Types of Submissions

Articles and Translations

Parabola welcomes original essays and translations. We look for lively, penetrating material unencumbered by jargon or academic argument. We prefer well-researched, objective, and unsentimental pieces that are grounded in one or more religious or cultural tradition; articles that focus on dreams, visions, or other very personal experiences are unlikely to be accepted. All articles must be directly related to the theme of an issue.

All material should be written in clear, grammatical, and fluent English. We are willing to consider submissions by authors for whom English is not a primary language, but they should be checked carefully by a reader who is fluent in English before they are sent to us.

Poetry and Short Fiction

We very rarely consider original fiction, and then only if directly related to the theme of an issue. We do not accept submissions of poetry. Submissions addressed to the Poetry Editor will not be passed on.

Tangents

Parabola occasionally publishes extended reviews of books, movies, videos, performances, art exhibitions, and other current programs or events in a section called "Tangents." These reviews are intended as a bridge between the theme-related front half of the magazine and the reviews in the back. Tangents should bear some connection to the theme of the issue, although it does not have to be as direct as an article.

Submission Guidelines

1. Length

• Articles run 1000-3000 words
• Book Reviews run approximately 500 words
• Retellings of traditional stories run 500-1500 words
• Forum contributions should be no longer than 500 words.

2. Query Letter

Please send us a one-page letter describing what you propose to write about and how it relates to a given theme. We will let you know if we are interested, or we may suggest a different approach or subject, so please wait for our reply. If the idea fits into our editorial plans, you will be given a deadline to submit a finished manuscript. Assignment of a deadline does not guarantee acceptance or publication of the article (though it does mean it's okay to submit material via email); it only means that we are interested in your idea and would like to pursue it. Please do not send us your submission until you have a reply to your query.

If you are a "new" writer to us, please include some information about yourself, including any relevant education, experience, or publication credits you might have (ie., do you teach in the field about which you want to write? Did you do fieldwork with the people of that field? Have you published anything on a related topic?). Brief queries may be sent via e-mail to editors(at)parabola(dot)org. We prefer electronic queries to be included in the body of the message, rather than as attachments. Please don't direct us to a web site where your article appears; as a rule, we don't have time to follow up on all such leads. In any case, we generally prefer articles that are written directly for Parabola and have not been previously published elsewhere.

3. Preparation of copy

Typewritten, double-spaced, on standard white letter-size paper (8 1/2" x 11"), with wide margins at top and bottom. No onionskin or erasable bond. In the upper left-hand corner of the first page of your article, please type the following information:

1. Your Name
2. Your Address and Telephone Number
3. Word Count

If endnotes are used, they should be as complete as possible: include the author's name, book or article title, translator or editor (if applicable), city of publication, name of publisher, date, and page numbers.

4. Electronic submissions

Parabola will accept material submitted on disc or via email, providing we responded positively to a prior query. We can open most Macintosh and IBM-compatible applications. If you include your article in the body of an email message (we prefer attached files), please use only ASCII text. Your biographical information should be included in the same document as the article. Include your last name in the file name (ie., "smith.doc"), not our name (ie, parabola.doc")

Upon acceptance we will request your disk or email file. Parabola will not accept any articles via e-mail without a prior query.

If you are sending us a word processing file or disk copy, please try to keep the formatting as simple as possible. In particular, we prefer manual endnotes to automatic footers.

5. Biographical Information

On a separate page, include a brief (2-3 sentence) biographical description of yourself. Fit the description to the subject matter of the article, e.g., for an article on Tibetan Buddhism, "Smith spent three years travelling in Tibet." Or, a publication credit: "Smith is the author of Pilgrimage in Tibet (W. W. Norton, 1987)." Always include your publisher.

If you are submitting your article electronically, please note that "a separate page" does not mean "a separate document"! Bio's sent as separate documents are very easily lost or confused with those from other articles; please include your biographical information in the main body of your submission.

6. Return Envelope/Postage

Article is to be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed return envelope, #10 or larger. Manuscripts without SASE will not be returned.

7. Mailing

Mail Articles to:

Editor
Parabola
20 West 20th Street
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10011

Or fax to:

212.822.8823

Or email:

editors at parabola.org