SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
This is a beta project. We are asking people to submit for the purpose of sharing their experiences. We will begin to offer compensation to writers in 2019 if this blog is a success through 2018.
We are currently accepting guest post submissions from Maine residents for two blog posts per month. We are particularly interested in stories that explore the experience of intersecting identities, like being a person with disabilities who is also homeless or a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Please read our guidelines thoroughly!
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One post will be for writers who want to submit articles that track and explore current legislative issues or legal policies impacting people with disabilities who are living in Maine. The other post will be open for people with physical or mental health disabilities or those who love them to explore the triumphs, frustrations, and overall personal experiences of navigating Maine with these identities.
-Submissions should be between 500-1000 words long.
-Submissions should be formatted to have:
-A clear opening that contains the presentation of the article subject as well as any information necessary for moving forward, such as definitions or context.
-A clear middle that contains nuanced discussion of the subject of the article.
-A clear conclusion that reiterates the subject of the article, ties together what’s been said about the subject of the article, and includes a call-to-action.
-Submissions should include links to no less than 2 external resources. Submissions are not allowed to contain more than 1 link for every 100 words. Post submissions may only contain 1 link related to the author’s personal content. 2 additional personal content links are allowed in the biography.
-Submissions are encouraged to include images, videos, or sound bytes.
-Submissions *must* include all proper credits!
-Submissions *must* include any relevant content warnings! Ability Maine reserves the right to add any additional content warnings as necessary.
-All guest posters may include a biography of no more than 150 words. A 300x300 pixel headshot of the author may be included with proper credits. Guest biographies may include up to two personal links.
-Ability Maine’s blogging team will get back to you after having reviewed your submission. Ability Maine reserves the right to request any edits be made to your content before we are willing to publish it.
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-The Ability Maine blog is currently accepting republications. All submissions for republication must indicate when and where the submission was previously published. A link must be included for any content previously published online.
-Articles published through Ability Maine are not allowed to be republished to your personal blogs under any circumstance. Ability Maine reserves the right to withdraw your publication should this occur. If you wish to republish your work elsewhere, you must inform that publication that your submission was initially published by Ability Maine, and you must include a link to that initial publication from the Ability Maine blog.
-Ability Maine reserves the right to edit and/or update your content as necessary. Authors will always be notified to the best of our abilities, and any significant changes will receive a dated Editor’s Note.
-Ability Maine reserves the right to reject any part of your submission without justification.
Submit your work to abilitymaine.blog@gmail.com with the subject heading: "Submission".
We want this blog to become a community project that gives unfiltered voice to those on the receiving end of living in a state that won't expand Medicaid, and we want to hear what you think about legislative proposals that will impact you for the good or not. We also want to hear the more intimate stories about living with disabilities in Maine, for instance, what it’s like to seek support from a woefully underfunded Crisis & Counseling while experiencing a mental health crisis, or what it’s like as a parent to help your child navigate the juvenile justice system if they also live with disabilities.
If you’d like to submit something but you’re not sure if it’s the right fit, send it along and we’ll let you know! For creative writing like literary prose, poetry, spoken word, etc., you can still submit your work to our attached literary journal, Breath & Shadow at breathandshadow@gmail.com.