Woodcut of family dining, from the Roxburghe Ballads, early 17th century. Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
At Contingent, we’ve always encouraged our writers to share the process of their research—to show how history is a thing that people do. We’ve also encouraged them to explicitly place themselves in their discussion of process and talk about their personal connections to the history they write—to show that history is a thing that people do. This December, we’re looking for contributors to combine these approaches with one of Contingent readers’ favorite topics: food.
We’re now accepting pitches for short essays (300–500 words) that explore the history of a food or dish that was meaningful to you when you were younger. In particular, we’re looking for stories that talk about the meanings you were raised with and the meanings you’ve discovered as you’ve learned additional historical context. Most importantly, we’re looking for pieces that tell personal histories, even as they engage with scholarship. How have these layers of history shaped and reshaped your relationship to that food, to the people you prepared and ate it with, and to yourself and your own identity? Each contributor will be expected to share a recipe as part of their piece (though it won’t count against your word limit!)
Email your short pitch and a brief bio to pitches@contingentmag.org with “EAT” in the subject line. Pitches are due by Friday, November 20. Notifications will be made by Sunday, November 22 and drafts will be due by Monday, November 30. Check out our “How To Pitch” page for more on what we look for in pitches.
Each author will be paid $100. As always, Contingent will prioritize pitches from people who have completed postgraduate work in history (or a history-adjacent field) but are working outside of tenure-track employment.