2012-skirt®-print-themes

>> Click here for Contributor Guidelines 

FEBRUARY - The I Heart Issue
Love, friendship, passions, dating, callings, types of love, sexcetera. The best essays about love are the most unexpected ones. For instance, the "Modern Love" column in The New York Times on Sundays is never predictable, sentimental or sappy. Give your essays the treacle test before you submit.

MARCH - The Tick-Tock Issue
Losing time, making up for lost time, perfect timing, waiting, prime time, best and worst times, time off, time out, timelessness - all things time-related.

APRIL - The Wow! Issue
Inspiration, enlightenment, invention, daring, aha moments, being a muse, finding a muse, mind-blowing events, impossible dreams, big ideas.

MAY - The To-Go Issue
Travel - real and metaphorical, leaving, moving, pulling up roots, putting down roots for the first time, running away, adventure, spiritual journeys, escaping. No traditional travel pieces or photos, please.

JUNE - The Summer Issue
Anything related to summer (heat, time out, a summer state of mind, summer love, etc), but please no predictable "how I spent my summer vacation" essays.

JULY - The Independence Issue
Self-reliance, independence, rebellion, free spirits, what you wore to change the world, revolutionary moments, breaking free, letting go.

AUGUST - The Lessons Issue
Lessons learned, lessons never learned, difficult lessons, teaching moments, teachers, gurus, breaking or making rules.

SEPTEMBER - The Feel Good Issue
Getting out of a slump, recharging/changing your life, health, bodies, care of the soul, payoff/reward, growth, guilt-free decisions.

OCTOBER - The Make Issue
Art, creativity, building, creating something from scratch, making do, makeovers.

NOVEMBER - The Crave Issue
Food, desire, wanting, yearnings, appetite for life, temptation, guilty pleasures, sins, coveting.

DECEMBER - The Surprise Issue
Surprise us with an elegant, funny or insightful essay on the topic of suprises - for example, out-of-the-blue gifts, revelations, unexpected discoveries.

A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of the monthly themes above. Please review the Contributor Guidelines carefully for format requirements.  Submissions for a particular theme are due minimally by the 1st of the prior month.