Submissions to this Call ask for a 150-word pitch for a wider range of stories on our online platform, Booth, Please. We like to refer to Booth, Please as the every person's hangout for "weekly tangents about design and New Jersey, served up every Sunday." Where we are free to explore "the dreams, discoveries, confrontations, and epiphanies that emerge when design meets New Jersey—all set within the comforts of the world's diner capital." Booth, Please stories begin with the general question: What if America’s most densely populated (and reviled) state is the key to helping us face the challenges of our ever-uncertain world? To go one step further, we've identified several prompts in the form of hashtags: #LIVINGARCHIVE A new form of "Show & Tell" stories that challenge how we connect archival materials with contemporary life. #SENSINGTHEFUTURE Stories that, sometimes literally, pull on all of our senses to get a whiff of NJ's future. #JERSEYALLALONG Stories that reveal the hidden powers that come with being the world's underdog. #SISTERMYCITY Satirical stories connecting one of NJ's 564 municipalities with one of the world's thousands. #THECITYOFNEWJERSEY Ambitious stories that imagine America's densest state as the city of the future. #WESHAPEENVIRONMENTSSHAPEUS Stories that highlight the ways in which people and place are deeply inseparable. #WEAREMADEOFMIGRATIONS Stories that trace the impacts of global human and non-human trajectories through NJ. #MOSTFIRSTBESTWORST Stories that unpack why New Jersey is the most, the first, the best and the worst at many things (clearly an homage to our namesake). We accept local and global stories that are in-depth and narrative-focused. We consider long-form content as well as shorter, time-sensitive pieces that offer a more immediate response to current events. This includes but not limited to: essays, films, photography, multimedia, and audio stories. Here are a few Booth, Please stories that range in their narrative style (which currently embody Issue 1's theme), such as the one about a vintage souvenir plate of the NJ Turnpike, the one about rest stop design while driving 5049 miles between NJ and Delaware, or the one about a recipe for venison stew unlike no other. Hint: notice how we use our hashtags.

This Call asks for a 150-word pitch in response to Issue 2's editorial catalyst: The Paterson Silk Strike of 1913. This historical event invites speculations concerning the future of industrialized landscapes, activism, urban ecology, labor rights, manufacturing, unions, migration, fashion/textiles, material cultures, deep time/geology, housing and hydrology – not only locally, but regional and global scales, too. We've clumped these speculations under the following themes, to spur further questions: Industry: What is the future of the manufactory when its trajectory has been so unpredictable and ironic? What is a city of innovation? How does industry show up, and then leave? What is the future of the “development zone”? Labor: How do we design work in the wake of a post-industrial world? What are the future sites of strike? Who has access to certain types of labor? What will the workday look like in the future? What is the future of the office? Immigration: What is Paterson's legacy for immigrant labor rights? How is migration an act of survival and resistance? When we move, what do we bring with us? What are the new patterns of movement in a post-industrial world? Material Culture: How do material conditions reverberate from the labor that made them? What are the deep histories of textile and weaving culture that exist outside of industry? How is weaving a form of resistance? Ecologies: Is labor embodied in all ecological transformations? How do industrial extraction practices shape the ecology of a place? What will future ecological systems "produce" post-human, and for whom? Place-making: How does arrival and departure continue to shape a space? How do the Paterson falls make a place? How have Paterson's place-makers always been making this place?

Our editorial process often leads with this question: What if America’s most densely populated (and reviled) state is the key to helping us face the challenges of our ever-uncertain world? We take this question seriously. While popular culture is busy poking fun at the state, New Jersey is busy experimenting under the radar, trying to make sense of its many complicated conditions. We think that makes for a great story. Sharing stories about the challenges we face is at the heart of equitable design, and Dense amplifies those stories with accounts that see New Jersey as a lens to shape a more resilient future for ALL of us. We explore these questions through two interconnected platforms: IN PRINT Each issue is produced and executed with extraordinary care, and delivered biannually to a readership of 10,000 (and growing). When all ten issues have been released, the series will be enjoyed for years to come as a beautiful boxed set. ONLINE [Booth, Please] Our ad-free, paywall-free digital platform that hosts current and in-depth stories, and delivered weekly to a readership of over 4,000 subscribers. No matter which platform, our editorial team places the stakes high to deliver powerful storytelling that leads to extraordinary change.

