Oregon Humanities

Oregon Humanities magazine examines topics of broad public interest from a variety of perspectives and approaches. Recent issues of this publication have focused on stuff, nostalgia, and civility. Through good and thoughtful writing, Oregon Humanities magazine enriches our understanding of important subjects and stimulates conversation and reflection among readers, their friends, families, colleagues, and neighbors.

Writing for Oregon Humanities magazine

Oregon Humanities magazine is an award-winning triannual publication (spring, summer, and fall). As a publication of ideas and perspectives, Oregon Humanities magazine offers a forum through which Oregon writers, scholars, and readers can use the humanities to deeply explore themes of both timeless and timely significance.

We accept submissions of nonfiction writing and artwork twice yearly when we announce each issue’s theme. Except for interviews, reviews, and Field Work articles, we cannot consider work that doesn’t meet the specifications of each issue’s theme. We distribute our call for submissions through literary and academic organizations, as well as through our mailing list. Please sign up for the Oregon Humanities electronic newsletter using the form at left to guarantee that you receive calls for submissions for Oregon Humanities.

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Work: call for proposals and submissions

Oregon Humanities magazine is seeking submissions for the summer 2010 issue on the theme of work. Thomas Aquinas famously said, “To live well is to work well.” But in difficult economic times, can every American truly aspire to “work well,” or has the goal of finding a fulfilling life’s pursuit been replaced by the need to find a job that will put food on one’s table and a roof over one’s head? And given vast technological advances, a dynamic global economy, and recent record unemployment, how has the very nature of work changed? Whether seen as toil or endeavor, how does the work we do define and inform our identities, lives, and communities? Writers may also consider this theme by exploring ideas about labor, class, and livelihood; the way work has been portrayed in popular culture, history, literature, and art; how work has changed over the years; and what the future of work looks like.

We welcome all forms of nonfiction writing, including scholarly essays, personal essays, and journalistic articles. We accept proposals and drafts of scholarly and journalistic features, which range between 2,500 and 4,000 words in length. We accept drafts only of personal essays, which should consider larger thematic questions and run no longer than 2,000 words. All contributors receive an honorarium. Currently the magazine is distributed to more than 11,000 readers. Essays from Oregon Humanities have been reprinted in the Pushcart Prize anthology and the Utne Reader.

If you are interested in contributing to this issue, please submit a proposal or draft by April 19, 2010, to Kathleen Holt, Editor, Oregon Humanities magazine, 813 SW Alder Street, Suite 702, Portland, Oregon, 97205, or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). No phone calls, please.