Submit
1000 words or less (maybe shoot for 850) relating to the topic in our name–the opposite of nihilism. Think “Modern Love” but the subject is how to keep believing in ourselves and in a world of possibility at a time when nihilism beckons and the future feels increasingly foreclosed.
ni·hil·ism
noun the rejection of all principles; the embrace of meaninglessness
Whatever the opposite of nihilism is, it cannot be fully defined in any number of words. This is where the “Modern Love” comparison is most useful: Like the New York Times column, our goal is for a variety of compelling perspectives from a wide range of contributors to accumulate into a functional and evolving description of the title theme.
The framework below is meant to provide structure and a range of approaches for writing about an intentionally vague subject. If you are looking for more concrete direction, please consult the pitch list at the bottom of this page. We also love being pleasantly surprised.
What to submit
This newsletter straddles the line between creative nonfiction and cultural commentary. We publish brief meditations on the world, short personal essays, art criticism (film, books, televsion, music, etc.). While there is ample room for nuanced social critique that touches on the broad state of American politics, we do not publish political news analysis. Opposite of Nihilism bolsters and champions the parts of life that precede politics, that fundamentally inform how we think about ourselves and the world and our positioning in it.
That being said, in these early months of the second Trump administration and for the foreseeable future, we are absolutely interested in personal accounts, rooted in a specific context and compelling point of view, of how this administration’s authoritarian push is reshaping life at work, at home, and in the public square. (Examples of such that will appear in the early weeks after launch include: a meditation about getting young kids ready for bed each night while wondering how this atmosphere of civic dread will affect their childhood; a dispatch from an American living abroad contending with the guilt and confusion of following events in this country from afar; advice about how to maintain your integrity from the micro-generation on the Boomer-Gen X divide who came of age in an era that echoes today.)
Prompts inspired by our core themes:
Belief
Something you believe in that affirms your belonging to humanity, your hope for the world. This could be an ethical commitment or intellectual movement or religious tradition, or a lesson learned from a book or life experience. Believing in something is not strictly an intellectual activity, and anything that makes us feel most like ourselves is worthy of consideration in this newsletter.
Passion
Something you are passionate about. Something that makes you feel most alive. Our capacity for passion is one of the most interesting and valuable elements of the human experience. Passion orients our vitality and creativity outward into the world. We love learning what people are passionate about, and there is room for all of it in this newsletter.
Laughter
Something that makes you laugh without punching down. Something that you laugh at in order to make it through the day. Our world is filling with the worst sort of absurdity and it deserves to be mined for humor. And we deserve to laugh.
Love
The places that define you, the memories you cherish, the relationships that make you who you are.
How to submit
Submissions can be emailed to oppositeofnihilism@gmail.com as a .docx attachment. Formatting: Times New Roman, 12 pt font, double spaced, 1” margins.
Please note: if you do not hear back about your submission within four weeks, please feel free to follow up.
Pitch list:
If you’re not sure what you want to write about yet, we are on the lookout for…
A cooking essay disguised as a family essay or a family essay disguised as a cooking essay
An essay that questions pessimistic narratives of America and modernity, and digs into this recent work from Charles Mann: “We Live Like Royalty and Don’t Know It”
A counterintuitive take on Gen Z
Thoughts from an Eagles fan about what the team and recent Super Bowl victory signify for and about the City of Philadelphia
A great write-up of Severance that does not center capitalist critique
Ditto The Brutalist
An essay about a National Park
Smart, funny satire about nihilism on the left
A story about your favorite teacher in high school
Good writing about your job
Reflections on economic precarity that emphasize dignity but de-glorify struggle