Introducing Longreads’ Best of WordPress

Today we’re excited to launch a new series with Longreads, the storytelling community that recently joined the Automattic and WordPress.com Editorial family. And we need your help.

We’re looking for the best long-form stories over 1,500 words, across all of WordPress—a quest that will span 22% of the Internet. It will include work from undiscovered writers, as well as the authors and publishers you already know and love.

Authors and publishers: When you post something great that’s over 1,500 words, use the longreads tag on your post so we can consider it. You can also share a link to the story on Twitter: Just reply to @Longreads or include #longreads in your tweet. (If your WordPress site is self-hosted, Twitter is still the best way to reach us.)

Readers: If you find something that you love, share it with us! Reblog a link on your own site and add the longreads tag, or share it on Twitter with #longreads.

Right now, we’re searching for primarily nonfiction. This can include the following:

• Interviews: It could be an interview with your grandparents, a Q&A with your best friend about their career, or a conversation with your favorite local business owner.
• Essays, speeches and big ideas: A personal spin on an important topic, or a transcript from a talk you gave at a work conference.
• History and research: We love learning about our collective experiences, and what it tells us about the past and the future. Share your personal, professional, or academic research about topics that interest you.
• Previously published book excerpts and magazine features: If you are the rights holder for a book or magazine feature—old or new pieces are both welcome—share it with the #longreads community.

We’re looking forward to seeing your story picks!

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Here are a few more examples of stories we’ve featured on Longreads from the world of WordPress:

• I Was a Teenage Narc (Michael Hobbes): Hobbes recalls being employed by the Washington State Liquor Control Board as a teenage informant who bought cigarettes and alcohol without an ID.
• My Reply to Alexander Nazaryan of Newsweek (Diane Ravitch): The public school crusader takes on a challenge from a Newsweek writer to tackle the problems with Common Core.
• Comedy and the Single Girl: An Excerpt from ‘Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted’ (Jennifer K. Armstrong): The story of Treva Silverman, and how she helped create some of the most iconic characters in TV history.
• You’re Probably Using the Wrong Dictionary (James Somers): What John McPhee and a good dictionary can teach us about writing.
• An Interview with My Mother, the One Who Stayed Home (Roxane Gay, The Hairpin): The author speaks with her mother about the decision to be a stay-at-home mom.
• Penny Pritzker’s Path from Family Tragedy to Business Success (Nina Easton, Fortune) How the Obama Commerce Secretary’s early family tragedies shaped her path to business and political success.
• The History of ‘Boy’ and ‘Girl’ Toys: A Veteran Toy Designer Wrestles With the Industry’s Gender Divide (Hunter Oatman-Stanford, Collectors Weekly): A look at the evolution of the toy industry, how Barbie changed the world, and why “girls” and “boys” toys are still so differentiated.
• A Cocktail Party In The Street: An Interview With Alan Stillman (Nicola Twilley, Edible Geography): How a famous restaurant chain got its start in New York City.