Young Parents Submission Guidelines
Updated 07/07/03
See other section guidelines and general BPO guidelines [HERE]. Please visit the main BPO site and individual sections to get a feel for our needs. [HERE]
Our Mission:
We wish to provide a website of substance for parents 20 and under. We are looking to connect with young parents who take their job as Mom or Dad very seriously and do not play into the "irresponsible and immature" stereotype. This includes both fathers and mothers, 20 years old or younger, married or single, of any ethnicity, faith or income. These are stay-at-home parents, parents in school and parents who hold down full-time jobs. These are young people who love their children and seek to be the best parents they can possibly be.
Are you a young parent (20 or younger)? Were you a young parent? Do you know a young parent? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you may have something we want to share! The following are our needs and guidelines:
Young Parent Profile: This will be a short column (300-600 words) profiling a young parent who breaks the stereotype of being irresponsible and immature. The subject can be either Mom or Dad. He or she must be shown as an exceptional parent, and we will need his/her full name, e-mail address and street address. The addresses will not be shared on the site, but will be only for the editor's personal reference.
News: Has something happened that young parents should know about? We want to hear about groups that help young parents, government services (such as WIC -- Women, Infants and Children -- and Medicaid), organizations that have recognized a young parent(s) somehow, statistics on young parents, etc. If you are unsure whether something you have in mind fits this category, please e-mail me, and I will be happy to let you know. These articles should be written in a journalistic style, include quotes when possible and run between 500 and 1,000 words.
Book Suggestions and Websites: Please send title, author and link, if available. This section may also include blogs (web-based journals). If there is a young parent who blogs and the blog demonstrates a non-stereotypical young mom or dad, it may be considered.
Poetry: Poetry will not be used as often as other forms of writing, but it will be reviewed and considered if it fits with the mission of the Young Parents section.
Personal Essays: These need to be written by a young parent or former young parent. The topics can vary widely, so long as they deal with the life of a young mom or dad. This may mean telling about experiences with finishing school (high school and/or college) while parenting, new marriages, divorce, inspiration, etc. As always, if you are unsure, feel free to send a query before writing the article. Length: 300-1,000 words.
Queries are preferred for news articles. At this time, Young Parents is not a paying market.
Send all submissions . Type your piece into the body of the e-mail. No attachments will be opened. Please use a readable black font. Include your name, address, e-mail address, web URL (if applicable), age and two to three lines about yourself. Allow four to six weeks response time. All submissions WILL be read. We ask for first rights only and reserve the right to edit any material being used for our site.
Thank you, and we look forward to working with you.
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