Issue 2 Call opens Monday, July 19, 12:00pm EST, and closes August 17, 2022, 11:59pm EST. NOTE: Anyone who cannot accommodate the following editorial timeline will not be considered for our Call for Issue 2 submissions: 8/19/22 Accepted Submissions are notified 9/09/22 1st draft due 9/30/22 2nd draft due 10/28/22 Final draft due Dec 2022 Issue 2 goes to print (TBD) 1/26/22 Issue 2 Launch Party (TBD) General Call is open on a rolling basis.

All are welcome to submit, no matter your location. In other words, being from New Jersey does not affect eligibility.

In the form, you will be asked to supply the following: Contact information Your pitch: In 150 words, describe the following: (NOTE: Any submissions that omit this information will not be accepted.) What's the main question you're asking or prompted by? How is your story in relation to one of Issue 2's themes? Why do you think your story is a good fit for Issue 2? How does your story matter to our collective future and broader audiences? What format(s) and word length are you thinking of? 75-word bio that gives us a snapshot of your background and interests. Link(s) to previously published work or portfolios, if you have them.

Our editorial team will evaluate submissions on the following criteria: Overall quality of pitch Clarity and thoroughness of story idea Alignment with our theme(s) Quality and demonstration of past works Accessibility of language Degree of risk-taking Commitment to editorial timeline Want to improve your pitch? Because the most successful submissions come from those who've read Issue 1, we suggest reading several stories that we re-published on Booth, Please. Examples of pitches can be found in our FAQs section under "What's an example of a pitch you'd accept?" To experience the full range of stories, we're also offering a one-time option to buy a copy of Issue at 50% off (retails for $27). Upon submitting, you'll receive a discount code by email. Limited to one (1) copy per submission. While supplies last. Does not include tax or shipping. Domestic shipping only. If a submission is deemed more relevant for another Call, Dense may recommend that it be considered under that Call, without any obligation to the applicant to agree.

For those applying to Issue 2, please go to Timeline for response information. For those applying to General Call, we aim to respond to your submissions within 2 to 4 weeks, although we may take longer. Please wait until this time has passed before writing to check on the status of your submission. NOTE: Due to the number and quality of submissions, we accept only a small fraction of all submissions and we're not able to offer detailed responses for pitches that we do not accept for publication.

We will notify everyone whose submissions have been accepted no later than August 19, 2022. Please make sure you can accommodate our timeline before you decide to submit: August 22 Signed contributor contract due September 9 1st draft due September 30 2nd draft due October 28 Final draft due Issue 2 Launch Party is tentatively scheduled for January 26, 2023.

In general, we accept any formats that can convert into a high-resolution digital file. Dense stories follow a hybrid visual/literary format: If your story is primarily visual in nature, such as a photo essay, you will be asked to write 250-400 words about it. If your story is primarily literary in nature, such as speculative fiction, you will also be asked to consider what visuals works, such as photographs or illustrations, should compliment the writing. Upon acceptance of your submission, we'll work with you to identify which direction your supplementary material will take. The list of formats is exhaustive, but here are a few to inspire (keep in mind, regardless of which format you explore, final format must be digitally reproducible): Visual: Printmaking, painting, photography, collage Illustration, drawings, renderings of design and architecture Textiles, sculpture, installation, new media Visual essays/analysis, data visualization Audio/Video: Sound works, music Podcasts, audio diaries/interviews Spoken word, performance art Memory work, community production Video, film, animation Literary: essays, prose, sci-fi, speculative fiction poetry, manga, songwriting, screenplay Regardless of which format you explore, final format must be digitally reproducible. For instance, if your submission to create a textile design was accepted for Issue 2 (print), you will submit photographs of your actual design, accompanied by 250-400 words about it. If your submission to write and produce a short play was accepted for Booth, Please (online), you will submit a video clip from the final edited file, accompanied by the play itself.

