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WHAT IS THE PURPOSE?
Our purpose is to help youth develop a lifetime pattern of prayer and spiritual reflection. devozine is designed to help readers grow in their faith and explore the relevancy of the Christian faith for the issues they face. Undergirded by scripture, it will aid youth in their prayer life, introduce them to spiritual disciplines, help them shape their concept of God, and encourage them in the life of discipleship.
WHAT IS devozine?
# A bimonthly, 80-page magazine for youth
# Written by youth and adults who care about them
# Each issue focuses on eight or nine themes.
# Each theme includes weekday readings and weekend features, enough for two months.
# Meditations may be read in chronological or random order.
# Themes may be expressed through scripture, prose, poetry, prayers, stories, songs, art, or photographs.
# Readers and writers include persons of many different denominations and cultures.
WHO WILL ENJOY IT?
# Youth ages 12-18 who seek personal devotional readings
# Youth groups who seek devotional reflections
# Adults who seek to understand youth spirituality
WHO CAN WRITE A WEEKEND FEATURE ARTICLE?
# Youth or adults willing to work with the devozine staff to provide a certain "twist" on the weekly theme.
# These articles are usually recruited. If you have an idea for a weekend article for a particular theme, please e-mail smiller@upperroom.org a brief proposal of what you would like to write. This gives us a chance to offer input or to let you know if the weekend for that theme has already been recruited before you write the entire article.
HOW SHOULD I WRITE?
# Word Count: Weekend feature articles should be 500-600 words long and should be related to the theme for the week -- with a "twist."
# Graphics: Think about ideas for graphics and suggest them to the editor.
# Next Day Stretch: As you write, think about what you can do to give the feature a reflective element. You may want to encourage readers to dig deeper by offering a question or questions for reflection, a suggestion for action, tips for ongoing practice of spiritual disciplines, a directed or open-ended prayer, a biblical passage to explore, or a suggestion for journaling or starting a journal.
# Format: Make your article invitational and reader-friendly. Try not to have long blocks of copy; or use subtitles, sidebars, or bulleted lists to break copy into smaller sections.
# Language Guidelines: We seek to use language that is non-sexist and inclusive of everyone (examples: humankind, persons, or everyone, instead of mankind or men in the familiar generic sense). We encourage the use of a wide range of biblical images of God.
HOW MAY I SUBMIT MY ARTICLE?
# You may mail your article by mail (hard copy, double-spaced), FAX it (615-340-1783), e-mail it to smiller@upperroom.org, or submit it online.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MY ARTICLE IS ACCEPTED?
# You will receive a letter of acceptance along with a copy of your edited article to review, as well as a blue permission card and W-9 (IRS form) to complete, sign, and return.
# Payment is $100 and will be made upon receipt of completed permission card and W-9.
HOW DO I WRITE FOR THE PUBLICATION?
# Daily meditations should be 150-250 words long.
# Poetry and prayers should be short to moderate in length -- 10 to 20 lines.
# Think about the purpose of the meditation -- what do you want it to evoke in the reader?
# Style notes: Simply written (preferably in youth language), realistic and relevant to life experiences of youth, does not need to be overtly religious but should help to open youth to the life of faith that we all seek, inclusive of multicultural experiences
# Language guidelines: Try to use language that is non-sexist and inclusive of everyone (examples are words such as humankind, persons, or everyone instead of mankind or men in the familiar generic sense). We encourage the use of a wide range of biblical images for God.
# May include scripture verse or suggested text (state version of Bible used)
# May include a reflective element: brief prayers, quotes, reflection or journaling questions, action ideas, or other items. Prayers should use honest, straightforward, conversational language.
WHAT ARE SOME TIPS FOR DEVOTIONAL WRITING?
# Devotional writing should invite people to come closer to God.
# Devotional writing should tell about real experiences of real people who are struggling to apply their faith to daily life.
# Devotional writing should express only one main idea. It should leave one memorable image with the reader.
# Devotional writing should lead persons into further conversation with God after they finish reading the meditation.
# Your journal can be a great source of devotional writing because your journal records your real thoughts about your experiences.
HOW DO I PREPARE MY MEDITATION?
# Typed or handwritten, doubled-spaced on 8 1/2" x 11" paper/or as an email or online submission
# Accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for return. We cannot acknowledge or return meditations submitted without a SASE, so please keep a copy of what you submit.
HOW WILL I KNOW IF MY MEDITATION IS ACCEPTED?
# If we choose to use your meditation, we will notify you before publication. Along with your letter of acceptance, you will receive a blue permission card and a W-9 (IRS form) that must be completed, signed and returned before you will receive payment.
# Meditations not chosen for publication will be returned only if you have sent a SASE. Because of the number of meditations we receive, we are unable to check the status of submissions under consideration or submissions without a SASE that are not selected.
# We pay $25 for weekday meditations ($15 if we use your submission as a reflection for another meditation). Payment will be made at the time of acceptance.
WILL MY MEDITATION BE EDITED?
# devozine reserves the right to edit a meditation for length, clarity, grammatical correctness, and biblical/theological integrity.
# We are committed to preserving the integrity of the writer's style, voice, language, and personal experience whenever possible.
HOW CAN I FIND OUT ABOUT UPCOMING THEMES?
# Check the Writers' Corner on our website for a list of themes for upcoming issues, as well as starter questions to spark your creativity.
# For a printed copy of upcoming themes and starter questions, send us a SASE.
MAIL MANUSCRIPTS TO:
Sandy Miller, Editor
1908 Grand Avenue
P. O. Box 340004
Nashville, TN 37203-0004
OR FAX TO:
615-340-1783
OR E-MAIL TO:
smiller@upperroom.org
OR SUBMIT ONLINE
WHAT OTHER INFORMATION DO I NEED TO INCLUDE?
# Legal Name
# Name as you wish it to appear on article
# Mailing Address
# E-mail Address
# A short bio (youth-friendly, please!)
devozine Themes for 2012
January/February 2012
[deadline 4/1/2011]
Are You a Pirate?
Dragon Breath [gossip]
Loving Myself
Fasting & Prayer
So Snotty
Mental Illness
What I Believe
God in HD [seeing God in TV shows]
Fear
March/April 2012
[Deadline: 6/1/11]
Isn't Life Sacred?
School of Hard Knocks [school pressures]
You Inspire Me
Making the Connection
Hard to be Humble
Wedges [what drives us away from God & faith]
Why Me?
Creative Art
extra-Ordinary Teens
May/June 2012
[Deadline: 8/1/11]
When Teens Get Sick
Pressure to Date
How 2 Raise ur Parents
Quiet Time
Keep On Keeping On
Is It Abuse? [emotional abuse]
How to Witness
Going Viral
Play
July/Aug 2012
[Deadline: 10/3/11]
Ways to Give Back
Living Dangerously
Guys & Girls
I Forgive
Two-Faced [hypocrisy]
Caught in the Middle
FAQ
Good Sports [includes Olympics 2012]
Being Lazy
Sept/Oct 2012
[Deadline: 12/1/11]
Bullying
It's My Life [pressure to conform]
Wanna Be Friends
Everyday Prayer
Spontaneity
Self-Injury
Hear My Voice![Church hear/value teens]
Pet Tales
Ch-Ch-Changes
Nov/Dec 2012
[Deadline: 2/1/12]
Struggling [economic pressures]
Surviving Suicide
Define Family
Sing It!
Critic at Large
Working Out
Who Is This Jesus?
Bible Humor
Hand Made
More information here.
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