Writers interested in submitting original work for consideration at Sonic Slang are encouraged to apply with a query, short bio, and links to any relevant clips. (If you have a completed piece, you may send it along, but this is by no means a requirement.) Story lengths vary, but a general guideline is as follows:
Features: These are the most in-depth, extensive pieces we run. Features can be local in nature, but must possess a national or global angle that will be of interest to any music or cultural enthusiast (e.g. don't pitch an expose on your buddy's Kiss tribute band, unless Gene Simmons is actually donating makeup and fireball guitars for the next show). They typically involve multiple interviews, significant research, and a hefty bribe, but a particularly compelling piece may not require all of this. Word counts will typically fall in the 1500-2500 range.
Profiles: This section features profiles of musicians, artists and cultural figures. Once again these pieces will most often feature an interview with the subject, but this is not required if he or she is of significant, national interest. That being said, although an interview with Bono in which he discusses world peace, cool sunglasses, and selling out to Apple would make us pee our pants, most of the profiles on at Sonic Slang will feature individuals slightly left of, or not yet on the mainstream radar. A typical piece will fall in the 1000-1250 word range.
News: This section is the most loosely structured of group. Basically, any article that cannot be classified as a profile, and does not qualify as a feature in terms of depth, scope, or length, may be selected for inclusion here. Article lengths can range from 750-1500 words.
Columns: Those interested in proposing a regular column for Sonic Slang are asked to submit a short synopsis of the proposed topic, along with their bio and links. Interested writers are encouraged to check out our current columns, in order to get a sense of the topics we are looking for.
Fiction: Sonic Slang is eager to publish the fiction of new writers. We're looking for strong narratives that don't sacrifice language in their effort to push a story along. In other words, we'd prefer to have our cake and eat it too. We want stories that are filled with evocative writing as well as engaging patterns of events. Submissions should be limited to stories of 4,000 words or less.
