And we’re back. The Dirty Spoon is gearing up for season 4 and I’m looking for new pitches and stories.

The Dirty Spoon is an online food and beverage journal that launched in December of 2013. Founded by my friends Jonathan Ammons, Katrin Dohse, and myself, Dirty Spoon features stories from the chefs, cooks, bakers, bartenders, artists, thinkers, and makers who shape what we consume.

In 2018, the Dirty Spoon debuted the first season of the Dirty Spoon Radio Hour on 103.7 FM WPVM, giving makers even more ways to tell their stories through intricately developed audio collages. The Radio Hour has featured work by award-winning authors and essayists, chefs, and bar magnates from around the country, and has found an audience around the world.

Our mission is to draw stories from the culture we consume and examine local culinary traditions in the face of global change. 

The Dirty Spoon airs monthly on Friday at 5pm on WPVM, with a podcast replay on Soundcloud and Apple, and is part of The Pacifica Network.

Past episodes feature celebrated writers plus interviews with acclaimed chefs and beverage industry leaders including James Beard Award-winning author Michael Twitty (The Cooking Gene), World Central Kitchen CEO Nate Mook, James Beard Award-winning chef Greg Higgins (Higgins), chef Suzy Phillips (Gypsy Queen Cuisine), PEN Award finalist Piper J. Daniels (Ladies Lazarus), Jeffrey Morgenthaler (The Bar Book), and chef William Dissen (Haymaker, Marketplace).

Contribute Your Writing, Interviews & Art

We welcome contributors–first time authors, established writers, chefs, servers, food industry workers, farmers, foodies, non-foodies, and everyone in between to pitch or submit your full-length writings for Dirty Spoon.

What (and when) we publish:

The Dirty Spoon publishes a monthly radio show, podcast and online journal. The radio show, hosted on WPVM 103.7 in Asheville, airs on the first Friday of every month. We publish a podcast episode of the monthly show afterward on our Soundcloud and Apple Podcasts. The digital journal publishes the written pieces at the same time, with custom artwork for each piece.

Our editorial schedule: We work about 1-3 months ahead, sourcing stories and working with writers for upcoming publications. We feature approximately 3 or 4 pieces per show and journal. While we don’t have themes for issues, we find that pieces line up to complement each other and create a cohesive, well-rounded show.

To get a sense of what we’re looking for, please see past pieces here online and listen to a recent episode!

What we look for:

We look for personal essays, interviews and articles about people who work in our consumable culture.

Nonfiction only.  Personal essays, story-driven interview profiles and narrative nonfiction journalism. No PR puff pieces. No fiction, poetry or hybrid work, please.

Finished essays, profiles and articles typically run between 750-1500 words.

What we pay:

At this time, we offer an honorarium of $50 upon publication via Paypal or mailed check. We are an unpaid volunteer team and raise our funds through Patreon. We promote your work generously through the website, radio, social media, and other media platforms where we can.

Publication Rights

When we publish your work, we acquire first North American serial rights. Essentially, this means The Dirty Spoon Radio Hour & Journal will be the first to publish your work in North America, and after that, all rights revert to you, the writer. For anthologies and special projects, we will ask your permission before reprinting any of your work.