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Sleepless nights. Polar nights. Thriller nights.
This fall, Anthropology News will be staying up late for an issue about life after dark. Whether you have a hair-raising tale about nocturnal nonhuman primate communication, an archaeological story about nighttime exploits in ancient cities, or a behind-the-scenes account of work on the night shift, we want to hear it. What do we do, search for, fear, or dream of when darkness falls? What do our experiences and perceptions of the night tell us about being human?
We’ll be delving into nightlife thrills, revealing our nightmares, and experiencing late-night encounters with the train drivers, ultramarathon runners, nightclub revelers, stage managers, over-night couriers, night swimmers, astronomers, and other night dwellers who come to life or keep our cities going in the hours between midnight and dawn. From nocturnal activities to the sounds, senses, and jobs of the night, we invite you to join us on a nighttime journey into the human condition.
We seek pitches that approach night from a range of international perspectives, in the form of feature essays, photo essays, graphic ethnography comics or illustrations, and short sound or film pieces. Creative approaches to the essay form are welcome.
Please send a 300-word pitch that outlines the story or argument of your piece, and a 50-word author bio to [email protected] by August 19, 2022. For a photo essay pitch, please include one or two images. For graphic ethnography, include examples of your comic-strip or illustration work. For a sound or film piece, include a short clip.
First drafts will be due by September 26 and will go through a developmental edit with the AN editor. Full feature essays are ~2,000 words. Photo essays comprise six–eight high resolution images and a 750-word introductory essay. Graphic ethnography pieces span up to six print pages. Sound and film pieces should be no longer than 10 minutes in length. Final pieces will publish in the November/December 2022 print magazine and on the AN website.