Contact Us

Commonweal Magazine
475 Riverside Drive
Room 405
New York, NY 10115
212-662-4200
fax: 212-662-4183

editors@commonwealmagazine.org

For circulation questions: circulationmgr@commonwealmagazine.org

For all other business questions: busmgr@commonwealmagazine.org

Letters to the Editor

Letters may be submitted to the editors at letters@commonwealmagazine.org. They should be brief, and should include your full name, mailing address, e-mail address, and a telephone number where we can reach you if we have a question. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Reprint Permissions

If you wish permission to republish an article that has appeared in Commonweal, or to reprint multiple copies of an article, please send an e-mail to busmgr@commonwealmagazine.org with the following information:

The title, author, and date of the original article Where the article will be reprinted, or the number of copies you intend to reproduce Your name, postal address, telephone and e-mail address

Back Copies

To purchase a back copy of Commonweal, or to receive a photocopy or fax of an individual article from a past issue, please send an e-mail to busmgr@commonwealmagazine.org with the following information:

The date of the back copy you want, or the title, author, and date of the original article Your name, institution (if any), and e-mail address

We will reply to your request with pricing and payment information for the back copy or article you are looking for.

Manuscript Submission

Commonweal welcomes original manuscripts dealing with topical issues of the day on public affairs, religion, literature, and the arts. We look for articles that are timely, accurate, and well written. Articles fall into three categories:

  "Upfronts", running from 750 to 1,000 words, are brief, "newsy" and reportorial, giving facts, information, and some interpretation behind the "headlines of the day."
  Longer articles, running from 2,000 to 3,000 words, are more reflective and detailed, bringing new information or a different point of view to a subject, raising questions, and/or proposing solutions to the dilemmas facing the world, nation, church, or individual.
  "Last Word" column, a 750-word reflection, usually of a personal nature, on some aspect of the human condition: spiritual, individual, political, or social.

Please send a query with outline and resume. We do not consider simultaneous submissions.

Articles should be written for a general but well-educated audience. While religious articles are always topical, we are less interested in devotional and churchy pieces than in articles which examine the links between "worldly" concerns and religious beliefs.

Manuscripts can be mailed to
Commonweal
475 Riverside Drive, Room 405
New York, NY 10115

All manuscripts should be typewritten, double-spaced, with wide margins. The author’s name and postal address should appear on the first page. Notes and footnotes are discouraged. To assure a manuscript’s return, a self-addressed, stamped envelope should be included. We also encourage you to send the article on a disk, along with the hard copy. The disk will be returned.

Manuscripts can also be e-mailed to editors@commonwealmagazine.org. If possible, please send as an MS Word attachment.

Please allow 3-4 weeks for an editorial decision. Payment for articles is generally made on publication. Commonweal customarily retains the copyright on all published articles.

Poetry: We publish about thirty high quality poems a year but do NOT accept poetry submissions via e-mail.