Guidelines for Writers

Whom should I contact about writing an article for PAW?

PAW accepts freelance contributions for several sections of the magazine. We welcome ideas and queries from our readers, particularly from alumni, faculty members, and other members of the University community. We receive many queries, however, and it may take us several weeks to reply.

We often hire freelancers to write alumni profiles, articles about books and the arts, and major feature articles.

Alumni profiles: These profiles run in the Class Notes section of PAW and generally are 300 to 500 words long. Writing a few of these can be the best way to break into PAW. To propose a profile, e-mail associate editor Kathy Federici Greenwood at federici@princeton.edu with a two-paragraph query telling what makes the alum you want to write about so interesting. Please submit a resume and up to three published clips.  

Books and arts: Like alumni profiles, articles for this section – mainly profiles of alumni authors and artists – are 300 to 500 words long. Writing articles for this section is another excellent way to get started as a PAW freelancer. Send a two-paragraph query along with a resume and up to three published clips to associate editor Kathy Federici Greenwood at federici@princeton.edu.

Feature articles: PAW’s feature articles generally are about 3,000 words long. Proposed articles must have a strong Princeton connection. If you have an idea, please submit a query letter of up to two pages, telling us how you would approach your topic, whom you would interview, and what makes the topic a great fit for PAW. In addition, please submit your resume and up to three published stories that are similar in length and/or style to the article you are proposing. Payment varies, depending on the length and complexity of the article, the amount of reporting required, and the experience of the writer. E-mail your query to editor Marilyn Marks *86 at mmarks@princeton.edu.

Perspective essays: PAW encourages alumni and faculty members to submit personal essays for our Perspective section. Our goal is to publish a wide range of voices. An ideal essay runs about 1,100 words and has a personal, reflective tone. We do not publish op-ed articles. If you would like to write an essay for PAW, please submit a short query letter with a resume and clippings, or send the completed essay for consideration. Please e-mail your essay or query to editor Marilyn Marks *86 at mmarks@princeton.edu.

Other sections: PAW occasionally contracts with freelancers to write articles in other sections of the magazine. For our Notebook (news) section, contact managing editor Ray Ollwerther ’71 at wollwert@princeton.edu. For sports, contact associate editor Brett Tomlinson at btomlins@princeton.edu. For all other queries, please e-mail editor Marilyn Marks *86 at mmarks@princeton.edu.