Guidelines for Writers

2012/2013 Focus Topics:

• Jan 2012: Friends and the Emerging Church
• Feb 2012: Open
• Mar 2012: Crime and Punishment
• Apr 2012: Membership and the Generation Gap.
• May 2012: Food
• Jun/Jul 2012 SPECIAL ISSUE: Faith or Practice
• Aug 2012: Sustainable Travel
• Sep 2012: Open
• Oct 2012 SPECIAL ISSUE: Money and the Economy
• Nov 2012: Books
• Dec 2012: Hospitality
• Jan 2013: Privileges
• Feb 2013: Open
• Mar 2013: Sexuality
• Apr 2013: Conflict and Eldering
• May 2013: The Arts
• Jun/Jul 2013 SPECIAL ISSUE: The Testimonies

Learn More

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Elizabeth Gray Vining in her Philadelphia attic study, 1950s Friends Journal is an independent magazine serving the entire Religious Society of Friends. Our mission is to share “Quaker Thought and Life Today,” which allows for a variety of viewpoints and subject matter. We welcome submissions from Friends and non-Friends alike.

We prefer articles written in a fresh, non-academic style. Friends value an experiential approach to life and religious thought. Our readers particularly value articles on:

• exploring Friends’ testimonies and beliefs;
• integrating faith, work and home lives;
• historical and contemporary Friends;
• social concerns and actions;
• the variety of beliefs across the branches of Friends.

Friends Journal prefers articles with a constructive approach to spiritual seeking. We seek an open, curious and respectful tone even when discussing controversial subjects. We prefer articles rooted in the author’s own experiences of the divine. Submissions should show an awareness of Friends’ ways and concerns, as well as sensitivity to them.

The magazine is published monthly (with a combined June/July issue) in print and PDF editions. We have an active and growing website with special web-only features focusing on timely topics, as well as special selections from the Friends Journal archives. We are seeking to publish more themed issues and to encourage and cultivate new writers and fresh topics.

Submission Details:

Please include quotation references in the text itself, as we do not use endnotes. Your name and address should appear on the body of the submitted text along with brief information about yourself. Please indicate if the material has been published (in print or online) or if you are also submitting it to other publishers. We strongly prefer that you email your submission to info@friendsjournal.org, although we do accept submissions on paper. We acknowledge receipt of submissions within a month; writers can expect to wait longer to hear whether their manuscripts have been accepted.

Types of Submissions:

• Feature articles should generally be less than 2,500 words, though we occasionally publish longer submissions.
• News items (preferably 50–400 words) and Bulletin Board items (preferably less than 50 words) are welcome, subject to editing for space and style; publication cannot be guaranteed.
• Epistles and reports of Quaker events (450 words).
• Milestones (announcements of births, marriages, deaths, etc.) are published at the request of meetings or families (read more).
• Forum letters and Viewpoints (preferably less than 300 and 1,000 words respectively) are a valued part of the dialogue that occurs in the pages of FRIENDS JOURNAL (contact Forum).
• Book reviews are usually solicited by the editor; we welcome inquiries from potential reviewers. Review copies of books by Quaker authors or of interest to Friends Journal readers may be sent to Book Review Editor, Friends Journal, 1216 Arch St., Ste 2A, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

We are generally not able to pay for writing. Authors of feature-length articles receive four free copies of the issue in which the article appears, while poets receive two copies. Authors of shorter material appearing in the departments will receive two free copies upon request. All published material will be protected under Friends Publishing Corporation’s copyright unless otherwise arranged or indicated.

We welcome inquiries about potential articles and invite you to contact Martin Kelley, editor, at martink@friendsjournal.org.

Also of interest:
Focus Topics for 2012/13