write for the journal

love in action guest contributions

Dear Writers,

There is more wisdom in this community than any one person could hold alone.

We know this because love in action was born from the experience of being held — by friends, by strangers, by the unexpected arrival of words at exactly the right moment. We believe that the stories we carry have the power to witness others, to repair language, to make someone feel less alone in whatever season they are living through.

That's why we open the journal to guest voices.

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who we're looking for

We welcome contributors writing from lived experience — grievers, caregivers, clinicians, chaplains, organizers, artists, activists, friends, and anyone else who has loved, lost, shown up, or tried again.

You don't have to be a writer. You only need a story, a moment, or a practice you're willing to offer with honesty and care.

The most powerful pieces we publish are written from the inside of an experience — not from a distance, not with all the answers, but from the middle of it, or from just far enough away to see it clearly.

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what we publish

We welcome pieces for any of our four journal threads:

• words, rewritten — releasing the language we inherited and finding words that actually fit. Essays that examine a phrase, a platitude, or a cultural assumption about grief, care, or connection — and offer something more honest in its place.
• seasons of being — short, grounded reflections on staying human through different seasons of life. Personal essays or meditations on what a particular season — grief, joy, exhaustion, transition, wonder, caregiving — actually asks of us.
• rituals in the wild — first-person stories of turning ordinary moments into shared rituals. Real stories of how people practice sustained presence — a card sent, a ritual built, a small act of love returned to again and again.
• dear human — letters on how love survives, endures, and repairs — across distance, grief, and the places that try to extinguish it. Letters addressed directly to a person, a season, a moment, or a truth.

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submission guidelines

• Pieces should be between 400 and 800 words.
• Write in first person. We publish personal essay, reflection, and letter forms — not how-to guides or listicles.
• Please submit complete, edited pieces. We offer light copyediting but are not a developmental editing service. Proofread carefully before submitting.
• All submissions should be original and unpublished. We do not accept pieces that have appeared elsewhere, including personal blogs and newsletters.
• We do not publish pieces that offer advice, fixes, or silver linings. If your piece tells someone how to grieve, how to heal, or how to find meaning, it's not the right fit for us. If it witnesses, holds, or honors and is tied back to hope — it probably is.
• We aim to respond to all submissions within four weeks. We read everything and will respond either way — we know what it feels like to send something into the void.

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a note on compensation

We believe writers deserve to be paid for their work. We are a small, independent slow-media group and cannot yet offer standard rates — but we don't want to ask for your words for nothing.

Every published guest contributor receives an ink + imagination box as a thank you for your contribution.

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ready to pitch?

Use the form below to share a brief note about who you are, which thread you feel most connected to, and a few sentences about the piece you'd like to write. We'll be in touch if it resonates.

SUBMIT YOUR PITCH