In The Mood Magazine is a pop culture journal about the things we like to watch.

Submissions open

Submissions are OPEN for In The Mood Magazine Issue 9: HOMETOWN! We’re looking for writing about film, TV, and pop culture related to your hometown—however you may define it. These could be films shot or set in your town, state/province, or country. Or maybe it’s a town you’ve always identified with, an invented hometown, or a hometown hero.

- Theme: HOMETOWN
‍- Deadline: December 31st, 2023
‍- Word count: 1,000 words max for features, 300 words max for Film Diaries
- Honorarium: $30 CAD for features, $20 CAD for Film Diaries

💡 Some ideas for inspiration:
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‍- Cities pretending to be others (Vancouver as L.A., Toronto as New York)
- Films set in your hometown, school, or workplace (What do they get right/wrong? How does it affect the town's reputation?)
- Hometown heroes (stars or filmmakers from your hometown, what the hometown thinks of them) or celebrities that went to your school
- Movies that were big in your hometown (Phantom of the Paradise in Winnipeg, Bon Cop/Bad Cop in Ottawa)
- Imaginary hometowns (In the Mouth of Madness, Pleasantville)
- Films about places you wish were your hometown
- Film/TV production hotspots (Atlanta, New York, Vancouver, Toronto)

👇 Please read our guidelines before submitting:‍

Submission/Pitch Guidelines

Magazine: Submissions are open 3 times a year, and issues are themed. If you have an off-theme and/or timely pitch, consider sending it to our newsletter.

‍Newsletter: Submissions are always open, and we publish 1-2 times a month. We especially welcome timely pieces on new releases or seasonal topics (e.g. horror in October, summer films).
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What We Publish

We’re looking for writers with a distinctive voice, who aren't afraid of getting personal, and who are curious about why we watch what we watch. We appreciate thoughtful analysis but also a playful tone; we want intelligent pieces that aren't too full of themselves. We don't think of ourselves as an authority, but a confidante.

🎬 We publish the following about film, TV, pop culture, and moving image media—click for some examples we love:
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‍- Personal essays and non-academic essays
‍- Conversations, roundtable discussions, interviews
‍- Poetry
‍- Round-ups, lists
‍- Experimental pieces, fan fiction, spec scripts
‍- Games, questionnaires
- Visual art, comics
‍- First-person, on-the-ground pieces about going to movies or working behind the scenes
‍- Film Diaries (short personal piece about something you've watched lately)
- Anniversary pieces (but try to think beyond "this movie is still great")
- Works on other moving image media, e.g. music videos, celebrities, commercials, filming locations, interesting areas of the film industry

❌ Things to avoid: 
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‍- Straight up reviews
- Excessive summary
- Academic or overly-formal tone
- Flat-out pans (if something is bad, tell us why that's interesting!)
- Pre-1970s media
- Clickbait/hot takes

Please check out our past issues and our newsletter to get a sense of what we publish!

How To Submit

‍We strongly prefer completed pieces, but we understand that writing on spec is not a realistic prospect for many writers. With that in mind, we still accept pitches.

👇 Please include:
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‍- Completed piece (doesn't need to be perfectly polished!) OR if you’re pitching, a short paragraph on the piece (topic, relevancy, intended word count) - 1,000 words max for features, 300 words max for Film Diaries
- Why you think your piece or pitch is a good fit for In the Mood
‍- 1-2 writing samples (they don’t need to be published)
- Short bio or link to your website

Send Submissions, Pitches, and Queries to:

inthemoodmagazine@gmail.com