Bougie Feral is a cultural magazine and community for the last feral generation. The ones who grew up analog, came of age online, and are still finding new ways to live, lead, and create culture.
We publish two print issues a year and a monthly digital newsletter that feature stories, essays, and creative work exploring identity, creativity, liberation, and the messy, magical in-between of who we've been, who we are, and who we will be.
About The Mag
Bougie Feral is for the seekers and the reflectors. The people drawn to big questions and deeper meaning. The ones who want to explore culture, identity, and creativity as part of how we live, lead, and love in this moment.
They write for Bougie Feral because they believe art and storytelling help us make sense of who we are, and imagine what's possible, together.
Our Community
Most of our readers and contributors are women, femmes, and non-binary people who move through life with creativity, humor, and heart. People fluent in nostalgia and hungry for what's next.
They come to Bougie Feral for conversation, for connection, and for a space that makes room for complexity.
who we are
what we value
what we publish
Bougie Feral publishes stories, essays, interviews, and visual work that explore identity, culture, and creativity through both personal and collective lenses.
We're interested in lived experience and in thoughtful reporting — journalism, conversation, and public scholarship that bring new perspectives to how we live, lead, and create culture.
We Love
- Pieces that hold tension and depth
- Work that balances insight with feeling
- Stories grounded in real life and expansive in imagination
- Content that feels alive and intentional
we're not looking for
- Listicles
- Trend pieces
- Prescriptive advice
Nostalgia · Lineage · Taste · Cultural Inheritance
How history, aesthetics, and early experiences shaped who we are now - style eras, girlhood/boyhood/childhood memories, mentors, movements, and the making of identity.
Each issue moves through these three lenses to explore what shapes us: our past, our present, and our future.
who we are
who we've been
who we will be
Identity · Relationships · Leadership · Culture Now
Profiles and essays on how we live, love, work, and lead. Friendship economies, ambition, care, desire, and the art of community.
Imagination · Innovation · Vision · Futures
Speculative essays, manifestos, or visual stories about what's next - design, technology, ritual, and liberation.
lens
focus
what we're exploring
who we've been
Who We Are
Who We'll Be
Together, these three worlds form our editorial spine; every story fits somewhere inside them.
Our Lens: W
3
Nostalgia · Lineage · Taste · Cultural inheritance
focus
who we've been
How history, aesthetics, and early experiences shaped who we are now - style eras, girlhood/boyhood/childhood memories, mentors, movements, and the making of identity.
What We're Exploring
Identity · Relationships · Leadership · Culture now
focus
who we are
Profiles and essays on how we live, love, work, and lead. Friendship economies, ambition, care, desire, and the art of community.
What We're Exploring
Imagination · Innovation · Vision · Futures
focus
Who We'll Be
Speculative essays, manifestos, or visual stories about what's next - design, technology, ritual, and liberation.
What We're Exploring
Seasonal Vibes
If W³ gives us our ecosystem, the Seasonal Vibe gives us our focus. These themes guide what we're curious about and help us curate stories in conversation with one another.
When you pitch, you'll be asked to include your thoughts on which Seasonal Vibe (or vibes) your work speaks to.
(Winter/Spring 2026, Summer 2026)
Have questions about these themes?
The language of rest, hibernation, and gentle re-entry. Winter is for slowing down, getting quiet, and rediscovering yourself after motion. What do you learn when you stop striving?
Reflection & Return
editorial focus
contributor cues
Essays about rest, solitude, or small rituals that mark the end of hustle. Stories about stillness as power.
The art of wanting. What we crave in body, ambition, love, appetite, or freedom. How hunger shapes identity. What we reach for, what we dare to name, what we taste when we get it.
Desire & Appetite
editorial focus
contributor cues
Essays about longing, indulgence, ambition, and food. Treat desire as philosophy and practice.
Where nostalgia meets innovation - building futures from the past. We remix memory into something visionary, imagining forward with reverence and flair.
editorial focus
contributor cues
Personal or cultural essays about time, taste, or aesthetic evolution.
Memory & Invention
Community in the light. Celebration as connection. How we gather, laugh, and make ourselves seen together. It's not about attention; it's about belonging in full color.
Joy & Visibility
editorial focus
contributor cues
Essays or visual stories about friendship, shared joy, celebration, and public tenderness. Culture pieces about leisure and collective freedom.
Returning to youth, lineage, and creative DNA. What we inherited, what we're un-learning, and the early lessons that built our taste and confidence.
Legacy & Lesson
editorial focus
contributor cues
Stories about formative eras, first influences, teenage contradictions, and the making of self.
Seasonal Vibes
If W³ gives us our ecosystem, the Seasonal Vibe gives us our focus. These themes guide what we're curious about and help us curate stories in conversation with one another.
When you pitch, you'll be asked to include your thoughts on which Seasonal Vibe (or vibes) your work speaks to.
