays, book reviews, and parting shots (generally 1,500 words or less)
$250 – Feature stories (generally 1,500-2,000 words) and photo essays
$350 – Research-based articles and investigative reporting (generally 2,000-2,500 words)

If your pitch is accepted, first drafts are due August 9, 2023, with an intensive collaborative editing process lasting until the second week of September. We reserve the right to edit your work (with your active involvement), and cannot guarantee publication.