Dilettante Army

Dilettante Army is an online journal dedicated to art writing, visual culture, and feminism. It is published quarterly, and each issue has a theme. Preferred topics center around issues of social justice, politics, and art. While they do publish pieces that are situated in lived experience, they do not publish personal essays. Word length for others vary but for essays the average length is 4000 words. According to their guidelines, they pay a flat fee of $500 per article. To learn more, visit this page.

News & Pitch Calls from Dilettante Army

Friday, November 26th 2021

Dilettante Army wants pitches on ‘A Spectre is Haunting…’


They publish pieces that involve visual analysis, critical theory, and close text reading. Their preferred topics center around issues of social justice, politics, the art world, and quirky historical stuff. They also promote imaginative pieces, poetry, and visual essays. They have extensive guidelines for the current theme, including: ““A spectre is haunting Europe: the spectre of Communism.” This line opened the gate to another world and ghosts rushed through, filling the crevices we thought were empty. The Communist Manifesto gave us language to describe how things that seemed clear and permanent realities–ideological assumptions, aesthetic commitments, material conditions, institutions, social and political forms, economic structures–could be revealed as spectral: “all that is solid melts into air.” …. Topics might include: the logic of late capitalism, haunted houses, mourning, the long crisis of the present, pastiche, palimpsest, institutional memory, sampling, pop music, failed movements, outdated genres, things that go bump in the night, Goosebumps, echoes, literal or figurative waking nightmares, literal or emotional blackmail, guilt, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the intimacy of algorithms, and the ghost in the machine.” Submissions are generally 3,000-4,000 words and pay $500; visual essays and poetry are considered separately. The pitch deadline for this theme is 7 December 2021. Details here and here.



Deadline: December 7th, 2021

Friday, July 16th 2021

Dilettante Army wants submissions on ‘Mission Accomplished’ theme

They publish pieces that involve visual analysis, critical theory, and close text reading. Their preferred topics center around issues of social justice, politics, the art world, and quirky historical stuff. They also promote imaginative pieces, poetry, and visual essays. They have extensive guidelines for the current theme, including: The issue “will focus on George W. Bush’s 2003 speech/stunt/sight gag announcing the end of major combat operations in Iraq: preening on a tricked-out aircraft carrier in front of an enormous banner trumpeting “Mission Accomplished.” This fall, President Biden is looking to accomplish a similar feat by removing the last US troops from Afghanistan by September 11. The US economy is also predicted to be “back to normal,” with schools and theaters reopening and the virus vanquished. We want to use this issue to explore ways we declare a triumph, especially when doing so is premature or impossible. What makes an ending (of history or anything else)? This issue will explore hollow victories, final acts, and political stunts. ... Dilettante Army seeks scholarly submissions on “Mission Accomplished.” Topics might include but are not limited to: endings, stunts, theater, mesmerism, Romantic irony, conspiracy, dog whistles, jingoism, satire, slapstick, bombed jokes, confidence games, transitions that never complete, self-talk (affirmations, positive thinking), fake it till you make it, and Pyrrhic victory.” Submissions are generally 3,000-4,000 words and pay $500; visual essays and poetry are considered separately. Details here (theme details) and here (submission guidelines).

Pitch deadline: 23 July 2021