Steel City Socialist Submission Guidelines

Steel City Socialist is open for submissions! We are seeking opinion articles, local journalism, political analysis, cultural reviews, original artwork, and creative writing. All content should be written from a socialist perspective. If you are unsure whether your work is a good fit, please reach out to us with a pitch.

Deadline

Our deadline is rolling — submit any time!

We believe that if you can write a succinct, cohesive and timely article, we’ll not only be able to move our readers into action more effectively, but you’ll become a better organizer yourself. To this end, we are seeking pieces that are no more than 1,500 words. Short, blog-style pieces are a great way to refine your argument.

If you haven’t written for a publication like this before, don’t worry! Our editors will work with you to develop your ideas, provide suggestions, and help you copy edit your article.

Mission

The Steel City Socialist is a project of the Pittsburgh Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) which exists to use writing and visual art to empower members of DSA and the broader working class in developing their voice and political analysis and to promote socialism throughout the Greater Pittsburgh Area.

Scope

1. The publication’s scope of content includes a variety of local and regional news, with an emphasis on labor or socialist political reporting. It also includes opinions and commentary on internal DSA strategy and chapter work, local policy, or cultural reviews as well as creative pieces including visual art, commentary, poetry or fiction. 

2. News articles shall be generally limited to the jurisdiction of Pittsburgh DSA and the surrounding areas which lack a local DSA Chapter. Ultimately, editorial decisions remain up to the discretion of the Board. 

3. Creative articles and book, movie, or music reviews need not be limited to the geographic regions, however museum or event reviews should be limited to a regional scope. 

4. Opinion pieces on national and international events need not be limited to the geographic region, but writers are encouraged to connect these themes to the work of the chapter or to the situation in Pittsburgh.

5. It is ultimately up to the board to use discretion in how wide the regional scope is determined with the above points serving as guidelines.

6. Theoretical and historical content will be considered, but authors are encouraged to highlight connections to relevant contemporary political issues within the above referenced scope

Submit Pitches, Full Articles or Visual Art

• Email to steelcitysocialist@pghdsa.org or a post in the #publication Slack channel.

• Tell us whether it’s a “PITCH” or “SUBMISSION.” 

• If it’s a pitch, include a short three- to five-word description, and a brief outline (100-150 words) of your idea. 

• If you have a topic but prefer not to write the story yourself, we may be able to find someone else to write the article. Please let us know up front if this is the case.

• Wait for our editors to respond – we are all volunteers, so please be patient.

For Visual Art 

• We will create a PDF and print edition based on 17” x 11” paper, so your canvas will be a vertical page 8.5” wide by 11” tall.

• Please limit visual submissions to one 8.5” x 11” page maximum, smaller pieces of any size are welcome.

Simultaneous submissions (submitting to us and other publications) are okay, but please let us know when you submit. If the work you are submitting has previously been published elsewhere (including, but not limited to, other publications, self-published, shared on social media, etc) you must let us know about this when you submit. Steel City Socialist does not accept work generated fully or in part with AI. Please see our No AI policy here.

You do not need to be a DSA member to submit your work, but we encourage you to join DSA. Opinions and views expressed in Steel City Socialist do not necessarily represent the positions of Pittsburgh DSA or national DSA.

Authors retain the rights to their work following publication. Please see our policy on authors rights here.

Work will be accepted based on merit and appropriateness for inclusion within the current issue and Steel City Socialist broadly. Acceptance decisions will be made by the Editorial Board. Membership in DSA or the Steel City Socialist Editorial Board do not guarantee acceptance. If your submission is not accepted, we encourage you to try again! We will provide feedback when possible, and our editors may be able to help you get an idea or piece ready for submission, just ask!