Pedestrian Participation

Queries, unsolicited manuscripts and correspondence are welcome at The Pedestrian.

Each print issue will include 8-12 essays. Please note that the print issue does not end discussion of a topic. We will continue to publish online-only essays and correspondence on previously printed topics, so submissions regarding past topics are also welcome. Manuscripts must adhere to the submission guidelines (see below). Email queries, manuscripts, or correspondence to:

editor@thepedestrian.org

or send a hard copy to:

The Pedestrian
PO Box 22468
Philadelphia, PA 19110

Also be sure to check out our essay contest. The topic for the contest changes quarterly.

editorial calendar

Manuscripts must be emailed or postmarked by the following deadlines to be considered for inclusion in the print issue:

Issue No 1 • Empathy
(Deadline: Passed)

No 2 • Tools
(May 15, 2010)
Extended Deadline

No 3 • Play
(August 15, 2010)

No 4 • Quiet
(November 15, 2010)

writing for the pedestrian

The Pedestrian seeks well-crafted essays that explore the journal’s topics and are fit for a general audience. The journal invites submissions from people of various walks of life and does not limit its interest to professional writers and journalists.

Content is especially important in our search for essays. The essayist must carefully reflect upon the issue’s topic. The type of reflection is limitless. Taking our first issue’s topic (empathy) as an example, you could reflect upon any of the following: the part empathy plays in a recently read book; insights on empathy gained from your occupation; a long-held assumption you have had about someone, tracing this assumption’s change after you have empathized with their perspective; or you might observe a child with an imaginary friend, inspiring you to reflect on the empathetic qualities you lost and gained while growing up. Remember that the journal’s goal is to look around and reflect (a leisurely saunter) upon a mere fraction of the manifold perspectives on each topic (as found in even the most ordinary of instances).

As for style, the journal seeks varieties of the familiar, or personal, essay. We strongly encourage familiarity with classic examples of the form. Examples can be found in The Art of the Personal Essay, an anthology edited by Phillip Lopate. The Quotidiana website has examples in the public domain. Such essays reveal meandering minds that we can follow as they playfully explore topics from many angles. The pleasure is in the exploration. The essay itself need not even have a point; frequently, the familiar essayists contradict themselves as they contemplate a topic, much as each of us does in everyday consciousness. The essay writer shares with us the playful, humble pleasure of musing over unexplored areas of life.

submission guidelines

The Pedestrian strives for prompt response to queries and submissions, responding within four weeks of receipt. Hard copy manuscripts will not be returned. Payment for unsolicited manuscripts chosen for publication ranges from $25 - $600, payable upon acceptance. The Pedestrian buys at minimum non-exclusive web rights but may offer to buy additional print or web rights. Guidelines for manuscript submissions are as follows:

• Please submit double-spaced text of a maximum 5000 words.
• We accept multiple submissions for each issue, but no more than one submission per issue will be published.
• Include your surname and a page number on every page as follows to ensure that none of the pages is misplaced:
• Surname: page ## of ##
• Include the following on a cover page:
• full name
• mailing address
• email address
• word count
• issue no./topic (see editorial calendar above)
• Please note if the submission was previously published or if it is currently submitted or accepted for publication elsewhere.