Parent:Wise Austin happily welcomes unsolicited articles for inclusion in the magazine. However, it’s a lot easier if you first jot us a quick email with a brief description of what you’d like to write about. A couple of paragraphs could save you from writing an article that isn’t appropriate for the magazine.

Our magazine seeks to inform parents with quality articles depicting some aspect of the parenting journey. We publish articles that are thoughtful and intelligent — but not boring or pedantic. Simply put, articles must well researched (we require a list of sources), tightly written, and directed at an audience of parents who want to be educated.

We focus only on Central Texas: all articles must be centered in, or about, Austin and its environs. We prefer local writers, especially those with experience in the subject about which they’re writing. Having said that, we’re willing to take a chance on new writers — so don’t be afraid to query us with an idea even if you’re not Dr. Know–It–All. (To be honest, we probably wouldn’t be interested in anything Dr. Know–It–All had to say.)

Here are the main articles we print each month:

Cover Story:

This article is an in–depth piece exploring an item of import to the Austin parenting community. Cover stories generally run 2,000 to 2,500 words and contain multiple interviews, facts, statistics and other information to support the premise of the article. Cover stories are assigned months in advance, usually to experienced journalists or other writers with extensive experience in the field being explored.

News Articles:

We usually include at least one secondary news article each month. This article can be hard news or feature — but it must be local. We accept unsolicited manuscripts and queries for secondary news articles. Maximum length: 1,000 words (with approval).

My Life as a Parent:

This humor article appears monthly. There’s no real format for this one — we like anything that makes us laugh out loud. If it has to do with parenting and it embarrassed/humiliated/surprised you (or simply made you laugh) send it to us. Maximum length: 600 words.

Restaurant Reviews:

We like a good kid-friendly place to eat just as much as the next parent. So, if you have a place that’s fabulous but not well known, let us know about it. Maximum length: 500 words.

Parent:Wise Profile:

Each month we spotlight one person in the community who works to better the lives of others — be they children, families or parents. We want to recognize deserving volunteers, community leaders and others who give of their time but receive little public recognition for it. The subject of the profile need not be famous. Indeed, we look for people who are like our readers: interesting and involved in our community. This article not only serves to recognize deserving people, it also should inspire others to follow their example. Maximum length: 600 words.

Poetry:

Yes, we occasionally run poetry from local writers. It’s sporadic (based on space considerations) but if you have a poem about parenting, children or families, do send it. We’ll see what we can do.

We prefer electronic queries and submissions. Please send your queries and submissions to: storyideas@parentwiseaustin.com

Thank you for wanting to write for Parent:Wise Austin. We look forward to hearing from you!