Department Submissions

Every issue has a variety of non-feature articles. These do not follow themes and can be submitted to us at any time.

Departments are the shorter articles (around 1200 words or less) found toward the back of each issue that fall under one of our current department categories, listed below (click through to see recently published examples). They are usually more narrow in scope than our feature articles.

• Arts and Culture
• Bible Study (published four times per year in Feb, May, Aug, and Nov issues): A Bible Study article should be between 1000 and 1300 words and be written in a clear, accessible voice. Its message should be scripturally and theologically sound. First and foremost, it should speak to Quaker faith and practice; you can draw upon other theological schools of thought, but keep in mind that you are writing for a general readership. Begin by quoting the biblical passage you’d like to discuss; please include the translation version (NRSV, KJV, etc.). This can be a short quote or text (around 200 words or less) or a longer passage, provided the context is clearly explained without needing to reprint the entire passage. Follow this with your commentary/reflection (800 to 900 words). At the end, provide two or three discussion questions for readers to consider.
• Earthcare
• Faith and Practice
• Friends in Business
• History
• Humor
• Life in the Meeting
• Lives of Friends
• Q&A / Interview
• Reflection
• Religious Education
• Remembrance
• Service
• Viewpoint (aka Opinion): Short essays, sometimes topical and/or opinionated. They are typically 500-700 words but can be up to 1000 if needed. They often appear online first, especially if the topic is more timely than the slow pace of print can allow. When we do publish them in the magazine, they appear alongside the Readers' Forum.
• Witness