special report

Cobblestone

Readership: 8 to 14

SUBMISSION SPECIFICS:

SUBMISSION SPECIFICS from their guidelines:

"COBBLESTONE is interested in articles of historical accuracy and lively, original approaches to the subject at hand." All material must relate to the theme of a specific upcoming issue in order to be considered.

WHAT THEY WANT:

Fiction: (up to 800 words) authentic historical and biographical fiction, adventure, retold legends, relating to the theme.
Nonfiction: (feature articles, 700 - 800 words) in-depth nonfiction, plays, and biographies. (supplemental articles, 300 - 600 words) subjects directly and indirectly related to the theme. Editors like little-known information but encourage writers not to overlook the obvious.
Poetry: (up to 100 lines) Clear, objective imagery. Serious and light verse considered. Must relate to theme.
Other: Crossword and other word puzzles (NO WORD FINDS) using the vocabulary of the issue's theme. Mazes and picture puzzles that relate to the theme.

Pays on Publication. Buys all rights. Tries to respond within 12 weeks.

Queries may be submitted at any time, but queries sent well in advance of deadline MAY NOT BE ANSWERED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. Go-aheads requesting material proposed in queries are usually sent five months prior to publication date. Unused queries will be returned approximately three to four months prior to publication date. Hard copy queries ONLY, no email to:

Editorial Department
Cobblestone Publishing
Attn: Meg Chorlian, editor
COBBLESTONE
30 Grove Street, Suite C
Peterborough, NH 03458

Note: A query should include a brief cover letter (include subject, targeted theme, and word count of the proposed article along with your address and telephone number), a one-page outline detailing the information that will be presented in the article, a bibliography, and an SASE. If you have never sold to COBBLESTONE before, include a sample of your writing.

ANALYSIS OF SPECIFIC ISSUE

Contents:
COBBLESTONE
May 2004
Theme: Mexican Americans

Editor's Note: This introduction to the issue explains some terms -- Mexicano, Latino, Hispano, and Chicano. And introduces the contribution of Mexican Americans to American culture.

The First Mexican Americans (Stephen Currie) How Spain made such a strong movement into the Americas and why they eventually lost interest and left Mexico on it's own. Mexican culture became a blend of Spanish and Indian. Then shifting borders caused the United States to expand into Mexican lands. Three pages in magazine.

Habla Espanol. [No byline] Two-page spread filled with "American" words that are really Spanish.

Geographically Speaking. Two-page spread with a map showing how the US acquired Mexican lands.

Moving Northward in the 1900s [Kathiann M. Kowalski]. Six-page story plus sidebar (Life in the Barrio) on the northern movement of migrant workers to flee the deprivation of the Mexican Revolution and to fill a need for workers in the American Southwest.

Vive La Causa [Diane L. Brooks] 4 full pages and 2 half on Cesar Chavez and the work to create a union of farm workers.

Organizing Power [Andrew Matthews]. Short piece on Delores Huerta, an activist who worked with Chavez.

The Story behind the Story [Ruth Tenzer Feldman] A quote is hidden inside an essay about Mexican American author and storyteller, Rudolfo Anaya. 2 pages

Did You Know? [Eileen T. Terrill] Two pages of Mexican American "cool facts."

Cinco Celebrations! [Elizabeth Archer]. Important Mexican American Holidays. 4 pages.

Make Your Own Cascaron [Jane Scherer] Short how-to on making decorated eggs filled with confetti. Introduction ties craft into theme. Note: Even poking holes in an egg is written with a suggestion to seek adult help.

Art That Celebrates Culture [Elizabeth Archer] Mexican American traditional art forms. 3 pages.

Mexican Food from A to Z [Kathiann M. Kowalski] Names and brief descriptions of food set into the format of something for every letter of the alphabet. 3 pages.

Famous Mexican Americans [Mary Northrup]. With subheadings of Politics, Literature, Film, Music, Art and Sports. 4 pages.

Brain Ticklers. True/False quiz on terms and facts from the magazine issue.

A Final Word. A question for readers to ponder.

Letters. Lots of Poetry from readers, and a few drawings -- then a prompt for art, poetry, or essays for a future issue.

Digging Deeper. Books to Read, More Media (includes a documentary on U.S.-Mexican War), On the Web, and Places to Visit -- to encourage readers to investigate the magazine's theme further.

From the Archives. A list of past COBBLESTONE themes relating to Americans from other places: Arab-Americans, Armenian-Americans, American Jews, Greek-Americans, Japanese-Americans, Chinese-Americans, Polish-Americans, German-Americans, Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans, Scandinavian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, as well as issues on Spanish Conquest, California Statehood, U.S.-Mexican War, and Mexico and the United States. Also clues teachers into past issues on Multicultural America and The Immigrant Experience.

This page last updated on 01 December 2004