Submissions

The Convergence Lens is a worker-owned cooperative publication looking for contributors who share our commitment to bridging cultural analysis with political consciousness.

We’re seeking writers, activists, cultural critics, fandom experts, and movement organizers to create research-driven content that inspires people into action.

Writing experience is not a requirement. Everything we publish goes through a collaborative, hands-on editorial process. What we look for most is a deep knowledge of culture, movements, and the issues you’re writing about, combined with a commitment to factual analysis and authentic voice.

Our Current Reality

The Convergence Lens is a cooperative in its early operating stage, and therefore we are not currently able to pay our contributors.

We believe strongly that writers deserve to be compensated for their labor and expertise – this is, in fact, one of the reasons we chose the cooperative model over a nonprofit or investor-funded structure. Worker-Members of the cooperative are compensated for their work. We are building toward a model where contributors can be too.

Our Promise to Contributors

As a cooperative built on the belief that labor deserves fair compensation, we take our obligations to contributors seriously. Here’s what we commit to as we move through this startup phase:

• Actively growing our Reader-Member base and cooperative revenue to fund paid contributor rates as quickly as possible.
• Not exploiting unpaid labor indefinitely under the guise of ‘exposure’ – this is just a stage in our development, it will not be permanent.
• Treating your work with respect through thoughtful editing and professional presentation.
• Promoting your work across our platforms to maximize reach and impact.
• Crediting you appropriately with a byline and author bio.
• Providing portfolio-quality published work you can use professionally.
• Building community among contributors and fostering connections.
• Prioritizing you for paid opportunities as our cooperative grows and compensation becomes possible.
• Being honest and transparent about our financial capacity and timeline.
• Holding our cooperative model accountable to the values that motivated us to build it.

If you have the capacity to contribute during this stage, we would be honored to work with you. When we are able to pay, our early volunteer contributors will be prioritized for paid opportunities. If you are only able to accept paid work right now, we completely understand and respect that. We hope you’ll check back in with us as we grow.

What We’re Looking For

We want stories that help readers understand how culture shapes power, how movements organize, and how the stories we tell through media reflect and influence our political reality. This includes addressing questions of strategy, representation, systemic patterns, and collective action.

We prioritize voices from:

• Historically marginalized communities regularly overlooked by mainstream media.
• People directly impacted by the issues we cover.
• Organizers, activists, and movement participants with firsthand knowledge.
• Fandom spaces and digital communities with cultural expertise.
• BIPOC writers, LGBTQ+ voices, disabled perspectives, and other underrepresented groups

We’re looking for analysis and factual reporting, not:

• Hot takes without substance or research
• Surface-level summaries of trending topics
• Content that centers corporate or institutional voices over marginalized communities
• Work that reproduces harmful narratives or stereotypes

Types of Stories We Publish

Cultural Analysis & Commentary

Deep dives into how pop culture, fandom, and media reflect or challenge power structures. These pieces connect entertainment to broader political and social movements. (1,500-3,000 words)

Example topics:

• Fandom discourse as a microcosm of larger cultural conflicts
• The political implications of narrative choices in popular media
• How internet culture shapes political organizing

Reported Features

Timely, reported stories on current events with a focus on resistance, organizing, and movement building. Must include original quotes from multiple sources and center activist/organizer/marginalized voices. (1,500-2,500 words)

Example topics:

• On-the-ground coverage of protests or organizing campaigns
• Investigative pieces on media industries and representation
• Stories about how communities are responding to political crises
• Coverage of grassroots movements mainstream media ignores

Interviews & Conversations

In-depth Q&As with cultural critics, activists, creatives, or movement leaders, set up by a 200-300 word introduction that provides context. (1,500-2,000 words)

Example interviews:

• Activists organizing in fandom and/or social justice
• Artists using their platforms for political education and social awareness
• Scholars studying media, culture, and power
• Creators from marginalized communities discussing their work

Reviews

Reviews of books, films, TV shows, podcasts, or other media that connect cultural content to political analysis. Not just “did I like this?”, but rather, “what does this tell us about power, representation, and society?” (1,000-1,500 words)

Example reviews:

• A new film examined through the lens of race and representation
• A book about fandom history analyzed for its political implications
• A TV show’s finale as commentary on collective action
• A documentary about social movements

Personal Essays & Reflections

First-person pieces that connect personal experience to broader cultural and political patterns. Should ideally include analysis, not just storytelling, but storytelling alone is powerful in its own right. (1,000-2,000 words)

Example topics:

• Growing up in specific spaces and learning political consciousness from them
• Navigating marginalized identities in pop culture communities
• Lessons from organizing work applied to cultural analysis
• How a particular piece of media shaped your political understanding

How to Pitch

We prefer to work with writers from the idea stage rather than receiving completed drafts. This allows for a collaborative process that strengthens the work and ensures it fits our publication.

Complete the online submission form on this page, or send pitches to: [email protected] with “PITCH” in the subject line. If you have a completed article that you want us to consider, you may email it there as well.

Your pitch should include:

1. A 1-2 paragraph description of your story that addresses:

   • What is the story? What are you analyzing or reporting on?
   • Why does it matter now? What makes this timely or important?
   • What’s your angle? What unique perspective or analysis are you bringing?
   • Who are your sources? (For report pieces) Who will you interview?

2. Your bio (2-3 sentences) including relevant experience, expertise, or perspective

3. 2-3 writing samples (strongly preferred, but not required) that demonstrate your voice and skills

We try to respond to all pitches within 1-2 weeks. If you haven’t heard from us, feel free to follow up.

Editorial Process

Once we accept your pitch:

1. We’ll work with you to develop your idea and may suggest adjustments to focus, angle, or sourcing.
2. You’ll write a draft based on agreed-upon parameters.
3. We’ll provide detailed editorial feedback in a collaborative revision process.
4. We’ll fact-check and copy-edit to ensure accuracy and quality.
5. We’ll work together on headlines, subheads, and any necessary revisions.
6. We’ll schedule and publish your piece with appropriate promotion.

This is a hands-on, collaborative process. We treat editing as a partnership that strengthens your work while respecting your voice and expertise.

Standards & Expectations

All contributors must:

• Adhere to our Editorial Policies & Standards and AI Usage Policy

• Provide accurate, verifiable information

• Disclose any conflicts of interest or relevant affiliations

• Respond to editorial feedback and questions in a timely manner

• Meet agreed-upon deadlines (though we understand life happens, just communicate with us)

We expect:

• Original work that hasn’t been published elsewhere

• Proper attribution and citation of all sources

• Respect for sources and subjects, especially marginalized communities

• Good-faith collaboration during the editorial process

Diversity & Inclusion

The Convergence Lens is strongly committed to diversity and actively seeks contributors from underrepresented communities, including:

• BIPOC writers and cultural critics, especially Black and Indigenous voices

• LGBTQ+ voices, especially trans and nonbinary contributors

• Disabled writers and activists

• Working-class perspectives

• Global South voices and international contributors

• Genocide survivors and diaspora members

• People with lived experience in the movements and communities we cover

We believe that lived experience is expertise in many cases, and we prioritize perspectives that are systematically excluded from mainstream cultural commentary.

Questions?

If you have questions about pitching, the editorial process, or anything else related to contributing:

Email: [email protected]
Subject line: SUBMISSIONS QUESTION

Thank you for considering contributing to The Convergence Lens. We’re excited to hear your ideas and build this publication together. We’re so grateful to every person who believes in this vision enough to help make it real.