Clamor: Your DIY Guide to Everyday Revolution.

Clamor ceased publication in December 2006. This website contains information for your reference and archival purposes only.


Clamor is a quarterly print magazine and online community of radical thought, art, and action. An iconoclast among its peers, Clamor is an unabashed celebration of self-determination, creativity, and shit-stirring. Clamor publishes content of, by, for, and with marginalized communities. From the kitchen table to shop floor, the barrio to the playground, the barbershop to the student center, it's old school meets new school in a battle for a better tomorrow. Clamor is a do-it-yourself guide to everyday revolution.

Clamor welcomes pitches and articles from writers and artists of all stripes. Please read on for deadlines, guidelines, and the fine print.

UPCOMING DEADLINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS
[brackets indicate theme of the issue, though not all contributions need to be related to the theme]

Clamor 40- Spring 2007 [Fear]
Pitches due: November 1, 2006
Issue Out: March 1, 2007

Clamor 41- Summer 2007 [Secrets & Conspiracies]
Pitches due: February 1, 2007
Issue Out: June 1, 2007

THE HOW-TO:

Clamor is divided into eight sections: people, culture, media, economic, culture, sex & gender, murmurs (reviews), and uproar. If you're not sure in which section the piece should work best, please read each section's mission statement below.

Submitting your work to Clamor is fairly easy. Due to the high volume of submissions, however, we can't guarantee to print everything we receive. Following these steps will help make the process easier for you and our editors.

1. Refer to our upcoming themes and deadlines. If you have an idea that doesn't necessarily coincide with an upcoming theme, please feel free to submit it. Keep in mind that the non-theme-related pieces are placed lower on the priority list, but we DO print these pieces occasionally.

2. Pitch your story idea to the appropriate section editor on or before the first the month prior to the deadline. Limit your pitches to one or two paragraphs, and include any information about the sources you'll be using, who you'd like to interview, and how long you think the article might be.

3. Sit tight and wait to hear from the editor. It may be right away or may take as long as a week. If you haven't heard from the editor in 10 business days (rare), please feel free to follow up.

THE SECTIONS
POLITICS

The politics section documents social justice struggles by focusing on the
people organizing locally, nationally and internationally. We strive to present
articles that examine policy issues, electoral campaigns, class struggles,
democracy and efforts to disrupt the status quo. The politics section is
intentional about soliciting articles from first time writers particularly
those in the grassroots. We are deliberate about uplifting working class voices
of women and people of color. Contact: politics -at- clamormagazine.org (click here for politics guidelines)

CULTURE

The Culture section seeks work exploring the many different facets of indy and radical communities as they're lived everyday, with an eye towards deepening the discussion on everything from the arts to acts of daily subversion. We're looking for articles on the people and trends that influence our everyday life, and make up the amorphous, larger culture of resistance as it continues to develop. Contact: culture -at- clamormagazine.org

MEDIA

Clamor's Media Section covers a broad range of media issues and also includes art, technology, and communications-related stories. We welcome contributions highlighting the exceptional work of independent and community media makers and organizations, as well as critiques examining ways that alternative media could (and should) do better. Other areas of media coverage include diversity, reform, ethics, the FCC, corporate media analysis and influence, international sources and trends, education and literacy, Internet activism and new technologies. Like the sum of Clamor magazine, the media section emphasizes under-represented issues and voices, and aims to cover the missing angles neglected by the major media. We welcome multiple formats including essays, reportage, interviews, investigative features, commentary, graphic comics, photo essays, top-ten lists, time lines and statistical data. Contact: media -at- clamormagazine.org

ECONOMICS

Economics is a social science concerned chiefly with description and analysis of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services -- so says my dictionary, anyhow.  Articles dealing with economic class, corporate power, debt, globalization, welfare and other "money" issues are all appropriate for the economics section of Clamor, especially insofar as they highlight interesting people and organizations working towards solutions to economic problems, rather than just some academic analysis of a current issue. We are particularly interested in stories about people organizing to increase their power at work, whether through a labor union, a worker-owned cooperative or some other means. Contact:economics -at- clamormagazine.org

SEX AND GENDER

The sex and gender section is concerned with all aspects of our embodied experience. Although the spectacular is always eye-catching and exciting, we are most interested in work that explores how we are forced to participate in our sex and gender on an ordinary, daily basis. Articles, profiles, timelines, surveys, interviews, photo essays, and cartoons that consider human and post-human sexuality, orientation, gender, identity, age, fashion, diet, exercise, and medicine are welcome. Complex explorations of contemporary problems, ongoing inquiries, radical achievements, and sustaining resources are encouraged. Contact: sexandgender -at- clamormagazine.org

PEOPLE
The People section explores the spaces where the personal meets the political  - without falling into narrow or essentialist identity politics. We welcome essays (in words, photos, or other mediums) that use personal experience as a starting point to reflect on broader social/political themes; profiles of and interviews with people who are making revolutions in everyday life; and other pieces that look at people affected by and making change in the political world. Pieces may range from a 150-word sidebar to a 3,000-word feature. Preference is given to work that centers voices and perspectives often marginalized in media (mainstream and alternative alike). We welcome work by new writers and artists and are happy to receive both pitches and full-draft submissions. Contact: people -at- clamormagazine.org

MURMURS
A clearinghouse of what's new in independent art and media, the Murmurs sections features reviews of books, zines, magazines, CDs from a variety of genres, and videos (DVD and VHS). Click here for a list of available items we have for review and the review guidelines. You are welcome to submit reviews of materials we don't have listed as well. Contact our reviews editor to see if we would be interested in your review.

