2009 Print Magazine Monthly Themes
*Click here to view the 2010 Monthly Themes

Our descriptions are just prompts and random ideas. We expect that you’ll come up with your own original slant on these topics. Please try to avoid the usual, the conventional and the predictable. As always, surprise us and make us go “ahhh!”.

January: True Confessions - published
Telling the truth, reality, keeping secrets, telling secrets, secret admirers, tall tales, moments of truth, searching for the truth. Bad behavior. Illicit crushes.
Note: It’s tricky to confess without being confessional, to be personal without being narcissistic, to be serious without taking yourself too seriously. Remember that your reader probably doesn’t want to know what happened in your bed or the down and dirty details of your divorce or how he done you wrong.

February: The I ❤ Issue - published
Heart’s desires, grand passions, love, lust, temptation, jealousy, broken hearts and mended hearts, letting your heart rule your head, the dating game, the mating game, unrequited love, self love. Funny relationship stories. Also think about different types of love, not just sexual or marital or romantic.
Note: Try to avoid “hearts and flowers” stories and look for the offbeat angle. Yes, love stories are a cliche, but your slant on this topic shouldn’t be.

March: Perfect Timing - published
Synchronicity and/or serendipity. Close calls and lucky escapes. Being in the right time at the right place. The time of your life. What if...? The role that chance plays in our lives.

April: The Road Trip Issue - published
Joy rides. Running away. Seeing the world. Back seat stories. Offbeat travel stories. Life as a road trip. Life as a quest. Off the beaten path. Inner journeys, or head trips, that take place via travel.
Note: We can’t accept travelogue-type pieces found in magazines like Travel and Leisure or accompanying photos.

May: The Nest Issue - published
Making a home; finding home; feathering your nest; what makes a home; leaving home. Housekeeping or lack thereof. Settling down vs. just settling. Your first home. Homes away from home. Living rough. Surrogate homes, temporary homes. A sense of place.
Note: No essays on getting organized, getting rid of clutter or decorating tips–if it would work in Real Simple, it won’t work for skirt!. The concept of “Home” is more complicated than a cross-stitch sampler, and your essays should be too.

June: The Eve Issue - published
Bad girls. Rule breakers. First times, first steps. Forbidden fruit. Living in Eden, leaving Paradise, getting kicked out of Paradise. The price of knowledge. Your inner Eve or Lilith. Defining moments. Being a scapegoat (Eve was framed!). Living/working in a man’s world. Is God a woman? Shame vs Shamelessness.

July: The F Word - published
Feministas and fashionistas, independent women, closing the gender divide, redefining norms, girl power, what we were wearing when we changed the world and other atypical fashion-related essays, how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go, trail-blazing. Reclaiming the F Word: Should we keep “feminism” or find a new way to describe the movement? Raising feminist children. Random acts of feminism. What made you realize you were a feminist?

August: The Crave Issue - published
Longings, obsessions or passions. Things you love and why. Simplicity versus materialism. Spiritual cravings. Sexual cravings. Desires or dreams. Finding contentment. Sense memories–how a taste or smell can transport you (can’t just be a poetic description–remember to wrap this in an essay format).
Note: Please avoid eating disorder pieces, weight loss stories or sexual addictions–important issues, but not quite what we’re looking for in the way of essays. A sense of humor is always welcome.

September: The Finish Line - published
Athletic feats or failures. Winning and/or losing (contests, jobs, relationships, life). Endings, happy and otherwise. Getting what you thought you wanted. Winning the battle, losing the war. Making, breaking, attaining goals. Reaching too far or too high. Ambition.

October: The D.I.Y. Issue - published
Do it yourself: sex, crafts, home repair, relationship repair, car repair.  Independence, self-reliance, mastering a skill. Living alone. Overcoming loneliness. Starting over. DIY gone wrong (matchmaking, for example). Making yourself over.
Note: Yes, it’s how-to, but we want your experiences, not instructions on how to make a lampshade or change a tire.

November: The Soapbox Issue - published
Essays on social issues that have affected you personally: feminism; politics; being a mother; work; money; health, gender issues, sexual issues.
Note: We are looking for personal essays about cultural issues. We want you to bring the issues home, not just push a political agenda.

December: The Inspiration Issue - published
Brainchild, epiphanies, Eureka moments, innovation, intuition, imagination, what inspires you, talent, originality, Muses, thinking outside the box, unexpected results, when lightning strikes, fostering creativity, method or magic, problem-solving.­

*These are suggestions only intended to inspire writers interested in submitting for a particular month. We recognize that you may have ideas for other variations on theme of the month and look forward to reading your submissions.