Submission Guidelines: Profiles and Interviews

Editors: Holly Rizzuto Palker and Brianna Avenia-Tapper
LMprofileseditor (at) gmail (dot) com

We seek profiles of writers who are mothers, writers who write about motherhood (who may or may not be mothers themselves), and writers who have something to say to or about mothers and motherhood.

Please send a query first to LMprofiles (at) literarymama (dot) com. Tell us why you’re the person who should be profiling this writer and why we should be interested. Be sure to include “Profile Submission” in the subject line. Writers can expect a response within two weeks of submitting a query. If you do not receive a response from us within three months, please feel free to reach out again. 

Cast your net widely. We’re interested in profiles of well-known, living mama writers as well as historical, off-beat, lesser-known, and not-so-obvious mama writers. Has anyone profiled Harriet Beecher Stowe as a mama writer, for example? Surprise and delight us.

We accept either the narrative format or Q&A interview format. Profiles of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Ama Ata Aidoo showcase the narrative format, while profiles of Leslie Lawrence and Megan Mayhew Bergman are standout interviews.

Format: Specify title (A Conversation with [insert author name]; A Profile of [insert author name]) at the top. 12-point type; left justified; one space between paragraphs. For Q&A: Please provide an introductory paragraph followed by the Q&A. The name of the interviewer/interviewee should precede the first question/answer; all subsequent questions/answers should begin with the interviewer’s/interviewee’s initials. Questions should be bolded.

Length: 750-2,500 words

Review our General Submission Guidelines and check out this blog post, which offers examples of Literary Mama profiles and more tips.