Broad Street Review (founded 2005) is an online arts and culture forum for people with unique and knowledgeable perspectives. We are based in Philadelphia, PA, and we focus on events in and around the greater Philadelphia area, with coverage including South Jersey and Wilmington, DE. We encourage contributors of all genders, backgrounds, and abilities.

Some of what we post is unsolicited, but most is assigned in advance. We welcome both essays and reviews. Reviews use the cultural event (like a play, museum exhibition, or concert) as a jumping-off point, connecting some broader issue or idea to the work. There should be more to the piece than a summary of the experience and an opinion on the work’s merit. When you pitch BSR, ask yourself what’s missing from Philly’s arts media, and how your voice could help fill that gap. We appreciate a diverse range of culturally specific perspectives, artists, and organizations.

Subject matter: We have ten categories for which we accept pitches and, in some cases, unsolicited contributions: Art, Books, the Creative Economy, Dance, Design, Film and TV, Museums, Music, and Theater, plus the interdisciplinary Cross-Cultural. We don’t publish fiction or poetry, but do occasionally accept Philly-centric humor and satire. In addition to critical essays, we have a separate section of the site called What's New, What's Next (WNWN), where we post features and previews about a wide range of arts and culture happenings in Philadelphia.

How to submit an article or query: You can pitch an essay or review, or submit a completed draft on spec. Contact BSR editor Alaina Johns by e-mail (below) with a descriptive subject line (e.g. "PITCH: Review of X," not just "Review”), and a brief explanation of what you're pitching in the body of the email, and why it's valuable to our readers. Please note our #BSRPitchWednesday policy, in which all pitches received during the week are reviewed each Wednesday. It's ideal to leave a few weeks between your pitch and the event in question—we're rarely able to accommodate pitches with a lead time of a week or less.

BSR's associate editor, Kyle V. Hiller, oversees WNWN. These pieces, which include original interviews, are assigned in advance (no on-spec preview draft submissions, please). To pitch a WNWN story, e-mail khiller@broadstreetreview.com.

Length: We don’t have hard and fast rules on length, but we do prefer brevity. Reviews should be between 500 and 850 words, and unless you're truly inspired, you should keep to the shorter end of that range. Essays should be 750 to 1,000 words, but again, no need to pad your work.

Formatting: Create a Word document (.doc or .docx) and name the file with your last name, a word or two on the subject, and the date submitted (e.g., Smith King Lear 01_02_19). Also remember to include your name and a suggested title within the body of the document. Preferred font is 12-point Times New Roman. If using words with diacritics, please format them with the diacritics. Single-space the text, but use a double return between paragraphs; do not indent. Please use one space, not two, between sentences. Please include any relevant hyperlinks in your draft; or simply provide the URL in parentheses at the appropriate point in the text.

Headlines: Please provide a proposed headline/title and blurb (a two- or three-sentence summary) to run with the piece. In addition, a "What, When, Where" box accompanies most reviews; please provide the information for that box. Look at any posted articles to get an idea of what material to include and how to format this information, according to the style of the article’s category. All of this information should be included in the Word document with your submission; it doesn't affect your word count.

Accessibility: If the show, exhibition, or event you cover has information available about the accessibility of the venue, including wheelchair access, ASL interpretation or audio description, sensory-friendly performances, or other accessible features, please note these with your What, When, Where info.

Images: If you have high-resolution digital images, or a link to them via the venue or a media contact, please provide them, along with information for the credit line in the caption (name of photographer or source). Don't just send something you find in an online search; we may or may not have the right to use that image. Please send images as separate files rather than inserting them into your document.

Editing process: Our goal is to notify you within a week on whether your pitch or piece is accepted. Most pieces are published on Tuesdays, plus two or more days between Thursday and Sunday. If your piece is accepted, you’ll receive an email advising you to look it over once it’s up.

Ethics: Be honest. You can say whatever you like here, with respect for the dignity of people of all identities, as long as you let readers know who you are and where you’re coming from. That means no pseudonyms—for you or your subjects—and full disclosure: If you’re writing about your son-in-law’s dance company, your partner’s theater troupe, or your friend’s paintings, disclose the relationship. Ditto if you’re employed by a place that you’re writing about, or if you have a financial interest in it, or sit on its board.

It’s bad journalistic form to send a review or commentary to the subject prior to its publication.

Press tickets: Once you’ve established yourself as a regular contributor to Broad Street Review, most local arts organizations will be happy to grant you press tickets if you request them in advance from the appropriate PR person. Refer any questions or problems on this score to editor Alaina Johns.

We also send a regular e-mail newsletter to our regular writers that lists coming events for which press tickets are available, with contact information. If you'd like to receive that, e-mail editor Alaina Johns.

When you accept press tickets to any event, make it clear to the hosts that they’re simply exposing you to their production—you make no promise to write a good review, bad review, or any review at all, unless you feel afterward that you have something to say. Even if you don’t write a review, your presence keeps you abreast of what the artist or institution is up to and provides insight that may be useful to your work in future.

Reputable writers do not abuse their access to press tickets. Repeated ticket requests that do not inform your coverage now or in the future (or unprofessional behavior to PR staffers) won’t be tolerated.



Simultaneous submissions: Please avoid submitting articles simultaneously to us and other publications. We do not publish material that has been posted elsewhere previously, including personal blogs.

Compensation: We usually pay $50 for a review and up to $100 for an essay, for first publication rights plus the non-exclusive right to store the pieces in our archives.

Subsequent publications: You’re free to sell your piece elsewhere 30 days after we’ve posted it. You’re also free to post your piece immediately to your own blog or to any other nonprofit website, as long as you provide a functioning link back to the story’s original full URL at broadstreetreview.com. You must also post at the top of the page: “This article has been republished with permission from Broad Street Review,” with Broad Street Review hyperlinked to http://www.broadstreetreview.com.

Interested? Thanks for visiting our guidelines. If you’re interested in contributing, please peruse the site for a sense of our coverage and style; follow us on Facebook and Twitter (where we promote all of our published pieces); and sign up for our weekly newsletter to our readers. If the BSR vision appeals to you and you’d like to make a pitch, let’s hear from you.

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Alaina Johns, Editor in Chief

ajohns@broadstreetreview.com