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Your Story and the Power of Shared Wisdom

Writer's picture: ESSP-EditorESSP-Editor

Updated: Nov 15, 2022


Picture window looking in on a darkened office with a neon sign asking What is your story
Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

From how you now have your great grandmother's banana pudding recipe to why your little cousin refuses to let anyone sing Happy Birthday to him in public, we know ourselves and each other through stories. Our loves, hates, beliefs, and knowledge expand and contract with every new story introduced in our lives. Some of these are inspirational. Some gut-wrenching. Some are highly technical and academic. Others simple and every day. Regardless, when we hear a good one, one that nails our interests and captures our attention, we can't help being impacted in some way.


To that end, we want to hear your stories and amplify them to others.


Do you have an awesome program impacting student lives for the better? Are there issues you feel strongly enough about to put some words down about them? Have you learned some lessons from your years in industry and education that the rest of us need to hear? Who among your colleagues or students inspires you enough to deserve a few paragraphs?


Our CTE community brims over with hundreds of great stories that many of us never get to hear. We would like the opportunity to hear a few more of them with your help. Whether you're thinking more along the lines of a technical article or an inspirational story, we invite you to share this space.


Don't worry you won't be alone in this process. We'll offer as much (or as little) editorial assistance as you wish. If you're interested in writing a piece for us, please keep reading.


ESSP BLOG GUIDELINES

The author(s) / photographer(s) submitting their works to ESSP retain all rights after publication by ESSP. ESSP does not charge for the submission of work to the ESSP Blog, nor does ESSP offer compensation for work published on the ESSP Blog. The ESSP Blog Editor will reach out to submitters upon receipt of ideas or submissions to discuss the work. Submission to the ESSP Blog does not guarantee publication.


How to Send Ideas or Submissions

  1. Individuals who are NOT website members should use the "Submit Your Work" Form located at the bottom of the "Contact Us" page.

  2. Members should email info@esspok.org to have the blogging access added to your account. [To become a website member, just click on the "Members" tab in the header bar and follow the sign up instructions. NOTE: Signing up on the website is free and does NOT make you an official ESSP member.]

Format

  1. Written Work: PDF, Word, Google Docs

  2. Images: JPG, PNG

Basic "Haves"

  1. If submitting photos, ensure clearly focused, high-resolution images relating to your subject are included. (Will require your sharing them a file sharing site.)

  2. If submitting photos, ensure to number them in the order they should appear. Also, include the descriptions (described below) clearly labeled for each photo in a separate document.

  3. Ensure all contact information is included and accurate.

  4. Perform a basic grammar and spelling edit prior to submission. (We'll check, but this helps.)

  5. Be willing to accept at least minimum edits to the work.

Basic "No-Nos"

  1. No hate speech or defamation of other groups with differing opinions / positions from your own.

  2. No "Not Safe For Work" content.

  3. No anonymous or "pen name" submissions.

Type of Content Accepted

  1. ALL WORK: Non-fiction, centered on education services or special populations that can be tied into CTE

    1. Essays

    2. Scholarly Articles

    3. Photo Essays (compilations)

    4. News / Interests Articles

Content Length

  1. Content length will vary based on a writer's style and the chosen format. Keep in mind that these will be posted in a blog format. The following is offered as a general guide to good length.

    1. Essays: 500 - 1,700 words

    2. Scholarly Articles: 1,000 - 2,500 words

    3. Photo Essays: 8 - 15 photos with 1 - 2 short sentence descriptions for each photo

    4. News / Interests Articles: 250 - 1,200 words

Citations / Acknowledgements

  1. Due to the nature of a blog, citations work a bit differently from a typical "academic" format. However, credibility still matters.

  2. Citation for the majority of submitted work may be done in the form of a hyperlink.

  3. Scholarly articles require a slightly more traditional approach. Hyperlinks are okay. However, a list of sources in a standard academic format is usually provided at the end. Though not necessary, this does not make your work stand out.

  4. All media should contain a credit to the artist.

Consent

  1. Submission of photographs containing clearly identifiable individuals, especially minors, will require a consent form be signed by the individual or their authorized caregiver. This DIGITAL form is called the Media Consent and Release Form and can be filled out ONLINE with copies coming directly to us. Nothing for you to track or keep up with. We even over a downloadable QR code on our Resources page if multiple people want to scan and go to the form at once.

  2. Essays, articles, or other written work that contain personal information about non-public individuals who are not the author or legal dependents of the author must also give their consent to be written about UNLESS their names and identifying information are changed.

Above all else, share your heart. Yes, a lot of the above deals with the business side of writing, but let us worry about most of that for you. We simply want to hear wants on your soul. Thank you for considering putting something together for us. We can't wait to see what you send our way.


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