Thank you!  We greatly appreciate you considering sharing your writings with us.  The Heartland Spirit is a FREE newsletter that is provided as a service by the Heartland Spiritual Alliance.  The purpose of the newsletter is to inform, inspire, provoke, entertain, equip, and ignite thinking on topics that would be of interest to those interested in the various nature-oriented or nature-connected religions of the world. 

We try to keep the tone for all pieces positive and respectful. If you would like to submit an article about a problem or issue, offer solutions.  If you would like to write on a controversial subject, that is ok, but be considerate and respectful.  This newsletter is also enjoyed by children, so adult-only material would not be appropriate.  The topics can be general or specific to a tradition.  

We don't expect our writers to be Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists; we are looking for Pagans that want to share their thoughts, inspirations, creativity, critical-thinking, research, adventures, training, ...     We accept a variety of article types to include games, essays, poems, pictures, drawings, recipes,...

The following is a list of possible subjects, but you are definitely not restricted to this list:

SUBMISSION

All contributions should be submitted electronically to the Newsletter Committee at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .   

Articles are generally 700 - 2000 words, though longer articles have occasionally been published and shorter articles are just as acceptable.    Please submit your contribution along with your article's title, your "pen"-name, pictures or public domain graphics, and a four to five sentence by-line introducing yourself and/or your business/trade/organization.  Submissions may be sent electronically in most formats though plain text or Word is preferred.  Black and White or Color images should be photo quality (300 dpi or better) in .jpg, .bmp, .gif, or .png formats.

We would prefer that the article be original and exclusively submitted to us, but if you have submitted the article elsewhere, just let us know.  You are responsible for letting the other publisher know that you also submitted the article to us.

The Heartland Spiritual Alliance reserves the right to accept or reject all submissions at its discretion for any reason.

All copyrights remains the property of the submitter.  As a non-paying newsletter, we ask for reprint rights only.  We will not grant permission for a third party to reprint your content without your permission.

Because we do not hold the submitters to strict quality standards, all articles are subject to editing for length, style, punctuation and grammar.  We will make every effort to not change the theme or intent of the article; our goal is only to make you and the article look good.  A concerted effort on your part to check your own grammar and spelling will help ensure drastic editing is not required.   

INDEMNIFICATION

All submissions are accepted and published on the representation that the submitter is authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereon.  The submitter agrees to indemnify and hold Heartland Spiritua Alliance and its agents harmless from any and all liability, demands or damages arising out of the submission.  Such indemnity includes the provision of a defense to any actions or claims and the payment of costs and attorneys fees in connection therewith.

DEADLINE

Monthly issue:  Our goal is to have a monthly newsletter released by the first of the month during the months of July - April, so we need your articles by the 15th of the month prior to issue release.

Festival issue:  This issue has traditionally been our most read and largest.  We will need all submissions no later than May 1st  in order to make our print deadline.

PAYMENT

Isn't seeing your name next to the article and our eternal gratitude enough?

The Heartland Spirit does not currently pay for articles (nor do they pay their newsletter staff), but ...

• If you are an HSA member, we could reward you some credit toward your 20 hour obligation as a member (generally at the rate of one hour per published article).
• If you have a business or a trade, we would allow (and expect) you to include 4-5 sentences about yourself or your business in the by-line of your article.  For longer articles, a business card size advertisement could be included.   

 SUGGESTIONS

• Choose a theme, announce it the first paragraph, and use it throughout your article. It is important to be clear, precise, succinct, and organized.  If you ramble, you will lose your reader.  Take a look at your article after you have written your inspired piece and look for ways to make it more focused and easier to read.
• Use subheadings to help break up longer articles into specific topic areas.
• If you are presenting yourself as an expert on a subject, make sure you list your credentials in your by-line.  Do not be afraid to acknowledge your sources.  For example, if you state a certain correspondence for a mineral, tell us your source or let us know that this is something you determined. 
• If submitting a controversial article, back it up with facts.  Anticipate the other's viewpoint and address it with respect.  Avoid name-calling.  Try to provide solutions to problems rather than just complain.
• Other tips:  Dont use words you do not know (use dictionary.com to check the meaning of the word -- it also has a great Thesaurus).  Shorter sentences are better than longer ones. Front load your point in the first paragraph.  Simplify when possible.  Use and follow an outline. Dont overuse a word.  Have someone else read it.  Write from the heart!