Introducing Anxy No. 4: The Masculinity Issue (Deadline for pitches: August 29th)

Everyone’s talking about masculinity right now. From #MeToo to #NeverAgain, from pop culture to politics, questions about what masculinity means—and how it affects us—are everywhere. What are the roots of masculinity? How does it shape individuals and cultures? How is it changing across generations? We’re especially curious about the relationship between masculinity and our inner worlds. So, for the next issue of Anxy, we’re looking at how masculinity relates to mental health.

Masculinity has many faces, and we’re interested in all of them. Regardless of gender or culture, it influences the way we think about ourselves and the people around us. There are people who see masculinity as a clearly defined set of rules to be strictly followed, while others see it as a malleable and evolving sense of self. There are those who play with what masculinity means, and others who see it as a cage. We all carry masculine elements inside us, we witness masculine behaviors in our relationships and friendships, we hear masculine norms echo through our thoughts and feelings, even when we don’t realize it.

For Anxy No. 4 we’re interested in how masculinity—whether consciously or subconsciously—appears in our everyday lives and impacts our inner worlds. We’re particularly curious about ideas of power, sex, identity, gender, violence, parenthood, language, and work. 

What impact does masculinity, however you define it, have on you? What stories can you tell about the way it affects your mental health or the health of your community? What aspects of masculinity haven’t been discussed? And what needs to be talked about?

A Little About Us 

For those of you new to our magazine, Anxy is a beautifully designed, bi-annual print publication about mental health, explored through a creative lens. At our core, we’re a stigma-busting community of storytellers, designers, journalists, photographers, artists, healers, and others working through mental health narratives in an open way; we understand that to share one’s story means that others with similar burdens may feel seen as well. 

How To Pitch Us

Topic: Masculinity — whatever that means to you.

What We’re Looking For: 

Short pitches! We mean it! Send us one or two brief paragraphs to give us a general idea of what story you have in mind and why it’s important. Give us a sample of your previous work, with links to it. New, strong voices are welcome: You don’t have to have been published before, but we do need evidence of your capabilities. 

And since we’re only as compelling as the narratives we amplify, we especially encourage people from communities whose perspectives haven’t been shared often enough to drop us a line.

Guidelines: 

Anxy stories look for the beauty in the real and the raw. They’re human to their core and rooted in the personal narrative. Keep in mind: We are aiming to shift perspectives around the way we treat mental health, so your story should address this in some shape or form. Stories can be unconventional in nature, but they should always try to start conversations and approach mental health in ways we’re not used to seeing. 

While we care deeply about these issues, we’re not so self-serious that we can’t have fun too. Surprise us! We’re open to a lot.

Formats: 

We’re looking for personal essays, op-eds, photo essays, reported features, interviews, artwork, comic scripts, and other creative story formats from contributors around the world. We regularly publish poetry, and are particularly interested in finding short fiction for Issue No. 4.

Deadline: 

You’ll have until August 29th to submit pitches. But we want to emphasize that we’re interested in your ideas more than a “make-or-break,” lengthy, polished pitch. We want to know what you have to say about masculinity, why you should be the one to say it, and how it connects with Anxy’s mission.

Pay: 

Our rates are competitive with other magazines. 

Before you pitch, please read up on what Anxy is looking for

Take a look at our style and approach for our first three issues. 

Pitches should be:

Relevant. Do people care about this now?

Real. Does the idea capture some part of the human experience? Does it feel true?

Original. The idea or angle should feel novel, so make sure to explain why or what about it is new.

Voice-y. Anxy is rooted in the personal narrative and the human experience, so show us you have a distinct voice and a strong point of view—and that you’re the best person to write this story.