Submissions & Contributions
The Chronicle invites a variety of contributions:
To comment on news stories in the main section of the newspaper or to opine on views expressed on the Opinion pages, contact Letters to the Editor.
Please limit your letters to 200 or fewer words... shorter letters have a better chance of being selected for publication.
To comment on news stories in specific sections of the paper, for example Business, Datebook, Food or Sports, please contact the Letters sections of those specific sections:
- Business: bizletters@sfchronicle.com
- Datebook: datebookletters@sfchronicle.com
- Food: food@sfchronicle.com
- Sports: letterstogreen@sfchronicle.com
Some notes on Letters to the Editor from Editorial Page Editor John Diaz.
The Editorial pages of the San Francisco Chronicle are looking for images that are thought-provoking, questioning, controversial, humorous and quirky. In short, valuable commentary on concerns of the San Francisco Bay Area.
We are looking for arresting images -- of all points of view -- that speak without accompanying text. Think of them as visual letters to the editor.
Selected images will be printed on the Editorial pages as time and space permit. You will be notified in advance, if your submission is selected for publication. We offer you exposure to The Chronicle's readers in Northern California and the appropriate credit in exchange for the use of your image.
E-mail: images@sfchronicle.com
Forward your image to the editor in a jpeg format smaller than 1.4 mb. Smaller is better. Please include your name, address and telephone number. We will call to verify authenticity.
650 or fewer words is the going length (about two pages), double-spaced, in 12-point type. With rare exception, we won't run a writer's work more than once every six months. There are lots of voices out there and we'd like to hear as many as possible.
E-mail is best. Send to forum@sfchronicle.com and put "For Open Forum" in the subject line.
(Please paste the text into the e-mail; do not send attachments, our virus-detecting software will delete e-mail with attachments.)
Fax to (415) 543-7708.
Or send by regular post to:
Open Forum
901 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
Some examples of good Open Forum pieces
Is Hiring Goal Diversity or Equality? by Paul Roscelli
By Race Divided by Akilah Monifa
The Democratic Convention: Dem Dems by Will Durst
Echoes of Rwanda by Willis Shalita
On all submissions, please include your:
Name
Mailing address
E-mail address
Telephone number (home and office)
Fax number
The editors go through hundreds of submissions each day: we receive between 100 and 200 letters a day but have space for six to 10 a day; we receive about 200 Open Forum submissions a week to fill eight or fewer slots.
We cannot notify you to verify receipt.
If we select your letter or op-ed for publication, you will be notified in advance. We will make every attempt to share edited op-ed text with the author before publication.
If we reject an op-ed piece, we will try to contact you via e-mail or with a note via postal mail. Please forgive us ... we don't wish to be rude, but we need to spend our days READING what you send us, which leaves us little time for RESPONDING to you.
Insight, a Sunday commentary section, aims to provide a forum for the area's best minds, shake up conventional wisdom and provoke fresh thinking. Have a piece about an issue in the news that's unusual in its approach and uncommonly well-written? Cover articles run from 1,200 to 2,000 words. Other pieces can run up to 900 words. Send them to Insight.
Mad? Outraged? Ready to rant? Have an only-in-the-Bay-Area story? A story that illustrates why the Bay Area is such a great place to live? Tell us what works. Do you know someone who is tackling a problem or meeting a challenge in a particularly innovative way? Send your 250-word submission to Insight, the Sunday commentary section. Be sure to include a phone number where we can reach you.
By e-mail: Insight@sfchronicle.com
By fax: (415) 536-5198
By post:
Insight
The San Francisco Chronicle
901 Mission Street
San Francisco CA 94103
Magazine Staff
Editor: Alison Biggar
Staff Writer: Sam Whiting
Art Director: Dorothy Yule
Associate Art Director: George Russell
Letters to the Editor
Send letters to:
Letters Editor
Chronicle Magazine
901 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
E-mail letters to magazine@sfchronicle.com; fax (415) 543-6956. Include name, city and phone number. Unsolicited contributions must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The San Francisco Chronicle Magazine does not accept responsibility for any unsolicited items.
