Submissions

Unpious.com aims to entertain. We also aim to be thoughtful and provocative. Submissions should be smart, humorous, and reflective, and can be on any topic relating to Chasidim and Charedim on the fringes of their respective worlds. We don’t mind a bit of snarkiness, cynicism, or sarcasm. We’re looking for essays, personal narratives, and flash fiction. We specifically seek works with an edge; writing that makes you think, reflect, and hopefully elicit a chuckle along the way.

In personal narratives and flash fiction, remember the old adage: “Show, don’t tell.” In all submissions, do your best to cut all extraneous words and passages.

Yiddish and Hebrew words and phrases should be transliterated and italicized. Translations, when appropriate, should blend into the text rather than added parenthetically. Assume the reader is familiar with the basics of Jewish culture but might be unaware of nuances and subtleties.

For the most part, we do not accept submissions that deal directly and specifically with theological and heavy philosophical issues. A piece attempting to disprove religion will go straight to the trash; not because we disagree, but because we probably agree so strongly that it no longer needs to be said.

Also, Unpious.com is not the place to vent freely, to express unrestrained anger and bitterness. Many who’ve left the Chasidic and Charedi worlds are in many ways emotionally and psychologically scarred. We understand that. But unless your piece deals with it creatively and without melodrama, it’s best left for your therapist’s couch.

Submissions should be between 500-1500 words. Include a title and the name you wish to use in the byline. We prefer real names, but we don’t mind a pseudonym if it sounds like an actual name. Names like “Angry Ex-Chusid” are not acceptable. Names like “Moishe Yakobovitch” are ok. If your real name happens to be “Chaim Shtinkovitch,” that is ok too, although we strongly suggest a legal name change.

Please be aware that all submissions are subject to editing at the editorial team’s discretion. Titles may be changed at the editorial team’s discretion. Unpious retains the right to distribute in perpetuity the content of your submission in electronic, print, broadcast, and all other media that exist now or may be developed in the future, as well to distribute the content of your submission via any media platforms managed by our partners.

At this time, we are no longer accepting poetry submissions. However, our editors still love to read poetry, so feel free to share if you’d like. And if it so happens that you wrote a killer poem, we might just make an exception.

Email your piece as an MS Word document, double-spaced, to unpious.submissions@gmail.com.