Attention: therewewere now exists in archival form. There are no plans for new content to be posted in the foreseeable future. The below Writer's Contract information is posted here so it is available for those interested. Thank you.   Hello, and welcome to the therewewere community of writers. This page contains both the criteria for submitting to therewewere and the legal tract that protects the rights to your original work. SUBMITTING AN ARTICLE SUBMITTING AN INTERVIEW SUBMITTING A LESSON CONTRACT FOR SUBMITTING SUBMITTING AN ARTICLE therewewere strives to be as educational as possible. To achieve this we seek the writing of people who have this same belief. In submitting to therewewere you will have an opportunity to share your experiences as well as help educate your readers about the places and experiences you've had there. The first question I need to address is the format of the articles therewewere publishes. There are so many different people and so many different places that putting strict guidelines on writing seems anti-productive. Because of this, I ask you to think about a limited number of requirements when writing for therewewere. 1. All works must be of your own original writing. 2. Pieces must be about a culture different from your own. The purpose of therewewere is to promote cross-cultural understanding, so please, no Guidebook tips on things like: the best pub, cheapest rooms, or how to find the local McDonald's. Individual circumstances involving these, however, are allowed. Use your best judgment. If you had a great cultural experience at the Burger King in Taipei then go for it. 3. Articles must be between 400 and 3,000 words long. 4. If you can supply photographs we would appreciate it, but they are by no means required. 5. Please spell the words to places, people, and foreign words correctly if at all possible. 6. Finally, add a short profile of yourself and your travels. A correspondent bio is great way to introduce yourself to the therewewere community. Please also keep in mind that your articles will be used in therewewere's classrooms. Children grades 6 through 12 will be reading your material. As a general rule of thumb try to curb your use of profanity. After you have written your piece email it to editor@therewewere.com. I will then edit it and either post it on the site or email you with recommendations for changes.   back to top   SUBMITTING AN INTERVIEW This may be the easiest to define. In order to submit an interview you must do two things: 1. Interview someone of cultural interest: talk with a local person; ask them about their village, their house, their children. Or ask a fellow traveler to relate a cultural experience they have had. 2. Write the interview down and send it to us at editor@therewewere.com. Writing interviews should be just that. Write down the conversation exactly as it occurred. If you feel that the dialogue does not relate enough of the surrounding situation, please include it in a precursor segment. And, please include a profile of yourself and the person you are interviewing. If you can provide an image of you or the person you've interviewed that would be great.   back to top   SUBMITTING A LESSON We at therewewere are striving to introduce new cultures and themes to students, which we hope will also bring greater understanding of the places we've been. We want to encourage travelers interested in designing their own interactive classroom lesson to do so, especially if it concerns a culture we have yet to explore. We ask that you take a look at current classrooms for insight into exactly what we are aiming for, then follow the guidelines below when submitting an idea for review. We do expect these lessons to be well thought out, and specified for a certain grade level (6th -12th grades). If you have any questions about becoming a guest classroom-designer, just email us. Title: Provides a short, clear title that sums up the class Lesson Purpose: Provides basic information for students and teachers concerning the themes covered in the class. Usually includes a short description, as well as, a few goals students should achieve in the class. Please see posted lessons for standard format and length. Quotes and Themes: Gives either quotes that will be a focus of discussion for the class, or list important articles or book excerpts that are central to the theme of the class. Be sure to properly cite quoted works. Also in this section, tie the readings or quotes into the main purpose of the class. Bring up ideas for discussion out of the readings, and stress why it is we want to study this particular theme. This is the main body of the lesson plan, so it can be lengthier, but must be concise. Assignments: Provides numbered suggestions for assignments pertaining to the themes and readings of the class. Usual assignments include utilizing the therewewere Message Board for discussions, researching a topic on-line and creating a presentation for the class, or writing well-researched thought papers on a given topic. However, feel free to use creativity in thinking up assignments. Helpful Links: Provides any web-sites that may be helpful to students researching this topic. Lessons should be short and concise. Remember, you're writing these for a 10 to 20 minute classroom session. Additionally, include a short bio of yourself for us to post. The kids are going to want to email you questions and would enjoy knowing a little more about yourself.   back to top   CONTRACT FOR SUBMITTING With all the copyright issues surrounding the Web, therewewere wants to make sure we protect you, as the creator, and ourselves, as the holder of these creations. All pieces require written or emailed permission from you, the author, that allow therewewere to publish your work in the magazine, on the web site, and to use your work in any publicity-related materials. Please submit letters of permission as a separate note, titled WRITER'S CONTRACT, in the subject heading. And, as always, remember to include your name, email address, physical address, and telephone number (if possible). therewewere will host accepted submissions indefinately on the Web site, if the author would like to pull their submission at any time after six months just email or call. If your article has been chosen for publishing in therewewere's print magazine, we will notify you by email. As our print magazine is published bi-yearly not every piece we post on our site can be included. Additionally, because of the limited number of print magazines, pieces may be cut down from their posted Web versions. CONCLUSION We hope this answers your questions concerning writing for therewewere. Again, if you have further questions email us: Sarah Reed Bargren, Publisher, at bargren@therewewere.com. Thank you, Sarah Reed Bargren