SO YOU WANT TO BE A RENEGADE CRITIC
We publish renegade arts/cultural criticism ranging from bite-sized (150 words), to outrageously long (up to and over 3,000 words). We are also keen to publish form-challenging criticism — if you want to video yourself, record yourself speaking, or find another way to express yourself and it can be published on a Squarespace website and/or Instagram, we will help you develop it.
What should I submit?
We will publish anything your renegade artsy heart desires, as long as it’s got a strong, personal, analytical angle. We publish a lot of theatre criticism, but we also love to read your rants on film, television, books of any persuasion, visual art, music, podcasts, TikToks, architecture, poetry, video games or anything you can have an opinion on. Love/hate/ambivalence — write it, and send it to us.
We also sometimes write “KScope Recommends” listicle-style articles. These can focus on anything you like. For example, a list of five plays people need to see for XYZ reason, or four songs that made you cry last week; the vibe here is funny, arbitrarily but consistently organised, and if applicable, unashamed self-promotion.
The best way to get a feel for what we like is to read what we have already published. We also like rigorous, personal criticism in the style of Kill Your Darlings and Sydney Review of Books. You can find other “stuff we like” in our Instagram highlight of that name.
How do I write criticism?
The first step in becoming a critic is to read all the criticism you can get your grubby little mitts on and figure out which kinds are most aligned with your style and voice. The Saturday Paper publishes all kinds of interesting arts criticism (that you have to pay for) . If you don’t want to pay, sign up for their free “The Arts” newsletter.
On theatre criticism specifically, read Alison Croggon’s piece on how to think like a theatre critic. This is helpful for all critics because it outlines something very important: you have to be open to losing yourself in what you’re critiquing before you can step back and think about it. Feel it first. This open letter to reviewers, critics and editors from Cessalee Stovall is also required reading re: racism, bias, and language when writing any kind of criticism.
You are not trying to recount the work you experienced. Think of your criticism as a “window” into your experience of the work, use interesting language to describe it, but don’t forget to analyse it. The reason you are writing is to explain something to someone through you — how did you feel about it? Why did you feel that way? What experiences did you bring to your experience of this work? You’d be surprised how much is relevant to your critique of a piece of art.
Also, be mindful that you are critiquing someone’s art. Art is an incredibly personal thing to make. Interrogate why you should be the person critiquing it and remember to be generous and engage with the work on its terms. Now, generous does not mean constantly positive, or only positive. There is absolutely a place for kind, generous and negative criticism. Why critique art if not to support its creation?
One final comment from Charlotte: do not be scared to let yourself write. I have signed myself up to edit your work, trust yourself to make your point even if it takes you what feels like a million years, and then trust me to be able to make it shine as it must. I promise my love of the arts burns deep enough to help you figure out what you’re saying, or at least find a team of us who can.
Will you pay me?
Short answer: yes. Up to $25 per piece.
Long answer: we are entirely self-funded. If you want to donate your work, let us know. If you want to be paid, let us know. No judgement, people deserve to be paid for their time.
Subscribe to our Patreon to pitch to us and get access to exclusive content.
Buy us a coffee here to support us.
Where do I send my stuff?
If you’re thinking of writing something and need some help, or you’d like to send a short pitch, DM us on Instagram (or email us) outlining your idea, how you’d like to write it, and a deadline for when you can send us a first draft. Subscribe to our Patreon before you submit to us, or if you don’t have the funds right now just let us know.
Send your completed drafts to us in a Google doc, with editing permissions enabled. You can email it to us below. Ensure you have all the relevant information for the piece of art you're critiquing, including image credits, author info and a link to where tickets/copies can be accessed.
Please include a short bio (3-ish sentences) at the end of your completed work. We don’t care too much about your “real” bio, we want something that sparkles with personality. Find examples at the bottom of each article we’ve published.