Everyone’s talking about masculinity right now. From #MeToo to #NeverAgain, from pop culture to politics, questions about what masculinity means — and how it affects us — are everywhere. What are the roots of masculinity? How does it shape individuals and cultures? How is it changing across generations? We’re especially curious about the relationship between masculinity and our inner worlds. So, for the next issue of Anxy, we’re looking at how masculinity relates to mental health.

Masculinity has many faces, and we’re interested in all of them. Regardless of gender or culture, it influences the way we think about ourselves and the people around us. There are people who see masculinity as a clearly defined set of rules to be strictly followed, while others see it as a malleable and evolving sense of self. There are those who play with what masculinity means, and others who see it as a cage. We all carry masculine elements inside us, we witness masculine behaviors in our relationships and friendships, we hear masculine norms echo through our thoughts and feelings, even when we don’t realize it.

For Anxy №4 we’re interested in how masculinity — whether consciously or subconsciously — appears in our everyday lives and impacts our inner worlds. We’re particularly curious about ideas of power, sex, identity, gender, violence, parenthood, language, and work.

What impact does masculinity, however you define it, have on you? What stories can you tell about the way it affects your mental health or the health of your community? What aspects of masculinity haven’t been discussed? And what needs to be talked about?

Pitch to us here

We want you to get creative.

What stories can you tell about the way masculinity impacts our mental health? What do you want to say about the concept? What does masculinity reveal about our inner worlds? Submissions are open from now until August 29th.

A Little About Us

For those of you new to our magazine, Anxy is a beautifully designed, bi-annual print publication about mental health, explored through a creative lens. At our core, we’re a stigma-busting community of storytellers, designers, journalists, photographers, artists, healers, and others working through mental health narratives in an open way; we understand that to share one’s story means that others with similar burdens may feel seen as well.

How To Pitch Us

Topic: Masculinity — whatever that means to you.

What We’re Looking For: Short pitches! We mean it! Send us one or two brief paragraphs to give us a general idea of what story you have in mind and why it’s important. Give us a sample of your previous work, with links to it. New, strong voices are welcome: You don’t have to have been published before, but we do need evidence of your capabilities.

And since we’re only as compelling as the narratives we amplify, we especially encourage people from communities whose perspectives haven’t been shared often enough to drop us a line.

Guidelines: Anxy stories look for the beauty in the real and the raw. They’re human to their core and rooted in the personal narrative. Keep in mind: We are aiming to shift perspectives around the way we treat mental health, so your story should address this in some shape or form. Stories can be unconventional in nature, but they should always try to start conversations and approach mental health in ways we’re not used to seeing.

While we care deeply about these issues, we’re not so self-serious that we can’t have fun too. Surprise us! We’re open to a lot.

Formats: We’re looking for personal essays, op-eds, photo essays, reported features, interviews, artwork, comic scripts, and other creative story formats from contributors around the world. We regularly publish poetry, and are particularly interested in finding short fiction for Issue 4.

Deadline: You’ll have until August 29th to submit pitches. But we want to emphasize that we’re interested in your ideas more than a “make-or-break,” lengthy, polished pitch. We want to know what you have to say about masculinity, why you should be the one to say it, and how it connects with Anxy’s mission.

Pay: Our rates are competitive with other magazines.

But before you pitch, please read up on what Anxy is looking for:

Take a look at our style and approach for our first three issues.

Pitches should be:

Relevant. Do people care about this now?

Real. Does the idea capture some part of the human experience? Does it feel true?

Original. The idea or angle should feel novel, so make sure to explain why or what about it is new.

Voice-y. Anxy is rooted in the personal narrative and the human experience, so show us you have a distinct voice and a strong point of view — and that you’re the best person to write this story.

In our first three issues we featured work from new voices, established writers, groundbreaking photographers and artists, and many more. If you want to be part of the next edition, go ahead and submit your ideas before the deadline.

Announcing Anxy №4: The Masculinity Issue — Call for Submissions was originally published in Anxy Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

What are boundaries? How do boundaries shift over time? By culture? When we talk about self-care, identity, place? There are an infinite number of boundaries in our world that go beyond just the physical and into the personal, social, creative, emotional, and more.

Our creation of –and adherence to–boundaries shapes our lives. They sculpt our identities and enrich our inner worlds. How do we navigate nebulous boundaries? The ones we cross without even knowing it — briefly or thoroughly, with strangers or friends? Boundaries inform all our relationships, and our sense of self. Some free us personally, while others constrict us collectively. Some people see boundaries everywhere; others rarely see them at all.

We want you to get creative.

What stories can you tell about the boundaries that exist in all of our lives? What do you want to say about them? What do they reveal about our inner worlds? Submissions are open from now until February 2.

A Little About Us

For those of you new to our magazine, Anxy is a beautifully designed, bi-annual print publication about mental health, explored through a creative lens. At our core, we’re a stigma-busting community of storytellers, designers, journalists, photographers, artists, healers, and others working through mental health narratives in an open way; we understand that to share one’s story means that others with similar burdens may feel seen as well.

How To Pitch Us

Topic: Boundaries — whatever that means to you.

What We’re Looking For: Short pitches! We mean it! Send us one or two brief paragraphs to give us a general idea of what story you have in mind and why it’s important. Give us a sample of your previous work, with links to it. Note: Previous publication is not necessary. New, strong voices are welcome.

We’re only as compelling as the narratives we amplify. We especially encourage people from communities whose perspectives haven’t been shared often enough to drop us a line.

Guidelines: Anxy stories look for the beauty in the real and the raw. They’re human to their core and rooted in personal narrative, aiming to shift perspectives around the way we treat mental health. Anxy stories can be unconventional in nature, but they should start conversations and approach mental health in ways we’re not used to seeing.

While we care deeply about these issues, we’re not so self-serious that we can’t have fun too. Surprise us! We’re open to a lot.

Format: We’re looking for personal essays, op-eds, photo essays, features, interviews, artwork, and other creative story formats from contributors around the world.

Deadline: We know we’re not giving you a ton of time to put a pitch together — we’re closing our Submittable on Feb 2nd. But we want to emphasize that we’re interested in your ideas more than a “make-or-break,” lengthy, polished pitch. We want to know what you have to say about boundaries, why you should be the one to say it, and how it connects with Anxy’s mission.

Pay: We’re a small print magazine, but we’ve raised our rates to be more competitive.

But before you pitch, please read up on what Anxy is looking for:

Take a look at Issues 1 & 2 for ideas of our style and approach.

Pitches should be:

Relevant. Do people care about this now?

Real. Does the idea capture some part of the human experience? Does it feel true?

Original. The idea or angle should feel novel, so make sure to explain why or what about it is new.

Voice-y. Anxy is rooted in the personal narrative and the human experience, so show us you have a distinct voice and a strong point of view — and that you’re the best person to write this story.

In our first two issues we featured work from new voices, established writers, groundbreaking photographers and artists, and many more. If you want to be part of the next edition, go ahead and submit your ideas before the deadline.

Announcing Anxy №3: The Boundaries Issue was originally published in Anxy Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

For many, the holidays can serve as a chance for those living in different parts of the world to gather joyfully with loved ones. Large feasts with friends and family provide an opportunity to reflect on the year that’s passed. For many others, however, occasions such as Thanksgiving can be depressing and stressful.

For some this comes from the often gendered physical and emotional labor of the festivities themselves. (Who’s responsible for cooking and cleaning for a double-digit number of people?) For others, it’s the dread of confronting a parent who voted differently, or a racist uncle, or an aunt who won’t stop bringing attention to your weight gain. Whatever it is, it doesn’t feel good. Throw in the likely presence of alcohol, and an uncomfortable scenario can easily trigger a fight-or-flight response.

If you’re anticipating a difficult encounter, then try taking a few minutes now (or at some point before it happens) to reflect on your boundaries. Write them down. If your family’s receptive, talk to them beforehand about topics you’d rather they didn’t bring up, whether it’s an ex or your job. If they’re not receptive, maintaining perspective when the inevitable happens is key to not spiraling. Knowing your limits better prepares you to walk away from a confrontation or criticism that can linger and affect your mental health. Don’t hesitate to excuse yourself from the table for a brief period of time. Try not to run off in a huff. Explain what you’re doing and why, and then do it. Go outside and take a walk. Play with any children who happen to be running around. Pursue whatever non-harmful self-care looks like for you in that moment, and try to maintain a space in your heart for forgiveness should those around you apologize for their actions.

The holidays may never be entirely stress-free, but they can be more fulfilling by taking precautions, communicating when possible… and knowing yourself.

On Surviving The Holidays was originally published in Anxy Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.