Time Off
File Away Issue #4
I’m writing this curled up in bed on a rainy Thursday afternoon. Just my luck, the weather was glorious all week at work, and now we’re having a rare Spring downpour. The restrictions are beginning to lift in the Valencian region as cases have dropped since the post-Christmas spike. Last weekend, my friends and I took a day trip to Villajoyosa, a quaint seaside town with Balamory-esque coloured houses.
After a busy few weeks juggling school and freelancing, I treated myself to a weekend off. One of the biggest issues I’ve found with freelance journalism is the feeling you should always be doing more, always saying yes to everything even when you’re already swamped. One minute, I’m worried I have no ideas, and the next I’m sending off millions of pitches. Even though only a fraction actually get accepted, sometimes I realise I’ve taken on too much. This week, I’ve been working on quite an exciting exclusive which still could be spiked before the expected publication date. I’ve had to leave P.E. lessons to have phone calls with editors, and get a little panicked every time I see similar stories in the headlines.
In other news, our region began its vaccination program for teachers, and I was due to get mine next week. The day they started, however, many EU countries, including Spain, announced the suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to blood clot fears. My friend’s girlfriend had her arm out ready for the jab when the news broke, and they refused to finish the job. There’s a fair amount of distrust towards the Oxford vaccine here in Spain, most likely due to the conflicting news reports; I’ve heard some of my peers call it “lo malo” (“the bad one”). To be honest, I’ll take anything so that I don’t wince every time a kid coughs or sneezes in my vicinity.
Pitches & Jobs
The UN is looking for global applicants including from the Pacific region to put forward ideas on the most pressing issues on the climate agenda. Successful applicants will receive fully funded tickets to the Youth4Climate event in Milan, Italy. The deadline has passed for standard applications but you have until 31st March to enter via the #SumItUp Competition.
US Food Magazine, The Infatuation, are accepting pitches from writers on the best food and restaurants in NYC, LA, Chicago, the Bay Area, Miami, and London (not the British city!) Send ideas to freelance@theinfatuation.com.
Climate Home News are looking for stories on how communities on the front lines of climate change are tackling the worsening threats to their lives and livelihoods. They welcome stories from all around the world and will give priority to journalists from developing nations or marginalised communities. Budgets include travel expenses. Send pitches to Isabelle Gerretsen at ig@climatehomenews.com.
Wyrd Science Magazine, a quarterly print magazine focussed on tabletop games, are always looking for new writers for features/interviews, think pieces or reviews (books/games), and short fiction stories. Rate is £0.10/word and they accept pitches from global writers. Email John at wyrdsciencezine@gmail.com.
Louise Ball is looking for a storytelling editor in Spanish, to work with her Colombian colleagues.
The Narwhal are creating a BIPOC freelance roster for those with a passion for in-depth reporting on Canada’s natural world - particularly on the extractive industries in Alberta, B.C., Yukon, NWT and Nunavut. Rates start at 50c/word. Fill in this google form.
The Media Co-op@mediacoop📣 BIPOC Writers: CALL FOR PITCHES 📣 We are teaming up with @WpgPoliceHarm to co-publish an article! We are accepting pitches on all things policing, prisons, and abolition. Pay is $200. You can send pitches to blogwpch@gmail.com #WritingCommunity
4:38 PM · Mar 16, 20217 Reposts · 10 LikesThe Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data is looking for a a consultant with considerable journalistic experience to conduct interviews and analysis for a project.
SunoIndia are looking for independent journalists to report on upcoming elections in Assam & TN. Email Priya Kamal on hello@sunoindia.in.
Katherine LaGrave at AFAR Media is looking for Puerto Rico-based food and travel writers for upcoming projects.
Taylor Heyman is commissioning human interest pieces around Ramadan for TheNationalNews. Pays $0.45/word
NZ Web Fest is accepting film submissions in its open, international and New Zealand categories, as well as a pitch competition. Early bird registration ends March 31, 2021. Submit your project here.
The European Journalism Centre, in partnership with the Google News Initiative, are offering paid fellowships at top publications in Europe, including elDiario.es and VICE Belgium. Check it out.
Newsweek is seeking freelance reporters with a detailed knowledge of U.S. news to write breaking news stories and exclusives. Freelancers will have the ability to work remotely in the UK, up to 5 days per week.
Events
Register for ILO and UN Women’s webinar on gender-sensitive reporting in journalism, in particular what makes responsible & ethical reporting of labour migration, discrimination & violence against female migrant workers. Scheduled for 24th March.
Catch up on the Center for Health Journalism’s webinar, “Fighting the Infodemic,” on tackling misinformation during the Covid pandemic.
Catch The Third Pole’s World Water Day Panel Discussion on Monday 22nd. This webinar will focus on plastic clogging up Asia's transboundary rivers.
WAN-IFRA South Asia is collaborating with the Facebook Journalism Project to host two workshops on thinking visually and crafting visual stories - sessions on 24th and 26th March.
Reading List
Read Lanre Bakare’s piece in The Guardian on how Netflix is investing in the African film industry.
Have a look at Maia Wikler’s interview with youth climate activists two years on…
Spain is set to trial a four-day working week. Read this piece in EuroNews Living for how the idea could help save the planet.
The FT Magazine’s piece on “How the KitKat went global” has left my mouth watering.
Read about the “Shadow Pandemic” in Peru - nearly 12,000 women went missing in 2020.
Writing Work
It’s fair to say that students have been royally screwed over by the government during the pandemic, particularly when it comes to housing. When I was a student at Leeds, I paid £450/month for a room in a shared house, where we were left without hot water for about two months. Especially in the South, the student housing market is even more inflated and overpriced. I was drawn to write this piece for Novara Media on student housing co-operatives - affordable, shared accommodation owned and controlled by members - after seeing a uni friend was advertising for a room in her co-op, Green Wood. Writing and researching the piece taught me a lot about the history of co-operatives, which have always remained on the fringes of society. If/when I move back to the UK, joining a co-op is now definitely something I’d consider; more for the sense of community than anything else!
Anecdote of the week
This week at school we were teaching the kids about St. Patrick’s Day, and yesterday all those who came in wearing green were pinching those who weren’t (oops). My only previous experiences of St. Patrick’s Day involved going to the pub in a silly hat at uni. Still, I told the kids how leprechauns keep a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, which led to this very wholesome activity (below). During a presentation, a painting of St. Patrick appeared on screen, and a 7 year old asked me, “Is that Jesus?” No, I said, it’s St. Patrick! “But, does he know Jesus?” Hmm, good question…