We believe the future of publishing looks like investing back into the communities whose stories we feature. We're committed to: Paying fair compensation for contributors, editors, and designers, and Building partnerships with organizations across the state that work with, and invest in, historically excluded BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and immigrant communities. Editors will offer compensation upon acceptance of submissions, based on scope and/or length of the proposed story. Compensation will also include the following: For Issue-specific submissions, five (5) complimentary copies, two (2) VIP Launch Party tickets with an option to buy more copies at a discounted rate. For General Call submissions, one (1) complimentary copy, one (1) VIP Launch Party ticket with an option to buy more copies at a discounted rate. Upon acceptance of submissions, an abbreviated contract will be issued outlining all Terms and Conditions, including compensation and any applicable editorial timeline. NOTE: If a story is not a good fit for Dense by the end of the first round of drafts, you will receive a small stipend for your time, not to exceed 10% of compensation.

Despite Dense's geographic perspective, all are welcome to submit pitches, regardless of your location. Being from New Jersey does not improve eligibility.

A great pitch embodies our tagline "when design meets New Jersey." A great pitch includes basic narrative elements: a specific focus, a central question, stakes, a conflict and/or a central character. Ideally, something happens in the story. A great pitch avoids getting stuck in the past. Even if you make reference to something historical, your pitch will take us somewhere speculative. Whether you plan to submit a pitch for new visual works, new writing or other experimental medium, a great pitch foregrounds the overarching story, supplemented by whatever work you generate in support of that story. A great pitch puts these things directly in relationship with one another and helps us think about New Jersey in new ways. We are a storytelling platform so it's important to capture not only the questions you are asking, but also a clear sense of the medium you plan to deliver the story through. Because we believe that the most successful submissions come from those who have read Issue 1, we're offering the option to add a copy of Issue at 50% off through our Submissions form (retails for $27). Limited to one (1) copy per submission. While supplies last. Does not include tax or shipping. Domestic shipping only.

In general, pitches that center provocations about New Jersey and the man-made environment (design) are our sweet spot. Pitches that have compelling questions that their work is trying to address, in any medium. For instance: A fiction writer who speculates about the future of energy in 2030, in one of New Jersey's post-industrial cities, written in the first person. A labor activist who documents the process of forming a labor union in a local warehouse. A spoken-word artist who collaborates with an animator and students from an urban elementary school to make a children's story about their hopes and dreams. A designer who develops a series of textile patterns A photographer who revisits the impact that living in New Jersey had on her practice, as a visual essay. A scholar of 18th and 19th century Black farming practices who writes a manifesto about the "Garden State" of the future. This 132-word pitch for Issue 2 serves as a solid submission: What if the Passaic River had legal status protection by the time Alexander Hamilton began his scheming for an industrial city at the Great Falls? I'd like to explore this question through a 3,000-word graphic novella, a format that allows me to bring this speculative narrative together with my illustration work. With natural resources becoming more and more scarce, personhood of our natural environment needs more advocates now more than ever. This project will draw on the legal status successes around the world while allowing me to explore what voice the Passaic River would have. Never having done this type of narrative before, DENSE feels like the right space to explore this project, where I can imagine Paterson's oldest and most important protagonist in America's industrial story finally gets to speak up. As these are all mere examples already released into the world, you are welcome to use these as starting points, but please don't stop there!

