Submission Guidelines

Windham Free Press — windhamfreepress.org — Effective March 2025
 
Windham Free Press is a community newsroom for and about Windham, Connecticut. We welcome submissions from community members, local artists, youth reporters, and anyone with a story worth telling. This guide explains how to submit, what we’re looking for, and how the editorial process works.
By submitting content to WFP, you agree to these guidelines and to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, available at windhamfreepress.org.

What We Publish

WFP publishes content organized into the following sections:

  • About the Town — local news, current events, reporting on community issues
  • Authentic Windham — community highlights, profiles, stories of local people and places
  • Curios Corner — poetry, creative writing, artwork, and artistic expression
  • Homesteading — recipes, DIY, crafts, gardening, and sustainable living
  • Effervescent Amusements — puzzles, trivia, games, and light entertainment

We accept the following content formats: news articles, opinion pieces, photography, poetry, creative writing, artwork, recipes, how-to guides, crafts, puzzles, community highlights, and fast facts.

Content Standards

All submissions must meet these standards:

  • Truthful — factual claims must be accurate and verifiable. Opinion pieces must be clearly identified as opinion.
  • Original — content must be your own work, not copied or substantially derived from another source without proper attribution.
  • Community-focused — content should be relevant to the Windham community or of genuine interest to local readers.
  • Respectful — content must not demean, harass, or target any individual, group, or community. We do not publish content that is discriminatory, hateful, or harmful.
  • Appropriate — WFP serves readers of all ages, including youth. Content should be suitable for a general community audience.

WFP reserves the right to decline any submission that does not meet these standards, regardless of the reason for submission.

The Editorial Process

How to submit

Community members may submit content through the form at windhamfreepress.org/submit. Registered contributors may submit drafts directly through their contributor account.

All submissions are reviewed by WFP editorial staff. We aim to acknowledge receipt within 3 business days and provide an editorial decision within 14 days, though timelines may vary based on editorial volume.

What happens after you submit

Submitted content goes through the following stages:

  • Pitch Received — we’ve received your submission
  • Under Review — an editor is reading and evaluating your submission
  • Accepted — your piece has been accepted for publication
  • Needs Revision — we like your submission but are requesting changes before we can publish
  • Scheduled — your piece is accepted and scheduled for publication
  • Declined — we’re not able to publish this submission at this time

You will be notified by email at each key stage. If revision is requested, an editor will explain what changes are needed.

Editorial rights

By submitting to WFP, you grant our editors the right to:

  • Edit your submission for clarity, length, grammar, and style
  • Edit headlines and subheadings
  • Add or edit section and format classifications
  • Request revisions before publication
  • Decline to publish without further explanation
  • Remove published content if it is found to violate these guidelines after publication

We will not make substantive changes to the meaning or argument of opinion pieces without the author’s consent. We will notify you of any significant edits before publication.

Attribution and Bylines

All published content receives a byline. By default, your byline displays your display name or pen name as set in your contributor profile or provided on the submission form.

Additional credits — such as photography credits or editor credits — will be added as appropriate.

Nom de plumes (pen names)

Contributors may publish under a pen name of their choosing. To use a pen name, provide it on your submission form or set it in your contributor profile. Pen names are subject to editorial approval — we reserve the right to decline a pen name that is offensive, impersonates a real person, or could cause confusion.

Youth contributors (under 18) are required to use a pen name. This is a safety policy and is not optional for youth participants. See the Youth Contributors section below.

Anonymous submissions

WFP does not publish fully anonymous content. However, we understand that some community members may have concerns about attaching their name to certain topics. If you have a legitimate reason for requesting limited attribution, contact us at info@windhamfreepress.org before submitting to discuss options.

Youth Contributors

Windham Free Press is proud to publish work by youth reporters and contributors participating in Project Imo’s ACME (Arts Communication Media Entrepreneur) program. Youth contributors are held to the same content standards as all contributors.

For the safety of young contributors, the following policies apply to all youth contributors (persons under 18):

  • A pen name is required. Youth contributors may not publish under their real name.
  • Pen names are proposed by the contributor and approved by a WFP editor.
  • Youth contributors use a frog avatar — an illustrated character created for WFP — rather than a real photograph. Youth contributors may choose from available frog avatars; each avatar can only be used by one contributor.
  • No personally identifying information — including real name, school, neighborhood, or photograph — will appear publicly on the site.
  • These protections cannot be waived by the youth contributor or their parent. They exist as a site-wide safety policy.

Youth contributors who are paid staff members of WFP (staff writers, editors) operate under the same safety protections while also holding the editorial responsibilities of their role.

Photography and Artwork

When submitting photographs or artwork, please include:

  • A caption describing what is shown
  • A photo/artwork credit (your name or pen name)
  • Confirmation that you took the photograph or created the artwork, OR identification of the copyright holder and confirmation that you have permission to submit it

WFP will not publish photographs that identify youth contributors or that include identifiable images of minors without verifiable parental consent.

Content Removal and Corrections

If you believe published content about you is inaccurate or violates your privacy, contact us at info@windhamfreepress.org. We will review the concern promptly.

If you are a contributor and wish to request removal of your own published work, contact us. We will consider such requests on a case-by-case basis. WFP is a publication of record and generally maintains published content as part of the community archive; however, we will work with contributors on requests involving safety or privacy concerns.

Corrections to factual errors will be published promptly and noted within the original article.

A Note on Our Mission

Windham Free Press exists to give voice to the Windham community — including voices that don’t always get heard. We are especially committed to supporting young people in developing the skills and confidence to tell their own stories.

We review every submission with care and respect for the person who sent it. Even when we can’t publish a piece, we appreciate every community member who takes the time to contribute.
Questions about these guidelines? Reach us at info@windhamfreepress.org.
 
Last updated: March 2025. These guidelines apply to windhamfreepress.org. Windham Free Press is a program of Project Imo Inc. — projectimo.org