A Creative Collective for NC's Black Artists & Home to BOS Magazine
Our Mission
Giving Black Raleigh her flowers now.
BOS Magazine and BOS Blog were founded on three principles: Giving Black Raleigh her flowers, making Black and Brown creatives the central storytellers of our beautifully complex narrative, and paying creatives for their work.
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BOS Magazine is an annual literary magazine. Our editorial team picks a theme for the issue, then we host an open call for submissions and pitches. Creatives are encouraged to We prioritize working with Black and brown creatives and teams led by Black and Brown creatives who have a meaningful connection to Raleigh or North Carolina-at-large. The reason behind this is to make Black and Brown voices the central storytellers of our narrative. The magazine is published in print and (soon) online. Print magazines can be purchased in our online BOS Shop, as well as a growing number of online and brick-and-mortar retailers.
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BOS Blog is where we share news, op-eds, reviews, and more that are meaningful to the Black and Brown creative community in North Carolina and beyond. While there is no theme, we prioritize the following subjects: local news commentary, exhibition reviews, poetry, artist profiles, local business profiles, book reviews, personal essays, historic essays, comics/cartoons, fashion lookbooks, visual art, and photography. We encourage you to submit your work or pitch an idea for BOS Blog even if it doesn't fit in the above catagories — we love a good out-of-the-box idea! We currently post content once a week, but plan to increase the frequency as capacity allows.
How To Pitch
Getting your ideas seen by our editors
While we accept completed submissions for BOS Magazine and BOS Blog, we highly encourage creatives to submit a pitch FIRST, even if the work they are pitching is already completed. Below are our suggestions for an irresistible pitch:
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Use our submission form! We will not accept pitches directly to our email, via social media messengers, or by mail. (If you are pitching more than one piece, please use a separate form for each pitch.)
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Please provide an email address you check regularly, as this is our primary mode of communication with contributors.
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In no more than 100 words per question, share the following about your piece:
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What is the genre/format of your piece?​
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What is the central concept?
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How does it connect with the upcoming magazine's theme and/or our mission?
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How does it represent you?
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Upload/Attach a sample of your work​
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Please allow up to 4 weeks for a response from our editorial team regarding your submission.
How We Pay
Because we #payblackartists
We are serious about paying Black and Brown artists. We currently offer $50 per accepted submission for BOS Magazine as well as a complementary print copy of the magazine. BOS Blog contributors will receive $25 per submission, and are limited to one accepted submission per month.
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Payment is distributed at the time of publication. This date will be outlined in your Freelancer Contract, which will be emailed to you soon after your submission acceptance email. We send our payments via PayPal, but contributors are able to request a paper check (check will be mailed USPS Priority Mail within 10 business days of publication)
How We Handle IP
Your rights to your work.
Intellectual Property, or IP, is term that describes our contributors' creative work. At Black Oak Society, contributors retain ownership of their IP, while allowing Black Oak Society to use it within the context of our organization. Examples of this use include:
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Compilation books or products
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Advertising on social media
Black Oak Society cannot sell your IP to another entity without your consent and compensation, while you are free to publish your work in other arenas at will. We also cannot change or alter your IP in any way without your consent.
How We Publish
Bringing your art to the world.
Starting in 2024, BOS Magazine is published annually in August. Magazines are typically printed in the standard A4 sizing on glossy 80lb paper and saddle-stitched. Soon, BOS Magazine will also be available digitally.
BOS Blog publishes new content weekly, as well as a digest in our monthly newsletter.
Our Editorial Team.
The biggest perk of becoming a BOS Magazine or BOS Blog Contributor is working with these legends:
