[stylist] Writers' division - Slate & Style - New Format - New Guidelines

[Atty]

This is very exciting!

Thanks for taking this on.

Should you need me, here are my hands.

Write On,
Atty


-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Robert Newman
via stylist
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2015 3:10 PM
To: writers nfb
Subject: [stylist] Writers' division - Slate & Style - New Format - New
Guidelines

Dear Writers' Division Member, and STYLIST

RE: Announcement of a new format for Slate & Style, and revised guidelines 

 

Find attached and inserted within the body of this message, the announcement
and a copy of the new guidelines for our Division's quarterly magazine,
Slate & Style. 

 

***Announcement: Writers and Readers, This is a historic year for the
National Federation of the Blind and the Writers' Division is participating
in the ride. While changes could be seen all over the country, we cannot
minimize the changes that are happening right here. Slate & Style, the
division's publication, has always been a magazine run by an editor and a
handful of assistants. Now we are bringing it to the membership to work as a
team.

Myrna Badgerow has been named as our new Editor, but she is not going to
work alone. We are striving to be more of a cooperative with participation
from all. Slate & Style is a publication of the members, so why not it be by
the members, reflecting who we are as a whole. There are many individuals
that make up any membership and with that, many different personalities,
interests, beliefs and levels of experience in writing. All of this will be
reflected in the new publication.

We are still going to strive to keep the publication clean and appropriate
for all ages and sensibilities, but we are encouraging everyone to submit.
Think about what you want to read and submit it. Think about what you think
needs to be said and submit it. Think about your particular style of writing
and submit it. Beyond that though, there is a challenge. The list serve,
Stylist, is a great archive of things that have been shared in years past.
Many of these pieces have been read by few and have never gone further. So
think of what you have read in the past and submit it. Maybe on a rainy day
you could peruse the posts on Stylist and find us a forgotten gem. Of course
we will need to verify with the authors of such pieces that they would want
inclusion, but that is easily done. What's the worst that could happen? 

The Board of Directors has rewritten the submission guidelines to be sure
that they are in line with today's vision. We also have a new email address
to send all inquiries and submissions to that will be viewed by all of those
most closely working on the magazine; the address is
slate-and-style at writers.nfb.org <mailto:slate-and-style at writers.nfb.org> .
You could become a part of the team by just saying you want to. You could
find stories, poems or articles that you have liked and that you think
should be included. You could write pieces of your own. You could help out
with the editing as it could easily be a job for many. You could try your
hand at writing the family recipes, technical or "do it yourself" pieces or
publishing tips and information that should be shared with the membership.
The field is open, so let's get writing. And we cannot stress enough that we
want everyone believing that they write well enough for Slate & Style. Your
writing, as a division member, will reflect our membership at all levels. We
will work with each of you so that your submissions can be enjoyed by
everyone.

We will publish 4 times a year at the seasons' change. It would be nice if
submissions reflected the seasons they will be published in, but it is not a
set rule. Use your judgment. Submissions and ideas will be taken all year,
but if you are shooting for a specific issue then you want to be sure you
submit on time for that issue. There is a rough rule of thumb that
submissions need to be received three weeks prior to publication, so the end
of the prior month. To be sure of the exact dates however, read the new
guidelines posted upon our Division's website; URL is http://writers.nfb.org
And think about taking part. If you wish to get more involved write directly
to the Slate & Style email address of slate-and-style at writers.nfb.org
<mailto:slate-and-style at writers.nfb.org>  for the quickest response. You
could do as little or as much as you want to and are able to. There is no
pressure, for just as we hope Slate & Style to be comfortable reading, we
desire the creation to be a comfortable ride.

 

***Guidelines begin:

 

SLATE & STYLE GUIDELINES

 

Slate & Style is a quarterly publication of the National Federation of the
Blind Writers' Division. It is dedicated to writing pursuits such as
literary pieces, resources, and information about various writing styles. A
majority of Slate & Style's contributors are blind, but we welcome
submissions from any contributor. We also accept submissions touching on any
subject matter. We encourage submissions from both experienced and beginning
writers with our goal being to hone our writing craft and share our
thoughts.

 

Slate & Style accepts short fiction, short creative nonfiction, poetry,
articles discussing and providing tips for various writing styles including
literary, technical, editing, public relations, and academic, literary
criticism, resource information, and book reviews.

 

Subject matter is not limited but will be up to the editor's discretion to
publish. 

 

Slate & Style accepts material from adults and children. We require email
submissions. 

 

We accept submissions throughout the year. You will receive a prompt
confirmation of the receipt of your submission. All submissions are
considered for publication but not all pieces will be published. We may keep
submissions to be used for later publications. The editing staff may respond
with comments and suggestions, giving contributors an opportunity to
resubmit. We will try our best to get this notice to entrants, if needed,
within two to three weeks after submission. Please give Slate & Style
editors that timeframe before contacting us about a submission.

 

Though submissions are welcome at all times, if your submission is
specifically about a particular season or time of year and you would like
your submission to appear in that corresponding issue, please read the dates
and submission deadlines below. The approximate issue dates and submission
deadline dates for each issue are as follows:

 

March 21st---Submissions close February 28th

 

June 21st---Submissions close May 31st

 

September 23rd----Submissions close September 2nd

 

December 21st---Submissions close November30th

 

 

Please read through all the guidelines carefully. Submissions that do not
follow these guidelines may not be considered for Slate & Style. 

 

Submission guidelines are as follows:

 

Length requirements are: articles, 1500 words or less, fiction and
memoir/personal essay, 4000 words or less, book reviews, 1000 words or less,
poetry, 36 lines or less.

 

Again, send ALL submissions as email attachments no matter the genre.
Include a cover letter along with your submissions with author's name, title
of piece(s) and contact info-phone, email and address included. Also include
a bio with your submission(s). Your bio should be no more than 150 words. Do
not send an entire history, just include key items you feel are important
for readers to know. Send as an attachment as well. More than one submission
is allowed per email but do list all submissions in the required cover
letter. 

 

Send submissions to slate-and-style at writers.nfb.org
<mailto:slate-and-style at writers.nfb.org>  

 

In the subject line of your email, write: Slate & Style submission, your
name, and number of submissions. Example: "Slate & Style submission, Myrna
Badgerow, 3 submissions".

 

Use Microsoft Word or create an RTF document for all submissions. No other
formats are accepted, and therefore will not be considered. 

 

Proofread and check your grammar and formatting before submitting. 

 

Slate & Style will consider all submissions for publication. However, please
be careful with graphic sexual and violent content as well as language and
anti-religious, anti-gender, anti-racial and anti-homosexual orientation
content. Characterization and plot often require this type of material, but
it must serve a purpose. Gratuitous material with no purpose or meant only
for derogatory reasons, will not be considered. Material will be published
according to the discretion of the editing staff.

 

Please direct questions and comments to the email address listed above for
submissions, In your subject line, please include your name and simply
write: "QUESTION". Then write your question in the body of the email.