Wall City accepts pitches from writers and artists currently or formerly incarcerated in the state of California. We are looking for submissions that are driven by curiosity, humor, nuance and a desire to dig deep. We only publish work that has been developed in conversation with our editorial team.
For inside writers interested in connecting with us on GTL Getting Out, please write to us at: Wall City, P.O. Box 1493, Alameda, CA, 94501. We’ll add you to our GTL account. To submit, send us a short pitch via GTL. Model pitches are available on request. If your pitch is accepted, you will work with a member of our editorial team to develop your idea into a full piece. Contributors should expect to work through multiple rounds of revision. Time between pitch and publication can range from one to six months.
Our rates for submissions, which are pitched, revised and completed in conversation with an editor are:
- “The Longread” section $450
- “On Books” section: $200
- “Other Voices” section: $150
- “Cities Behind the Walls” section: $150
- “In-Sight” section: $100
- Commissioned illustrations: $50
HAVE A STORY IDEA YOU’D LIKE US TO PURSUE?
We take story ideas from our audience. If there is a topic, issue, person or book you’d like our writers to tackle, we’d love to hear from you. Please email us at [email protected].
Submission Categories
THE LONGREAD
Wall City’s Longread section publishes nonfiction storytelling on topics related to the California prison system. We encourage stylistic creativity within the bounds of facts; articles may be written in the first-person but must include some substantial reporting.
Final submission length: 1,500 – 5,000 words.
ON BOOKS
Wall City’s books section publishes two kinds of articles: 1) shortform personal essays about the reading experience; 2) reviews of new and classic books related to the justice system.
Final submission length: 1,000 words or less.
OTHER VOICES
Elevating the experiences and perspectives of those around our contributors, this section includes 1) “As Told To” stories and 2) shortform profiles in text, video or audio format. These stories can feature those inside or beyond the walls.
Final submission length: 600 words or less for text; Three minutes or less for video or audio.
CITIES BEHIND THE WALLS
Every prison has its own vibe and culture. In this section, we publish shortform dispatches and slices of life that illustrate what makes each prison in California unique. Submissions are accepted in text, video or audio format.
Final submission length: 600 words or less for text; Three minutes or less for video or audio.
IN-SIGHT
Wall City’s section for contributions that are visually-driven, as a still image, an animation or a video. This could include:
- Still Life: an illustration of personal belongings with accompanying annotations to capture each item’s meaning.
- Comics journalism, or any other form of illustration that documents a scene or activity inside.
- Data visualizations of all kinds— interactive maps, results from surveys done on the tablets or done informally in individual prisons.
Final submission size: consult with our editorial team.