Upcoming Vibes
(Winter/Spring 2026, Summer 2026)
Have questions about these themes?
subject line: BF Submission Question
DO WE PAY FOR YOUR WORK?
ABSOLUTELY.
We Know You Are Wondering
We publish across our print magazine and digital platforms and welcome pitches from both emerging and experienced creators.
Newsletter/Blog Essays
word count: 400-800 words
description
Short, first-person reflections that connect everyday life to culture, identity, ambition, love, or change.
Rate: $50 flat
Magazine · Micro Entries
word count: 300–600 words
description
Compact stories or observations that feel like emotional captions (snapshots of beauty, contradiction, or clarity).
Rate: $50 flat
Magazine · Mid-Length Essays / Profiles / Interviews
Word Count: 800–1,200 words
description
Cultural essays, reported pieces, or conversations that blend narrative and insight. Ideal for in-between stories that offer depth without full feature length.
Rate: $150–$250
Magazine · Feature Essays / Long-Form Profiles
Word Count: 1,500–2,500 words
description
Flagship long-form work: essays, reported features, or creative nonfiction that anchor our Who We've Been / Who We Are / Who We'll Be sections.
Rate: $300–$400
Visual / Photo / Art Stories
Format: 3–8 images + 100-word artist statement
description
Visual work that captures our seasonal mood.
Rate: $150–$400
Magazine · Mid-Length Essays / Profiles / Interviews
Word Count: 800–1,200 words
description
Cultural essays, reported pieces, or conversations that blend narrative and insight. Ideal for in-between stories that offer depth without full feature length.
Rate: $150–$250
Magazine · Feature Essays / Long-Form Profiles
Word Count: 1,500–2,500 words
description
Flagship long-form work: essays, reported features, or creative nonfiction that anchor our Who We've Been / Who We Are / Who We'll Be sections.
Rate: $300–$400
Visual / Photo / Art Stories
Format: 3–8 images + 100-word artist statement
description
Visual work that captures our seasonal mood.
Rate: $150–$400
We publish across our print magazine and digital platforms and welcome pitches from both emerging and experienced creators.
How to Submit
Important: We don't accept finished work — send us your ideas and how you'd like to bring them to life.
For Writers
- A short 2–3 sentence bio about who you are and the kind of work you make or write
- Links to your Substack, podcast, YouTube, or other platform where we can learn about you and your writing/content (if applicable)
- Social media links that help us get a sense of your voice and creative community
Micro Essay or Newsletter (300–600 words)Short, reflective, first-person pieces that connect everyday life to culture, identity, ambition, love, or change.
Send: A 2–3 sentence pitch describing the idea, and include a short sample (150–250 words) or a link to something you've shared publicly that reflects your tone or style.
Mid-Length or Feature Essay / Profile / Interview (800-2500 words)
Cultural essays, reported pieces, or creative nonfiction that blend narrative and insight.
Send: A 1–2 paragraph pitch explaining your idea, why it matters now, and your approach or structure. If it's a profile or interview, mention who you plan to speak with and your angle or framing.
For Visual Artist and photographers
- A 2–3 sentence bio and links to your portfolio or social media pages
- A 100–150 word artist statement describing the project or concept you'd like to develop and how it connects to a Seasonal Vibe or W³ Lens
- Optional: previous work or exhibitions for reference (3–5 images max, attached or linked)
We're especially interested in photography, mixed media, and visual narratives that explore identity, culture, memory, or imagination in line with our current themes.
All Bougie Feral contributors are expected to align with our core values. These aren't checkboxes; they're the creative principles that shape how we make, collaborate, and tell stories.
Our Core Values
view our ai & Creative integrity policy
We stay connected to the natural world and to ourselves, uninterrupted. The Wild is the pull back to the woods, to fresh air, to the water, to the fire, to you.
The Wild
We pair awareness with imagination. Our creativity is informed by critical consciousness and fueled by possibility.
Critical Wonder
Freedom is a shared practice. We create, connect, and celebrate in ways that move us all closer to wholeness.
Collective Liberation
We hold many selves. Our identities are layered, inherited, chosen, and constantly in conversation with one another.
Multiplicity
We practice antiracism as creative and cultural work. It informs how we see, make, and collaborate. Our stories move against systems of harm and toward belonging, justice, and joy.
Antiracism
AI & Creative Integrity Policy
AI tools can be part of the creative process, but never a replacement for human authorship.
You May Use AI:
- To support research, organization, or accessibility
- To visualize ideas, explore form, or generate inspiration that you later shape through your own craft
We Will Not Publish:
- Work that uses AI to impersonate human voices
- Work that reproduces others' likenesses or styles without consent
- Work that obscures authorship
Our Position
Bougie Feral approaches technology with curiosity and critique. We believe in exploring how digital tools intersect with art, identity, and liberation while keeping our core commitment to authenticity, equity, and craft.