Previously produced or published work. Any personal or company profiles. If you're looking to promote your organization’s specific projects or services, please refer to the question, "How can my organization get featured on your platform?" Anything that toes a party line (any party, any line). Highbrow name-dropping. Straightforward long form reviews narrowly focused on a single project or person. Dispatches from The Right Side of History. Finger wagging. False binaries. Hot takes on the latest 24-hour Twitter scandal. And personal essays. Any work that is exclusionary, discriminatory, peer-reviewed or inaccessible to a broad audience. “'The Real Housewives of NJ' gets a redesign." Sounds like great reading in the doctor's waiting room, but what else can be said about this cast of characters that hasn’t already been said in the commercial rags? Any pitches that start with "I'd like to pitch the following," or use adjectives such "this book is compelling and rigorous." If submitting for consideration in our print magazine, remember that we are a biannual publication (meaning, two issues per year), so pitches pegged to fast-moving news narratives are unlikely to be accepted.

No, not at all! We welcome all sorts of creators, published or not. Dense is a vital storytelling space where new ideas cross pollinate across experience, industry and background. However, it would be helpful to get a sense of you and what you create, so a link to a portfolio or website is preferred.

The short answer is: We accept any formats that can convert into a high-resolution digital file. The long answer is that the format(s) will evolve over the course of contribution's development: I. Upon acceptance of your submission, we confirm with you which formats you will explore. Contributions that are primarily visual in nature will also be accompanied by 250-400 words about it. Contributions that primarily literary in nature will also be accompanied by visuals works, such as photographs or illustrations, to compliment the writing. II. During development of your contribution, we encourage you to explore a full breadth of formats and media that help evolve your narrative. The list of possible formats is exhaustive, but here are a few: illustration, printmaking, textiles, sculpture, installation, new media, design, architecture, visual essays/analysis, data visualization, sound works, music, songwriting, memory work, performance art, community production, essays, spoken word, science/speculative fiction, poetry, manga, podcasts, collage, photography, video, film, animation, poetry, and video/visual/audio/written diaries. III. For final production files, we require your visual media to be reformatted for the platform that your submission was accepted. For instance, if your submission to manufacture a textile design was accepted for Issue 2 (print), you might submit photographs of your actual design, accompanied by 250-400 words about it. If your submission to write and produce a short play was accepted for Booth, Please (online), you might submit a video clip from the final edited file, accompanied by the play itself.

Yes. Dense prioritizes fair compensation editors will be in touch about compensation and contract upon acceptance.

Pre-orders are tentatively scheduled to begin early December 2022. Copies of Issue 2 tentatively shipping mid-January 2023. Issue 2 launch party is tentatively scheduled to be held at Monira Foundation, date TBD.

Dense is published by DesignShed, a New Jersey-based nonprofit formed in 2018, whose mission is to celebrate, mobilize, and incubate the state's creative ecosystem for a more resilient and equitable future. Dense is the storytelling arm of DesignShed, expanding its mission to reposition New Jersey at the forefront of visionary change.

We're pleased to offer sponsored content on Booth, Please, our online platform, starting November 2022 – the most effective, guaranteed way to tell the mission-driven story about your company or organization’s work. Sponsored content is discretely labeled, lives on our platform forever and comes with a 500-page-view guarantee. We also offer sponsored interviews with our editorial team, giving you the chance to reach our audience of change-makers with our brand of trusted storytelling. Interested in tax-deductible sponsorship opportunities with a mission? Here's where your brand can stand out: Dense 10-issue print series Each issue is produced and executed with extraordinary care, and delivered biannually to a readership of 10,000 (and growing). When all ten issues have been released, the series will be enjoyed for years to come as a beautiful boxed set. Booth, Please. Our ad-free, paywall-free digital platform that hosts current and in-depth stories, and delivered weekly to a readership of over 4,000 subscribers. For more information about these and other marketing opportunities, contact our Strategic Marketing Coordinator.

No problem! Please email your question(s) to our editors and we'll respond within 24-48 hours.

IMPORTANT! Before you proceed, have you read through our Guidelines and FAQs? Our guidelines include important information, dates and tips to help you submit your best pitch. Reading time is roughly 15 minutes. If you have, you're ready to submit! Please select the Call you're interested in: Issue 2 Call - print or online General Call Sponsored Post