Noticing the city and unfinished stories

Hello,

Urban Nature Matters invites you to write with us. We would love to host your story.

It could be a story of frustration, about the loss of a tree, a hill, or a waterbody. It could be about a bird that sings every morning, flying insects that keep returning, or the small, colorful lives that bring moments of vitality into the city.

Or maybe it is a story that has been sitting with you for a long time, unfinished and unresolved, waiting to be written.

If any of this feels familiar, or if you feel drawn to write for reasons you cannot quite decipher yet, write to us. Together, we can build your story.

We are interested in personal, reflective writing rooted in lived experience, especially at the intersections of city life and nature. Stories may emerge from close attention to landscapes, non-human life, changing seasons, and everyday encounters with birds, insects, plants, water, and built environments. Writing may grow out of observation, curiosity, discomfort, care, or long-held questions. Your piece does not need to offer solutions or conclusions. Noticing, wondering, and sitting with complexity are enough.

If this is your first piece with us, please keep the following guidelines in mind.

Pronouns

When using generic references, we prefer the pronouns “they” and “them”. Please use other pronouns only when necessary.

Sentence Length and Style

We encourage writers to follow their natural voice. Longer sentences are welcome, but we suggest a balance. Too many long sentences in a row can make a piece feel heavy.

Word Limit

There is no word limit. We are also open to hosting short pieces, fragments, or works with minimal or no text.

Factual Information

If you include factual information, please add sources as hyperlinks within the text.

Submission Format

Please submit your article in a Google Drive folder. If you wish to include images, create a separate folder within the same directory titled “Images”. Make sure that editor access is granted to urbannaturematters@gmail.com. Alternatively, submissions may be shared as a .docx file sent to the same email address.

Images and Credits

Please avoid using images that are not licensed under CC BY-SA or compatible Creative Commons licenses. All images must be given proper attribution and credit. We particularly appreciate images taken in the course of everyday life rather than staged or heavily edited photographs. Images may be quiet, imperfect, or ambiguous. Technical perfection is not required. Attention and intent matter more.