General Submission Guidelines

*We are not accepting general submissions at this time.*

The editorial impulse of Orion lies at the nexus of ecology and the human experience. The magazine distinguishes itself from the din of common culture through its depth of inquiry, commitment to interdisciplinary thought, and an emphasis on insight and imagination alongside a big-picture approach to problem-solving.

Features 

Our feature stories typically range from 1,000 to 6,000 words in length, comprising and often combining a variety of genres and formats: essay, memoir, reporting, science writing, criticism, fiction, and comics. More than any particular angle or theme, we value work that expands or challenges our understanding of nature, culture, and place, reflecting thoughtful experience with diverse surroundings. 

Lay of the Land

The front-of-the-magazine Lay of the Land department features dispatches from a revolving cast of writers that strive to decode the phenomena of the world we live in through investigative lenses of wonder, curiosity, and ecology. Pieces are meant to be more outward-looking and are no more than 1,000 words.

Poetry

We are not reading poetry submissions at the moment. **Please do not send us poetry.** 

Photography and Visual Art

In addition to regularly featuring portfolios and photo essays, Orion accompanies most of its stories with bold and striking imagery. We are always curious to hear from artists whose work shares our concerns with nature, culture, and place. Artists are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with past issues of Orion before approaching us with portfolios. Though our catalog reflects a broad range of visual styles, most of the artwork in Orion maintains intuitive connections to the physical world. Correspondence should ideally link to a web gallery, lightbox, or shared folder. We prefer not to receive media submissions attached directly to emails.

Visual submissions, pitches, or inquiries can be sent to Sumanth Prabhaker, sumanth@orionmagazine.org.

Book Reviews

All review queries should be directed to our reviews editor, Kerri Arsenault, at reviews@orionmagazine.org. Galleys should be mailed to: Kerri Arsenault, PO Box 96, Roxbury CT 06783. Any books sent to our offices for review consideration will be donated.

 

The Fine Print

• Writers are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with past issues of Orion before approaching us with manuscripts. Another recommended option is to attend an Orion Environmental Writers’ Workshop.
• Orion is only able to consider manuscripts posted during designated submission windows.
• Writers are limited to one submission per category, per window—additional submissions will not be considered.
  (However, you may submit up to three images for our reader-sources Murmuration section.)
• We accept simultaneous submissions.
• Because all submissions are reviewed twice over by a team of editors, it may take us up to six months to respond. In the meantime, we are unlikely to have an answer to inquiries about the status of submissions. We appreciate your patience as we get to know your work!
• Whenever possible, please use our online submission system – it’s free and easy to navigate. The online submission system eases communication between Orion’s offices, allowing your work to be read by as many editors as possible.
• Still have questions? Email us.