Contributors
Write for Diaspora Dreams
We are looking for diaspora voices the rest of the media miss — the immigration lawyer who actually knows the rules, the second-generation writer telling a story only she can tell, the founder who built something in three countries, the scholar working on a corner of the tradition no one else covers. If that sounds like you, pitch us.
A note on where we are
Diaspora Dreams is a new publication, editorially-led from Delhi, building toward sustainable revenue. We do not currently pay open-pitch contributors. Honoraria are reserved for commissioned features through our Work with us programme.
What we do offer is real. Careful, line-by-line editing by an actual editor. A permanent author page that you control the bio of. Distribution to a real and growing diaspora audience. A byline on a publication that takes journalism seriously — citations, fact-checking, sourcing, the works. And the explicit intention: as the commercial side of the publication grows, contributor honoraria are the first thing we plan to fund. Writers who pitch us now build the publication that will pay writers next.
If unpaid bylines are not for you — and we understand if they are not — please consider pitching us again when we announce honoraria. Or reach the commissions side via /commission if you have a story that fits the paid programme.
Who this works for
Three kinds of writer, mostly:
- 1
Subject-matter professionals writing for visibility.
The immigration lawyer who wants to be the recognised voice on Canadian Express Entry. The NRI tax CA who wants to be the person Indian Americans find when they search FBAR. A byline on Diaspora Dreams is a credential — and a marketing channel.
- 2
Emerging writers building a portfolio.
Journalism graduates with two clips. MFA students. Substack writers wanting to graduate to edited journalism. A piece here is a real clip you can show editors at Caravan, The Atlantic, The Guardian.
- 3
Diaspora voices with a story only they can tell.
The second-generation British Indian writing about belonging. The Mauritian Bhojpuri preservationist. The scholar working on a corner of the tradition no mainstream outlet covers. The first-person essay that earns its space.
What we cover
Eight desks, each with its own appetite. Pitches that match the desk's orientation land much better than generic ones.
Diaspora politics in the US, UK, Canada, Australia. Indian-origin candidates, community-organising fights, the diaspora's relationship with India's politics.
Indian-origin founders, NRI-led firms, sector pieces (fintech, climate, healthcare), the migration of Indian capital and Indian talent.
Practical journalism — OCI, NRI tax, property, visa changes, court judgments that move the needle. Lawyers and CAs especially welcome.
Diaspora literature, film, food, music, theatre, art. Reviews and reported essays both. The piece you'd send to a friend on WhatsApp.
Ancestry, language, migration history. Mauritius. Trinidad. South Africa. Burma. The long-tail diaspora that mainstream coverage forgets.
Argument grounded in expertise. Not hot takes. Diaspora identity, integration, the politics of belonging.
Serious writing on the yoga tradition's place in the diaspora — without selling something. Teachers, scholars, practitioners welcome.
The education-axis of diaspora life. Diaspora students at foreign universities (voice + identity). Diaspora kids coming to Indian institutions — Ashoka, JGU, IIT, AIIMS — the reverse-flow beat we own. Honest reporting on the to-be-diaspora pipeline, where consultancy content cannot be honest.
What we're looking for in a pitch
- A specific story, not a topic. “OCI delays at the Houston consulate are up 80% this year” lands. “I want to write about OCI” does not.
- Why now. Either a news hook, an anniversary, a court judgment, a pattern emerging — or the timeless piece that has been sitting in your head and only you can write.
- Who it is for. The diaspora reader in which country, facing which question.
- What you already have. Sources, interviews, lived experience, credentials, primary documents.
- How long it will be. 500 words, 1,500, 4,000. Honest estimate.
What we will not publish
- AI-generated or AI-assisted writing. Your words, your voice.
- Pieces already published elsewhere, including your own blog.
- PR placements, brand-funded content, or anything you were paid by a third party to write. Sponsored content goes through commission, labelled as such.
- Generic explainer pieces an AI search result already covers.
- Personal essays without a hook beyond “my immigration story”.
The process
- 1. Pitch. Use the form below.
- 2. Reply in 14 days. We read every pitch. If we do not reply within 14 days, please assume it is a no for now — and pitch us again.
- 3. Brief. If we say yes, we agree the angle, the length, the deadline, the sourcing expectations, and whether the piece is exclusive to us before publication.
- 4. Draft and edit. You file. We edit line by line, fact-check the claims, and send queries back. There is usually one to two rounds.
- 5. Publish. Your byline, your author page, distribution across the site, the newsletter, and social. The piece lives permanently in our archive.
- 6. Aftercare. You retain copyright. We hold first-publication rights and the right to keep the piece in our archive. You are free to republish in your own portfolio or anthology with attribution.
Send a pitch
Fields marked with * are required.
Looking for paid commissioning instead? See /commission →