Newsletter Essays

Each month, Barrelhouse sends out an email newsletter to its large subscriber list. Each newsletter features an original essay, along with brief updates on whatever we have going on: calls for submissions, Writer Camp applications, a new book, etc. In the past, the essays have been solicited. But we're opening up for submissions.

What we're looking for: Original personal essays (under 1,000 words) on a pop cultural obsession. We can define "pop culture" pretty broadly here. But the personal is particularly important. We're not interested in a movie review, or a book recommendation. Rather, we want to read about your idiosyncratic relationship to whatever "thing" you're writing about. Maybe you went down some weird rabbit holes watching failed marriage proposal videos on YouTube. Or you're fascinated with the hair and wardrobe choices in the '80s vampire movie The Lost Boys. Or the music of Megadeath still conjures up sweet memories of your first love. 

We don't want to be too prescriptive! We just want good writing, and interesting perspectives.

The Nuts and Bolts

Word Count: Under 1,000 (strict limit)

Payment: Yes (our standard $50, paid on publication)

Open period: We'll accept pieces on a rolling basis, and will close (or pause) submissions when the queue gets out of hand or when we've accepted several months of newsletter essays

Rights: We want pieces that haven't yet appeared elsewhere. The newsletter doesn't "live" anywhere permanently (unlike a Substack, for instance) so after we've sent it out, you'll retain all the rights to your piece. You could put it on your own website, or even publish it elsewhere, as long as the other publication was ok with it having been in our newsletter first.