Pitch to me, 2019 edition!

5 min readFeb 28, 2019

You might also want to read: how to pitch to me (2015); I pay, you write (2017); how NOT to pitch editors (2017)

It’s been a while since I shared what pieces I’m looking for — which surely means you have been sending me enough good ideas to keep me away from Medium! But happy circumstances being what they are — the fantastic Summer Sewell joined my team as assistant features editor — I thought it was time for an update.

What I am looking for in 2019

Less, but better.

More narrative journalism, less mid-range news features.

More dialogue, more nuance, more complexities and ambivalence, less reaction pieces.

I’d like to put an emphasis on quality writing: sentences that make you weep; scenes that will stay with you forever; stories crazy enough you want to tell them at dinner parties.

I know this is a touchy subject, but for proper long form pieces, I’d like to receive more fleshed-out pitches (say, 5–8 paragraphs or more showing you have thought about who to reach out to and how, with some pre-reporting if applicable). I know this takes time and effort, but if I am committing to paying for travel, expenses and word count, not to mention for photography and art, I need to know the goods will be there once you hit the ground.

So, I hear you say, you’d like some examples? See below. (As I write this, I realise that every single story I loved editing pretended to be about something small, when really illuminated something much bigger about our world. Something to keep in mind…)

Stories with unforgettable central characters

Bryan Mealer’s piece on the caravan was not only beautifully crafted, I will never, ever forget the family he followed. (He’s also a crazy-good writer, which helps).
His piece about a road trip with his Trump-loving 92 year old cousin was bursting with empathy for humankind.

Stories about subcultures

This piece by Ed Pilkington about the survivors of conspiracy theories was a home run. Affecting, powerful, beautifully told, scary as hell.
This piece by Carey Dunne about underground LSD guides was eye-opening and fun to read and edit.
I enjoyed working on this rabbit-hole piece by Max Benwell about the insane world of catfishers.

Crime stories — with strong narrative or reporting element

I loved Oliver Conroy’s piece about Tim Miller, the man who can find almost anyone (but can he find his daughter’s killer?). One day I shall share with you how Oliver pitched this to me (if he agrees), because his pitch was a masterpiece of research.
This piece by Kate Hodal about a woman’s desperate attempt to find her sister after she vanishes from a reservation in Montana was fantastic.

Stories about class in America (aka the underdogs)

Yep. This is still the topic I am obsessed with. So go forth and pitch…

This, published with EHRP, on the plight of miners and black lungs, was damning.
How America treats its Black Farmers, by Debbie Weingarten, was great.
Where even Walmart won’t go: how Dollar General took over rural America was loved by our readers.

Gut-punch essays

Such as this one by Stephanie Land, author of Maid: The day my husband strangled me.
This one: My fundamentalist childhood: less like a temple, more like a cage.
Or this stunning one: What happens to your life after you accidentally kill someone?

Profiles to remember

Like this one by Julian Brave Noisecat: His side of the story: Nathan Phillips wants to talk about Covington.
This write-around about John Chau, the man who tried to convert his killers.
This profile of Dorothy Counts, who endured a taunting mob to integrate a North Carolina school. Sixty-one years later, her work is being undone.

What are American values? (Problematic or not)

It’s a weird category but everything Donna Ladd did for us this year about (some part of) white people culture and their relationship to race has been mind-blowingly good.

Any story acting as a conduit to ponder the nature of US values, I will usually love. (Here’s another: Guns v grief: inside America’s deadliest cultural chasm).

Plain great f — ing writing that doesn’t go in any of the categories above

Like this stunner about the California fires, by John Vaillant.

Think pieces that are actually worth something (I know…)

Summer really enjoyed reading this in The Atlantic, so did I. She has a soft spot for “totally obscure shit” (like this), and so do I. We are also suckers for great food journalism!