Calling all writers/photographers...

We'd love to read your stories (and see your pictures) about whitewater. In fact, we'd love to print them in an upcoming issue of the American Whitewater Journal. Deadline for stories on the topics listed below is October 25. While we will always accept articles on any topic, at this time, we're looking for stories on any and all of the following:

Canoeing

Ask any kayaker who has ever paddled a canoe and they will tell you just how different it is. Once upon a time canoes were the most common whitewater craft on the water. Today those who paddle them in whitewater share a special kinship, bonded by the choice of something other than the path of least resistance. Current president of the AW Board of Directors, Norwood Scott, one of the most skilled C-1ers in the country is our inspiration for this topic. But enough about him, tell us what canoeing whitewater means to you and why you love it.

Volunteer Stewardship

While the Journal highlights American Whitewater members doing all sorts of entertaining and amazing things, the core mission of the organization is River Stewardship. Our small but effective staff tackles conservation, access, and dam relicensing issues (to name a few) all across the country. The only way they can succeed is through the tremendous support of a network of dedicated volunteers. If you're one of those volunteers, we'd love to hear from you. What projects have you worked on? What was it like? What did you get out of the process? Maybe you've never worked on an AW-sponsored project, but you've volunteered locally to support rivers. We want to hear your stories too. Tell us about your river cleanup efforts, or how you helped convince your town council to keep a whitewater opportunity alive in the face of opposition. We know you're out there, let your stories be heard...

Best Runs for Beginners

There are a ton of great rivers out there. Too many for any one of us to paddle in a lifetime. To help our readers separate the great from the good, tell us about your favorite beginner run. We're looking for something that's no more challenging than Class II+ and that is no longer than a day trip. Knowing what you know now, if you had your whole whitewater life to live over, what would be your first run and why? What do you love about that stretch of river?

Also, returning for 2012...

Locals' Favorite

Back by popular demand, Locals' Favorite highlights an AW member's favorite river, run, or playspot. If you've got a gem in your backyard that you wouldn't mind sharing with a few extra friends, write it up. Give us the details of where it is, when it runs, how to get there, and then tell us what's great about your favorite run and why visitors shouldn't miss it. Please include photos (and captions/credits) to help readers understand why you love it.

Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.  

~Francis Bacon

For the 2012 Journal, we're looking for stories on a variety of topics. Rather than devoting an entire issue to a single topic, we're moving toward a diverse model of features in the Journal, hoping to offer a little bit of something for everyone in each edition. For contributors, what this means is that you have an opportunity to write about a variety of topics more frequently. We're hoping this constitutes a win for our contributors and a win for readers. For more details, or for general submission guidelines, please check out our newly revised Submissions Page.