Open Call: Mynah Issue 5
+ introducing the Mynah Emerging Writers Mentorship
We’re looking for contributors for Mynah’s fifth issue! We’re accepting pitches for longform non-fiction writing and visual contributions over the next few weeks. You can submit your pitches via this form. The form will close on 15 February at 23:59 Singapore time.
The editors have also produced a guide on how to pitch that you can read here.
What are you looking for?
Longform non-fiction writing will always be Mynah’s meat and potatoes. We primarily publish critical essays and investigative pieces between 3,000 to 5,000 words long.
We also publish visual contributions that aren’t as dependent on text. Some examples from our past issues include Lee Chang Ming’s photo essay The Garden in Issue 2 and Teo Kai Xiang’s tabletop RPG and Jean Ning Phua’s crossword puzzle in Issue 4. We are open to stories that take any form as long as they fit Mynah’s editorial voice.
Can you say more about visual contributions?
I’m especially interested in visual stories that fully utilise the print medium. If your idea would benefit from doing something unique with print—an insert, a novel printing method, a particular kind of paper—let us know!
We’re soliciting standalone visual stories through the open call. We’re also on the look out for artists for editorial illustrations and photographs to complement our longform stories. If you don’t have a story of your own to pitch but would like to be added to our rolodex of image contributors, please send us details about your work using this form.
What’s this about a mentorship programme?
We’ve also introduced a new initiative this issue: the Mynah Emerging Writers Mentorship. We’re looking for a writer who’s never published non-fiction to support in taking their story from pitch to page.
Mynah turns 9 (!!!) this year. We’re now one of the most established outlets for non-fiction writing in the country. Over the years, as we’ve built our reputation and raised our contributor fees, we’ve had the privilege of working with more established writers. We could probably fill the pages of the next issue with contributions from professional writers alone. While that would be one way to produce a great issue, it’s really important to us that we reserve space for an unpublished voice. We were all total noobs when we started the magazine and learned a lot of what we now know on the job. It’s only fair that we give other people the opportunity to learn too.
You can find more information about the Mentorship here.
What if I’m not sure if I’m an Emerging Writer?
Open call and Mentorship pitches all reach us from the same form. You just have to tick a box and tell us a bit more about your writing if you’d like to be considered for the Mentorship. There is only one Mentorship-specific place but we’ll consider every good pitch. The mentee will go through the same editorial process as all our other contributors. They’ll also be paid the same rate—$600 for a full longform story. We’ll just be on hand for more structured support. There will be two editorial meetings to discuss how best to approach the story: one after we decide on the pitch and one after we receive the first draft.
What makes a story a good fit for Mynah?
Mynah is specifically interested in stories about Singapore that are, on the face of it, too mundane or too strange to be part of the mainstream narrative. Speaking for myself, a deep love for this city — which is distinct from patriotism! — is what animates my work on Mynah. “Hey, I wonder if anyone’s ever written about this…” is a great place to start.
Some recurring topics and ideas from Mynah’s back issues include:
Singapore’s precolonial past
social media communities
labour and migration
non-normative lives in Singapore
Your pitch definitely doesn’t have to address any of those themes. In fact, being surprised by something entirely different would be great.
As a little treat for the newsletter readers, here are some ideas I (Ruby) would love to see pitches explore:
The view of Singapore from “the developing world”
The Mandai Wildlife Reserve (I LOVE Bird Paradise) (but not uncritically)
Craftsmanship, traditional or otherwise
Happy Year of the Snake to everyone who celebrates! Please enjoy this festive greeting courtesy of my neighbourhood’s Whatsapp group. Who said kampong spirit was dead?
(Tell your family and friends to pitch Mynah!) (Or just do it yourself!)