UPROAR
Each issue, Clamor welcomes stories from readers on the theme. Clamor is about allowing us to connect to each other as individuals, which means we have to work on sharing some of that lived experience out there. We want it all, from stories that will make us laugh to those that will make us cringe, conspiracies theories to your hopes and dreams.

Please email your short piece, personal anecdote, or reflective story, up to 500 words, to uproar@clamormagazine.org with the topic in the subject line. Uproar selections should be non-fiction. Be sure to include your name and address so we can make sure you get a copy if your story appears. We encourage a wide interpretation of the theme.

Deadlines for the Uproar section are slightly more flexible than other contributions. Please see below:
Deadline.....................Topic....................................Publication Date
January 10, 2006.....Geography / The Land.......March 2006
April 10, 2006...........International Issue..............June 2006
July 10, 2006............The Body...............................September 2006
Oct 10, 2006..............Food......................................December 2006
Jan 10, 2007.............Fear.......................................March 2007
Apr 10, 2007.............Secrets & Conspiracies.....June 2006


THE HOW-LONG?

• Feature-length articles and Interviews should be 2500 words or less. It is acceptable to submit articles that are longer if you OK it with us first, with the understanding that we will probably edit some of it out. Occasionally we do print longer articles but these should be considered exceptions to the rule.

• Shorter pieces of 1500 words or less are always welcome, and are not typically considered features. Many interviews fall in this category.

• Sidebar-length pieces of approximately 300-500 words are welcome if they relate to the issues theme or are particularly timely.These should be pitched to the appropriate section editor as well.

• Be sure to include your name, email address and phone number in the draft itself.

THE OTHER QUESTIONS:

• Clamor only prints original material. If you have printed the article in a zine, on a web site, or in another publication, then we would rather not even consider it. Our purpose is not to replace the other media outlets that are out there.

• Once content is selected, it is edited. At this point, we may ask you to make changes or to OK changes that we have made. After the editing stage, all writing is proofread by our very competent staff of volunteer proofers. If any major changes are made (aside from a comma here or there), we will send you a copy to OK. We also contact you during this time frame to get biographical information.

•• It's helpful if you've read a copy (or two or four) of Clamor before submitting a draft. It helps you understand what kind of articles we print and what will fit with our other content.

•• You don't have to be a professional to write for Clamor, though some of our contributors are. This can be your first article or your 100th. If your writing or grammar needs some work, we'll work with you — it's the idea that really counts.That's about all you need to know before writing for Clamor. Oh yeah, we do pay for content, though it's a modest amount ($.03 per word starting in 2006). Sometimes it takes awhile for us to get those checks out, but we generally try to make sure everyone is paid at the end of the first month the issue is on the newsstand. We do also offer barter for subscriptions, books, t-shirts, and advertising. If you have any questions, please feel free to write.

ARTISTS:

Clamor has developed a reputation for featuring some of the best up-and-coming independent artists' work in its pages. Would you like to add your name to that list? We match up artists with articles that need illustrated and would be glad to consider you for a future issue. If you can submit work (illustration, photography, painting, collage, watercolor, etc) within a two-week turnaround time, and are able to work for modest compensation (or a display ad for yourself or a related project), please tell us who you are, and what you do.

Email us with the following info:
a. your name
b. your email
c. your website
d. your mailing address

If you would like to submit work to us that is related to one of our upcoming themes, please write us for instructions at the same address. Upcoming themes include:
Winter 2006: Food
Spring 2006: Fear
Summer 2006: Secrets & Conspiracies

NOTE: All work should be previously unpublished and available to be sent to us at 300dpi resolution.

VOLUNTEERING/INTERNING:

If you're interested in being a part of the Clamor crew, we are looking
for a few good folks to share in the delight of creating an independent
magazine, and to spread the word about what we do by spreading the word (and flyers too) all over your town. We are always looking for people with or without experience to help in areas of publicity, proofreader, content, event tabling, and other positions. Oh yeah, and we have internships for academic credit! Contact us via email.

Become the Media / Clamor Magazine
PO Box 20128 / Toledo , OH / 43610 / USA
info -at- clamormagazine.org



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Clamor Magazine (a project of Become the Media) P.O. Box 20128, Toledo, OH, 43610, USA.
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