How do I join the Contributing Writers Network and become a storyteller?
We believe in the power of storytelling and the importance of investing in the future by sharing those stories – whether they are stories of successful community ventures or lessons learned from things you wish happened just a bit differently.
Join us and tell your story of working together for the common good. Join our team today!
Who can contribute?
Anyone working collaboratively to create healthier, more sustainable communities where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
How often can I contribute?
Our contributors are invited to share content as often as they’d like! We’ll work with contributors to find the best fit within the Community Commons curation calendar.
What should I write about?
- Topics that matter to you and your community.
- What you see emerging as opportunities for the movement.
- A topic area you feel you are expert in (economy, built environment, equity, healthy eating, etc.).
- A personal or professional experience that brought you valuable insight
- How your community is wrestling with some of our most intractable issues-- poverty, racism, housing.
- Successes and lessons learned-- - we all benefit from the good and the less than awesome experiences you’ve encountered.
- Educate your colleagues about a new process, practice, or technology that has helped to create change in your community.
- How stakeholders in your community moved from exchanging ideas to deep collaborative work.
Email [email protected] if you have ideas for articles you would like to contribute.
Tips for writers
- Articles should be 500-800 words
- Offering advice? Provide three to five (but no more than 10) action items or takeaways.
- Anecdotes are always a good idea, they help show the impact of your work
- Associated Press (AP) Style is your friend
- Focus on content for the common good and avoid being overly self-promoting
How do I submit an article?
Community Commons publishes approximately 10 articles per month, please submit your story via email to [email protected]. If your story is time sensitive, please allow approximately two weeks for the editing process. Please add a short author's bio, written in third person, at the end of your blog post, as well as a photo. Be sure to include links to your website and/or blog.
Do I need to provide images?
We appreciate original photography but do not accept copyrighted material. No photo? No problem! We can scour the internet and find the perfect image for your piece.
What happens after I submit my article?
Our editors will review it for content and determine where it fits within our upcoming editorial calendar. When the article is scheduled for for publication, you’ll be notified so that you’ll know when to visit Community Commons and share your feature !
Do you edit my article?
All submissions to Community Commons are reviewed by our editorial team for compliance with Associated Press style guidelines. We reserve the right to edit all article headlines and other content to ensure that contributed articles are in line with the publishing priorities of Community Commons. You will be given an opportunity to approve the final article before it is published.
Do you publish archival content?
Your blog post should be an original work that hasn’t been offered or published elsewhere. Should you choose to use it in other ways after publication, we appreciate a reference to Community Commons in the following format. “This work was originally published on CommunityCommons.org.” If you have previously published content that seems particularly well suited for Community Commons, we would be happy to review it.
Your story matters. Your insights provide other communities with an opportunity to learn and spread real change for the greater good.