Slate How to Pitch Slate changes — 20211201_rev01

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To give you a sense of the kind of pitches that will catch our eyes, here is one recently from a freelancer that [eventually became a Slate story](https://slate.com/human-interest/2020/01/merby-merman-calendar-history-masculinity.html):

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> In St. John's, Newfoundland, a provincial fishing town roughly midway between Montreal and Greenland, the mermen began to appear in the summer of 2017. Sunning themselves on rocks by the harbor, or on the graffiti-strewn pylons of an abandoned waterfront factory, they caused quite a stir; one merman even ventured into a local tavern where he was spotted splayed out on the bar smoking a long cigarette. Soon a photo shoot was organized, and the [Merb'y calendar](https://www.nlbmc.com/)-b'y is Newfoundland-speak for dude-was born.

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>

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> It turns out that the Merb'ys did not suddenly emerge from the sea, but from the head of Hasan Hai, a Pakistani-Newfoundlander who works at a St. John's tech start-up and as a bartender on the side. Several years ago, Hai, a gentle giant with tattoos, shaved head and 12-inch mane of facial hair, started the Newfoundland Labrador Beard and Mustache Club, a social organization, he says, that has evolved into something akin to a woke Elks Lodge-"the intent is to promote healthy and non-traditional expressions of masculinity, to break free of those dated stereotypes," he told me recently. The bearded Merb'y models are mostly members of the club and their friends.

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>

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> As skin-baring calendars go, the Merb'ys version has revealed significant demand for a chest-hair-and-pot-belly alternative to the busty-women-in-bikinis genre. The hope was to raise a thousand dollars for a local charity. The viral calendars ended up netting $300,000 in the first year through sales to 37 countries, funds that were donated to a sexual assault and domestic violence initiative. Since their first calendar debuted two years ago, the Beard and Mustache Club mission has rapidly expanded. They run fundraisers throughout the year and will soon partner with the play _Come From Away_ to expand their reach outside Newfoundland. The Merb'ys impact has even extended into academia: they were recently included in a series of papers investigating the anthropological significance of the mermaid trend and its nexus to gender.

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> As skin-baring calendars go, the Merb'ys version has revealed significant demand for a chest-hair-and-pot-belly alternative to the busty-women-in-bikinis genre. The hope was to raise a thousand dollars for a local charity. The viral calendars ended up netting $300,000 in the first year through sales to 37 countries.

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>

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> Hai told me that some of the club members have found dressing up as a merman to be a cathartic experience, so I'd hope to capture some of that in the story. I'd also include the story of Hai's transformation from a man "unable to understand or express my emotions in a healthy way," he said, to being comfortable with vulnerability-a journey sparked years ago when he was called out for inappropriate behavior.

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Please refer below for the relevant editor for your pitch.

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### Culture

21	21	To give you a sense of the kind of pitches that will catch our eyes, here is one recently from a freelancer that [eventually became a Slate story](https://slate.com/human-interest/2020/01/merby-merman-calendar-history-masculinity.html):
22	22
23	23	> In St. John's, Newfoundland, a provincial fishing town roughly midway between Montreal and Greenland, the mermen began to appear in the summer of 2017. Sunning themselves on rocks by the harbor, or on the graffiti-strewn pylons of an abandoned waterfront factory, they caused quite a stir; one merman even ventured into a local tavern where he was spotted splayed out on the bar smoking a long cigarette. Soon a photo shoot was organized, and the [Merb'y calendar](https://www.nlbmc.com/)-b'y is Newfoundland-speak for dude-was born.
24	24	>
25	25	> It turns out that the Merb'ys did not suddenly emerge from the sea, but from the head of Hasan Hai, a Pakistani-Newfoundlander who works at a St. John's tech start-up and as a bartender on the side. Several years ago, Hai, a gentle giant with tattoos, shaved head and 12-inch mane of facial hair, started the Newfoundland Labrador Beard and Mustache Club, a social organization, he says, that has evolved into something akin to a woke Elks Lodge-"the intent is to promote healthy and non-traditional expressions of masculinity, to break free of those dated stereotypes," he told me recently. The bearded Merb'y models are mostly members of the club and their friends.
26	26	>
27		> As skin-baring calendars go, the Merb'ys version has revealed significant demand for a chest-hair-and-pot-belly alternative to the busty-women-in-bikinis genre. The hope was to raise a thousand dollars for a local charity. The viral calendars ended up netting $300,000 in the first year through sales to 37 countries, funds that were donated to a sexual assault and domestic violence initiative. Since their first calendar debuted two years ago, the Beard and Mustache Club mission has rapidly expanded. They run fundraisers throughout the year and will soon partner with the play _Come From Away_ to expand their reach outside Newfoundland. The Merb'ys impact has even extended into academia: they were recently included in a series of papers investigating the anthropological significance of the mermaid trend and its nexus to gender.
	27	> As skin-baring calendars go, the Merb'ys version has revealed significant demand for a chest-hair-and-pot-belly alternative to the busty-women-in-bikinis genre. The hope was to raise a thousand dollars for a local charity. The viral calendars ended up netting $300,000 in the first year through sales to 37 countries.
28	28	>
29	29	> Hai told me that some of the club members have found dressing up as a merman to be a cathartic experience, so I'd hope to capture some of that in the story. I'd also include the story of Hai's transformation from a man "unable to understand or express my emotions in a healthy way," he said, to being comfortable with vulnerability-a journey sparked years ago when he was called out for inappropriate behavior.
30	30
31	31	Please refer below for the relevant editor for your pitch.
32	32
33	33	### Culture
43	43
44	44	Books (arguments and literary essays, please-we are not looking for reviews)
45	45	[books@slate.com](mailto:books@slate.com)
46	46
47	47	### Human Interest
48	48
49		Jeffrey Bloomer (reported personal essays, features, work, sex)
	49	Jeffrey Bloomer (features and reported personal essays)
50	50	[jeffrey.bloomer@slate.com](mailto:jeffrey.bloomer@slate.com)
51	51
52	52	Bryan Lowder (food, LGBTQ issues/culture)
53	53	[bryan.lowder@slate.com](mailto:bryan.lowder@slate.com)
54	54
55	55	Rebecca Onion (history, academia)
57	57
58	58	### News/Politics
59	59
60	60	Nicole Lewis (civil/voting rights, prison abolition, policing, criminal justice)
61	61	[nicole.lewis@slate.com](mailto:nicole.lewis@slate.com)
62	62
63		Susan Matthews (news, politics, law, gender, features)
64		[susan.matthews@slate.com](mailto:susanmatthews@slate.com)
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66	63	Jeremy Stahl (jurisprudence)
67	64	[jeremy.stahl@slate.com](mailto:jeremy.stahl@slate.com)
68	65
69	66	Jordan Weissmann (economics, policy, politics, drinks)
70	67	[jordan.weissmann@slate.com](mailto:jordan.weissmann@slate.com)
71	68

How to Pitch Slate

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