Abstract: Derived from the Latin iners to signify “idle” or “sluggish,” inertia is the force that binds the universe. We know this intuitively because of how it plays out in our lives. We struggle with routine and find comfort in ritual until some larger force comes along to disrupt our sense of continuity. As a fundamental law of motion, inertia implies resistance to change, be it physical, cognitive, spiritual, or existential. For better or worse, the pandemic has replaced our mundane understanding of inertia with a more acute sense of what it means to survive each day without knowing what the future holds, what will compel us to change. In other words, the unknown and the familiar have merged into a singular reality. For the second issue of Huellas, we are interested in stories of inertia within this context. What does it mean to confront, adapt, or even submit to larger forces at work? Be they structural, discriminatory, idiosyncratic, familiar, unexpected, inscrutable, and so on.

Guidelines: 

• Please send pitches to huellas.mag@gmail.com before December 15th. If you have not heard back from us within three days to confirm receipt, please feel free to follow up. We will respond to pitches no later than two weeks after the open call has closed.

• Pitches should be no longer than 250 words and describe the story you would like to tell, as well as any research, interviews, or other work that the process may involve. Ultimately, we are looking to develop work in a collaborative environment that fosters creative and professional growth.

•  Keep in mind the final text will be between 3,000 to 5,000 words and appear in both English and Spanish. We will do our best to accommodate a third language, especially if accessibility is a concern for an individual or community whose story is being told.

• Submissions should also include your name, pronouns, and a short bio (50 words or less). 

• Huellas pay contributors 250 USD per piece. 

• We are seeking original pitches for non-fiction narrative storytelling, although in certain cases, we do accept pitches adapted from previous work or work in progress. Above all, be creative. We are most interested in atypical stories where authors transmit to the reader a sense of their excitement and interest in a given topic.

• *We do not accept fiction submissions at this time.

• If you haven’t done so already, we encourage you to read our inaugural issue to get a sense of what we are looking for. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.