About Washington Socialist

What is this Place?

The monthly Washington Socialist informs readers about perennial and evolving aspects of democratic socialism. Each issue includes essays, briefs, and articles covering topics oriented to specific local campaigns and broader socialist analysis. Each issue of the Washington Socialist is a produced by members of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America, although contributors from the DMV's political left should always feel welcome to contribute!

The new website is designed to be a permanent home for our 10+ years of issues. The new design is built to be easily editable and malleable, allowing Washington Socialist and its handlers better control over the presentation and organization of our content.

Sign up for the Metro DC DSA's weekly newsletter to be notified of new content published by The Socialist. The weekly also sends out additional notices about DMV news and action notices.

‍An important qualifier - opinions or views expressed here DO NOT necessarily reflect the positions held by Metro DC DSA, or national DSA.

What is the mission of this publication?

The Socialist looks to publish a wide array of content that supports our core objectives:

  • to build out the DSA, particularly in the DMV;
  • promote socialist ideas and practices with a focus on the local level but also at the national and international as well;
  • support and promote progressive political movements in the greater Washington, DC region.

The Socialist acts on the long-standing tradition of socialist organizations in maintaining a print and cultural arm. Broadly, we hope this publication can act as a public forum for the DC left. So long as there is a socialist breathing in the DMV, the Washington Socialist will trod on.

What sort of content is published here?

The best way to learn the types of articles we publish is to read past issues. We are interested in a wide range of articles and other submissions, including but not limited to:

  • reports of political events, rallies, and meetings taking place in the local area;
  • reports on local DSA events and meetings;
  • analysis and coverage of government policy or action;
  • reporting on actions by Left-aligned groups in the DMV – such as labor, racial-justice, peace, etc. groups;
  • reviews of books, movies, TV shows, plays, museum exhibits, concerts, or other ephemera from a socialist lens;
  • op-ed style commentaries and opinion piece;
  • original photographs and cartoons;
  • satires and parodies.

All submissions should have some connection to DSA or socialism, be viewed with a socialist lens or be relevant to the progressive causes and movements that DSA supports. One does not have to be a member of the DSA to publish here - in fact, we invite individuals of all (left-aligned) organizations to feel welcome contributing articles and essays here.

How can I submit an Article?

Articles may be submitted to The Socialist, with “WS submission” in the subject line, to washingtonsocialist@mdcdsa.org. We ask that you please include the following:

  • submission content;
  • relevant image, graphic, or photograph if you do not want to use our stock image tags (optional);
  • a small bio about yourself, and any "subheader" you'd like to accompany your name (optional);
  • any social media links (Twitter, Facebook, website, etc.) that you would ilke to accompany your article (optional).

The Socialist publishes monthly, generally on the first weekend of the month; the initial deadline is usually about a week to ten days before the publication date. The editorial team will send a notice of the specific deadline to regular contributors earlier in the month. But we do make accommodations for special entries or time-sensitive content.

Anything else?

Feel free to send over questions to washingtonsocialist@mdcdsa.org. We don't bite!

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