Writers
The Magazine is looking for general interest features and profiles with a strong Bay Area connection. To pitch a story or idea, e-mail Alison Biggar at abiggar@sfchronicle.com.
Freelance Opportunities
We don't have strict guidelines, but familiarity with The Chronicle is important. We are a monthly Magazine. All stories MUST have a local (Bay Area) angle. We do not run syndicated columns, comics, poetry or op-eds, arts previews, listings or event-related stories. We do not cover breaking news. If you're not sure whether we've covered a particular topic, please check www.sfgate.com. The Magazine also plans coverage at least 6 to 8 weeks in advance. Rates vary by individual, and payment is upon publication.
Photos and Illustrations
We use a limited number of freelance photographers and illustrators. Send information to Dorothy Yule at dyule@sfchronicle.com.
Listings are published on a space-available basis as a free public service of The Chronicle. Submissions need to be received three weeks before date of publication for the Pink section, 96 Hours and daily Datebook. There are three ways to send in listings:
1. E-mail:
For all e-mails please write date(s) of event and venue (Davies Hall, Greek Theatre, etc.) in subject line.
Do not send Word attachments; send the release in the body of the email.
2. Send snail mail to: Datebook Listings, San Francisco Chronicle, 901 Mission St., San Francisco CA 94103. Please write the kind of listing (Art, Nightlife, Theater, etc.) in the lower left-hand corner of the envelope.
3. Fax (least preferred method) to (415) 495-2067. Please write kind of listing, date(s) and venue on cover page.
All listings should be brief: one paragraph of description (at most). Plus, clearly and on separate lines:
- When: time(s) and date(s)
- What: Kind of event and title
- Who: performers' names/company name
- Where: venue and FULL address
- Public info: phone number for public to call and Web site (if available)
- Contact: submitter's name and phone number or e-mail
Datebook listings cover San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. In addition, we have a Destinations section that covers a select number of the same kind of events in the Napa-Sonoma, Monterey-Carmel, Tahoe-Reno and Las Vegas areas. Because of space limitations we often don't have room to include events in other California areas.
We welcome jpegs for events as well, but no .zips or .tiffs, please.
1. Send just one jpeg (300 dpi or more) per e-mail to listingsphotos@sfchronicle.com, and one per event.
2. In the subject line write (in this order): topic (NIGHTLIFE/CLASSICAL/ART/DANCE, etc.), dates, artist's/production's name and venue.
3. In the body include caption information (who and in what production), photographer's name (for credit), a short press release repeating info from subject line, plus address, phone, web address, time, prices and media contact.
To submit listings online for inclusion in SFGate.com's calendar, you can enter your own events here: events.sfgate.com/events/new. You must be registered on SFGate.com to enter an event. Please make sure that the listing doesn't already exist before you enter your own event.
Weddings & Commitments Submissions
We welcome your wedding/commitment ceremony submission. Please follow these guidelines when submitting information for our Love Stories page in the Chronicle Style section.
1. We publish weddings and commitment ceremonies that have occurred in the weeks immediately prior to publication date. We must receive the announcements eight weeks ahead of time.
2. Space is limited, so we cannot guarantee publication. We will edit the announcements to fit Chronicle style.
3. Your announcement must be e-mailed to lovestories@sfchronicle.com. We require the following information:
- Full name and age of each person in the couple.
- How the couple met.
- Date and time of event.
- Address, schooling, occupation, awards and charitable activities or special achievements of each.
- Information on both parties' parents, living or deceased.
- Name and affiliation of officiant.
- E-mail and phone contact (daytime, nighttime and cell) for each person.
- E-mail and phone contact for officiant.
4. Photograph specifications: Head and shoulder shots, several versions, of the couple looking straight at the camera. Please attach 300 dpi photographs as JPEGs.
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