Photo by Donna Talarico – an auction find. Had to buy!
Hippocampus Magazine and Books is requesting true stories inspired by the heyday of radio* for its forthcoming anthology, Air. (To learn more about our small press division, read the announcement, here.)
We’re looking for behind-the-scene stories about small town radio stations. We’re seeking personal stories about die-hard radio fans. We want to hear from (current/former) jocks, from program directors, from engineers, from the sales team, from ancillary characters like record reps and concert promoters—tales from every corner of the radio station and from everyone radio ever reached.
We want Air to be filled with a variety of eras, settings, themes, and voices—we want funny, we want heartfelt, we want adventurous—we’ll consider stories of all kinds, but stories must be true and contributors must be willing to use their real names (identifying details/names of other characters can be changed).
We’re looking for stories with compelling characters and a strong sense of place, stories with action and a clear narrative arc — but please don’t be discouraged from submitting if you’ve never written an essay before. We’ll help your story shine should it be selected for publication.
We are NOT looking for academic essays about the history or impact of radio.
Air, a celebration of decades of broadcast radio, is slated for an early 2018 release.
More details:
- Deadline:
February 15, 2017April 15 – extended.
- Word count limit: 6,500 words
- Compensation: $50 + 2 contributor copies upon publication; special pricing on additional copies
SUBMIT NOW
* When we say heyday of radio, we’re mostly referring to the pre-digital age. We’d love stories leading up to the early 2000s… before voice-tracking became a thing.
Is the “Air” submission deadline still extended to April 15th? Because the link to submit is saying the category has expired.
Hi there! We also responded to your email a few weeks ago, but just replying here just to tie up the loose end. 🙂
In the 1970s I hosted feminist programs at the local radio (the first) in my hometown in Sicily. It was scandalous for my town and life-changing for me. I have written about it in a personal essay that has a different focus but I am thinking of writing a piece just on that.
This sounds fascinating! We’d love an international perspective in our collection, so we hope you submit for consideration.
I will put together an article for you. My first job as a teenager in 1962 was as an FCC licensed First Class broadcast engineer at the age of 16 at WFBL AM 1390 in Syracuse NY. It lead to a wonderful set of technical careers over the years and now, at age 71, I have come full circle and have been the unpaid GM and Chief Engineer at WMJS-LP since 2004.
We air live on 102.1 in Prince Frederick MD and stream live at wmjs.org and on various shoutcast providers including TuneIn Radio.
Bill, we look forward to hearing your story! You’ve been in radio for a lifetime, and you’ve must have experience so much change, especially in recent years. Thank you for your willingness to share a.
Hi Donna. I have my essay ready to send to you. Please send me an email with directions for emailing the MSword file to you. You can send the info to santiff@comcast.net. Thanks, Bill
Bill, we sent you an email just now, but to cover all of the bases, here is a link to the submissions page: https://hippocampusmagazine.submittable.com/submit/64772/air-a-collection-of-radio-inspired-stories-small-press-division-anthology
Thanks Donna. I am doing one more read-through this noontime and then will submit it mid-afternoon. Bill
OK, I sent it right about 4pm est. I hope it came through OK, it appeared to.
Bill
Hi Donna. I uploaded my submission draft yesterday afternoon. Please confirm you received it ok when it’s convenient. Thanks!
Hey Bill, I am writing a piece for this as well about my parents who were both in radio and met at the radio station at Syracuse in the 1960’s! Small world.
Hi Rachel, it certainly is! I worked one summer at WFBL for 8 weeks. They would not need me until the following summer so I scored a job at WSYR that September taking the place of the engineer who did the “Church Remotes” on Sunday mornings. As I became proficient at those I gained additional hours as a summer relief engineer working in Radio Control, TV Audio, and TV Projectionist as needed. When I quit WSYR after three years to focus on my EE degree at SU I took a part time engineering job at WOLF where my only duties were to let them post my FCC 1st Class Radiotelephone Operator Certificate (the “blue meal ticket”) on their wall and work when I was available and needed to log the transmitter meter readings every half hour. In between those log entries I could sit at a desk and study / do homework – with the Trogs’ “Wild Thing” booming through the monitor speakers! I graduated in 1968 and went on Air Force active duty…