Asterisk is always looking for new contributors, and the best way to understand what we’re looking for is to read through our archive. (Every publication says this, and it’s annoying, but it’s also true.)
Our interests are broad — traffic fatalities to Carl Jung to the unbearable loudness of chewing — so don’t limit yourself based on the topic. The more niche the better, though you should be able to explain why others should care.
Asterisk pieces are best thought of as analytical “essays” rather than “articles.” We value clear thinking and showing your work to take the reader on an intellectual journey. In other words, we’re inspired by the blog post genre of “I had a very specific question and here is how I figured out the answer.”
Counterintuitive ideas and narrative violations are especially welcome. We also accept book reviews, interviews, and round-table dialogues, but do not publish news articles or trend reports.
We commission two types of stories:
Magazine
We publish a quarterly print magazine — winter, spring, summer, and fall. Our issues are themed, and the theme will be updated regularly both on this page and on our About page. Magazine pitches must be on-theme. We are currently commissioning for our Summer 2026 issue (Work) and Fall 2026 issue (Family).
Our magazine pieces tend to be long (3000 to 5000 words on average), evergreen, and wonky, frequently with more technical detail than you might find in other publications.Blog
We also run Dagger, a blog. Dagger pieces are shorter and timelier.
We welcome pitches and submissions from academics and subject-matter experts as well as professional journalists and writers.
Email us at submissions@asteriskmag.com. We accept full drafts and pitches. If you have a pitch, write a few paragraphs explaining the idea, how you would complete the essay (which sources would you reference? is it reported?), a target word count, and a little about yourself, including any relevant credentials. We aim to get back to everyone within two weeks.