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Call for Submissions
SAADA invites essay submissions about South Asian America for Tides.
By connecting the past to our understanding of the present, Tides provides a venue for unique insights into the diversity of South Asian American experiences. Articles range between 800-1,500 words and include essays, interviews and personal narratives that advance SAADA’s mission to document, preserve, and share stories that reflect the complexity of South Asian American history.
Tides stories average between 3,000 and 15,000 readers and have been featured or republished in NPR’s 'Code Switch,' Khabar Magazine, and DesiTalk.
Here are a few examples:
• "Living in a Gilded Cage" by Kritika Agarwal
• "The American Yoga Scare of 1927" by Philip Deslippe
• "Queens Girls" by Odessa Devi Despot
We’re looking for stories that:
• Build conversations around South Asian American history and its relevance to the present day.
• Share nuanced perspectives from a diverse spectrum of South Asian America, with an emphasis on lesser-known and overlooked aspects of the community and its history.
• Highlight a variety of topics related to the experiences of those of South Asian heritage in the US, including those here temporarily, such as visitors and students, as well as those who settled in the country.
• Present well-researched and original content, accessible to a wide audience. (We encourage, but don’t require, content that engages with SAADA’s archive).
Audience
Articles for Tides are intended for a wide, diverse, and intelligent general audience. While many of our writers come from an academic background, our readers also include members of the global South Asian diasporic community, as well as students and others who find us through social media links or through an online search.
Tone and Style
With our diverse audience in mind, writers should place an emphasis on clarity and readability. Appropriate writing for Tides will be engaging, relevant, and succinct. We recommend keeping these guidelines in mind as you write:
• Articles for Tides may range between 800 to 1,500 words.
• While writing for Tides need not be overly formal, please avoid writing in a conversational tone that directly addresses the reader or relies on slang, euphemisms, Americanisms, or colloquial expressions.
• Please also avoid academic jargon and terminology. Use specialized terms only when needed and include a short phrase to define such terms for readers.
• Keep in mind that Tides readers have varying levels of familiarity with South Asian and South Asian American history, politics and geography. Upon first mention, please provide a context for acronyms, terms, people, places, and objects that might be unfamiliar to a general audience.
A well-written piece for Tides will keep its reader informed and oriented throughout, from the title to the final lines. Introduce your subject and main ideas early in your article, and keep your reader aware of where you are taking them. As per the standard piece of writing advice, "Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Tell them. Then, tell them what you told them."
• While writing for Tides need not be overly formal, please avoid writing in a conversational tone that directly addresses the reader or relies on slang, euphemisms, Americanisms, or colloquial expressions.
• Please also avoid academic jargon and terminology. Use specialized terms only when needed and include a short phrase to define such terms for readers.
Example
· "Immigration policy in the United States during this time was understood through a racial binary that saw people as either Black or White."
· "Immigration policy in the United States during this time was understood through a racial binary that saw people as either Black or White."
• Keep in mind that Tides readers have varying levels of familiarity with South Asian and South Asian American history, politics and geography. Upon first mention, please provide a context for acronyms, terms, people, places, and objects that might be unfamiliar to a general audience.
Examples
· "He was born in Dadhahur, a small village in the Punjab region of northern India, as the last of five children."
· "The letters he sent back home to his family in Dadhahur were kept and eventually donated to the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA). Scans of the letters are available to view on SAADA’s website."
· "He was born in Dadhahur, a small village in the Punjab region of northern India, as the last of five children."
· "The letters he sent back home to his family in Dadhahur were kept and eventually donated to the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA). Scans of the letters are available to view on SAADA’s website."
A well-written piece for Tides will keep its reader informed and oriented throughout, from the title to the final lines. Introduce your subject and main ideas early in your article, and keep your reader aware of where you are taking them. As per the standard piece of writing advice, "Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Tell them. Then, tell them what you told them."
Citations and References
Please keep citations and references to a minimum. When they are needed, use endnotes and not internal citations, and format them according to Chicago style. A short list of recommended or further reading is always a welcomed addition to a piece, as are links to related items within SAADA’s archival collections.
Process
We practice a collaborative approach to editing: once we accept your submission, your piece will be assigned to two members from our editorial team, who will suggest edits and work with you on revisions before publication. We do reserve the right to reject an article that does not meet our publication standards.