Call for Pitches No. 8

We're looking for someone to write about Amy Grant, reporting on the business of medicine, and more.

Hey, writers.

This December will mark the 15th year of Christmas at the Ryman for Amy Grant and Vince Gill. Two iconic artists and one iconic venue, the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, and this year 12 performances. Have you ever been to see the show? We’re looking for a writer familiar with the music industry for an assignment, to print in the fall issue of Common Good. What is the show like? Why does it matter? Further, why does Christmas music play such a large role for artists? And for Christian artists? If you’re interested in taking this on, shoot us an email at editors@commongoodmag.com.

We’re also mulling over a few other ideas. If any of these interest you, let’s talk.

• How do churches accommodate members and attendees with special needs? Beyond just accessibility, who is doing this ministry right? Why?

• What is the Christian economy? Think bookstores, music, leadership gurus, sports leagues. But remember how many brick-and-mortar stores there used to be? Have we seen its fall?

• We want to know about cities that thrive with a low percentage of Christians in the population. Dearborn, Michigan, for example, is notable. It’s got community gardens, thrifting, affordable classes, and the city’s first Muslim mayor. What does it take?

• The business of medicine and the medicalization of America. This is a big one. The rise in the use of GLP-1s is heavily reported. You can hardly be online without seeing an ad for a mental health app (and, spoiler, the business is good). And did you know America is one of the only countries that permits advertising of prescription drugs directly to consumers? What is happening? Americans think a lot about health — and the medicine it could take to get us healthy — but is it working?

As we’ve said, while we’re open on form (we’d consider pieces of the personal narrative kind), we’re inclined toward reported narrative essays and journalism, interviews, and researched stories. For us, reported pieces don’t necessarily mean hard news, but our expectation is that each piece expresses a broad understanding of its subject — to set context for arguments and counterarguments — and include at least two or three meaningful sources (for a 1000-word story, more for longer pieces), either via research or interview.

We’re pretty informal when it comes to pitches. Just shoot us an email at editors@commongoodmag.com.

Talk to you soon,

Aaron and Sarah

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A general guide to Common Good’s departments:

Theology. We generally use “theology” in the broadest sense of the God- and church-directed parts of our lives. Pieces here could be about Scripture, the church, the history of faith. We’re open to reflections on the trinity or ideas of community outreach, too.

Vocation. This is where we talk abo­­ut work. It’s not only about how you make money, but it includes that. We’re looking for writing about calling, the future of work, leadership, tech at work, productivity, stewardship, home life (think personal relationships, parenting, etc.).

Economics. We do a little with formal economics and political economy, usually driven by some economists on the Common Good team. But mainly, the economics department is about where economic systems meet (or diverge from) virtue. FYI, we promote a vision for all this that comports with these 12 principles of economic wisdom.

Arts and culture. We take the creation mandate (Genesis 1:28, 2:15) to mean all kinds of creation — and all kinds of cultivation. We're open to discussing fine art, low art, books, film, podcasts. Whatever. In particular, we’re looking to do more timely publishing around TV and film, including streaming. So if there’s a show or movie you want to talk about, let us know. (When possible and appropriate, we’re happy to help work with studios to request screeners.

Sports. We all do sports, one way or another. And as a cultural driver, few things are more money-generating and more unifying in America today. (Unifying in the sense that they provide a shared language and experience for our culture.)