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Experienced food journalist Jesse Hirsch is the only editor at Offrange–an editorially independent publication owned by Ambrook–so he is always open to freelance pitches. He shared with IIJ leader Erika Hayasaki that he’s looking for offbeat stories on agriculture and farming, but that scope is broad. Writers have successfully pitched him surprising stories about attacking bird flu with lasers, the U.S. Navy’s “boat forest,” and how witches source their botanicals (by the IIJ’s own Sara Murphy!). Offrange also accepts pitches for essays and op-eds on food and farming. Erika Hayaski is a writer focusing on the intersections of identity, race, psychology, inequality, science, technology, history, and the human condition. She writes a newsletter called The Reported Essay. She is a former national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and currently teaches at the University of California, Irvine as a professor in the Literary Journalism Program. The Freelance Journalism Podcast is a production of the Institute for Independent Journalists, whose mission is the financial and emotional sustainability of freelancers of color. Learn more about our work at theiij.com

Soleil Ho has always had a lot of irons in the fire. For a decade, they worked as a chef while freelancing as a writer. In 2019, they joined the San Francisco Chronicle, where they served as the paper’s restaurant critic until 2025, nabbing a James Beard Award in the process. These days, when they’re not collaborating with chefs on cookbook projects, they’re helping to run COYOTE Media Collective, a Bay-area-based worker-owned newsroom. Ho shared candid insights and hard-learned lessons for the cooperative-curious with IIJ leader Shernay Williams, and discussed their career as a food journalist. Shernay Williams is an instructor and coach for the Institute for Independent Journalists. She spent more than a decade as a journalist for television, radio, and print outlets throughout the South and East Coast before serving as a business coach, running a content firm, and in 2020, launching the ​Black Mompreneur. The Freelance Journalism Podcast is a production of the Institute for Independent Journalists, whose mission is the financial and emotional sustainability of freelancers of color. Learn more about our work at theiij.com

Since the Washington Post abruptly fired her in 2025, Karen Attiah has stayed busy. She founde Resistance Studies Series that summer to teach online, after Columbia University cancelled her race and media class, and is writing book projects and her newsletter, the Golden Hour. With IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis, Karen discussed the catharsis of writing through trying times, and her career trajectory from working in a legacy newsroom to being a multi-hypenate independent. She reflected on reporting across continents, confronting power, her late father’s influence, and shaping conversations on race, gender, human rights, and democracy. Karen Attiah is an independent journalist and writer who served as the Washington Post’s founding Global Opinions editor before transitioning to a columnist in 2021. She has reported from countries all over the world, completed a Fulbright Scholarship in Ghana, and is the recipient of numerous honors including the 2019 George Polk Special Award. Katherine Reynolds Lewis is the founder of the Institute for Independent Journalists and special projects editor for the Greater Good Science Center. A science journalist and author who writes about relationships, equity, mental health, parenting, journalism, entrepreneurship, and social justice, she previously worked as a national correspondent for Newhouse News Service and Bloomberg News. The Freelance Journalism Podcast is a production of the Institute for Independent Journalists, whose mission is the financial and emotional sustainability of freelancers of color. Learn more about our work at theiij.com

University at Texas professor Anita Varma’s recent book Solidarity in Journalism: How Ethical Reporting Fights for Social Justice creates a framework for journalists to center the humanity and dignity of their reporting subjects and challenge narratives pushed by the powerful. In this conversation with the IIJ’s Erika Hayasaki, Varma discusses how solidarity practices can restore the public’s trust in journalism and lead to higher-impact coverage. Dr. Anita Varma is a professor and researcher at UT Austin, where she leads the Solidarity Journalism Initiative at the Center for Media Engagement. She serves on the board of the Objective and Press On: A Southern Collective for Movement Journalism. Erika Hayaski is a writer focusing on the intersections of identity, race, psychology, inequality, science, technology, history, and the human condition. She writes a newsletter called The Reported Essay. She is a former national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and currently teaches at the University of California, Irvine as a professor in the Literary Journalism Program. The Freelance Journalism Podcast is a production of the Institute for Independent Journalists, whose mission is the financial and emotional sustainability of freelancers of color. Learn more about our work at theiij.com

The Society of Environmental Journalists invited the IIJ to host a live Pitch Fest at the annual SEJ conference in April 2026, which took place at the University of Illinois-Chicago. IIJ Editorial Director Ann Marie Awad brought a handful of freelance journalists on stage to pitch their stories about AI, brain hacking, rare birds, and more to this all-star panel of environmental editors: Bryce Cracknell, founder and editor-in-chief, the Margin Jenny Splitter, editor-in-chief, Sentient Media Michael Kodas, senior editor, Inside Climate News Michelle Rowan, deputy editor, Chicago Tribune Peter Prengaman, global news director for climate and environment, the Associated Press Up your game by listening in on the conversations that usually only happen behind the scenes. Every one of these editors also shared valuable info for any journalist wishing to pitch their respective publications, including rates and contract information. The Freelance Journalism Podcast is a production of the Institute for Independent Journalists, whose mission is the financial and emotional sustainability of freelancers of color. Learn more about our work at theiij.com Video by Joe Miller. Special thanks to the journalists who pitched their stories: Karthika Gupta, Eric Kasina, Sarah DeWeerdt, Meg Duff, Michael Zografos, and Ann Davis. Thanks to volunteers Amy Yee and Araceli Ramirez, who also captured photos. We are especially grateful for the support and collaboration of the Society of Environmental Journalists and the University of Illinois-Chicago.