Submit a guest post, etc.
Youth: See the special note below for children and teens.
The Bicycling Monterey website includes inspiration and resources for biking anywhere. Guest posts and such are normally limited to biking in the Monterey Bay Tri-County Region, with the primary focus biking in Monterey County.
Before submitting a guest post, please phone Bicycling Monterey to confirm that our currently available volunteer hours allow accepting guest submissions.
Guest posts—articles, essays, poems, photos, art, videos—as well as press releases, news tips, and other items about bicycling in the Monterey Bay Tri-County Region are typically all of interest.
How to submit a guest post
Please phone Bicycling Monterey in advance to discuss your idea.
Email: If you don’t already have Bicycling Monterey’s email address, please phone to obtain an email address for submitting your work. (To avoid spam, we don’t post our email address.) Include your phone number when sending an email. Your phone number and email address will not be published without your permission. See privacy policy.
Photos: One or more photos is usually necessary for every post. If you write but don’t shoot photos, feel free to ask us if we have suitable photos for use in your post.
Videos, art, or other material: Please phone first to discuss.
No anonymous submissions. The sole exception is that children and teens under 18, if they or their parent or guardian prefer, may provide a byline of a first name only, or they may use a pseudonym / pen name. Adults writing guest posts must use their real name.
Special note for
children and teens
A note from Mari, the founder of Bicycling Monterey:
Tell the World Wide Web that youth bike in Monterey County, just as Dani did. Interested? Phone Bicycling Monterey.
Poems, essays, stories, articles, or other writing are welcome. Don’t worry about the guidelines, just phone to discuss . If you are younger than age 18, it is necessary for Bicycling Monterey to first receive your parent or guardian’s permission. I look forward to hearing your ideas and answering your questions.
No worries about things like grammar and spelling. I will be happy to help you correct those if needed. I’m a writer and editor by profession. Surprised? The Bicycling Monterey website shows it’s okay to be casual about “fussy” or exacting standards sometimes. “Perfectionism and procrastination go hand-in-hand, and they compromise our creativity.” Sometimes it’s important to do things “perfectly,” and other times it’s more important to just dive in and do things!
So just go for it. Write from your heart about biking.
Privacy: For people under 18, if you or your parent or guardian prefers, you may provide a byline of a first name only, or use a pseudonym/pen name.
Guest posts by adults also encouraged
One gentleman told us he thinks this website is great—and he feels intimidated about sending in a guest post. Please don’t be.
Phone in advance with your idea. Whether you’re a resident or visitor, if it’s about biking in Monterey County, you are encouraged to write a guest post. Infrequently, a guest post about bicycling elsewhere may be included (such as Sarah Factor’s bike story); feel free to inquire.
I’ve got a beef about biking! *%@#^!
In January 2012 we saw this statement by Erik Schmidt of Santa Cruz: “The number of blogs with ‘rants’ in the title is a testament to the fact that on the Internet, rants are not only accepted, but encouraged. Where else but on the Internet is it a weird badge of honor to be someone who rants?”
Erik’s comment reflects our values and standards. If a guest post addresses a challenge, keeping the tone positive is necessary. The Bicycling Monterey website is a place to share the joys of biking and to offer solutions to challenges, helping to build a more bike-friendly world.
Writers, photographers, and other artists retain their copyright
As a longtime advocate for writers’ rights, including as a national book contracts advisor and journalism contracts trainer, it is important to Bicycling Monterey’s founder that contributors of guest posts or other creative work retain their copyright. Respecting copyright law is more important than ever since the advent of the web. Please phone if you have questions.
Bicycling Monterey’s founder has written the vast majority of the content for this site. Help provide a diversity of voices by writing a guest post.
Special thanks to the following 20 for leading the way:
- Justine Warwick
- Rebecca Warwick
- Devian Gilbert
- Sierra Dehmler
- Phil Yenovkian
- James Wrona
- Frank Henderson
- Jesse Martines
- Robert Okerblom
- Alex Cappelli
- Rita M. Goldstein
- Ron Dillender
- Ariana Green
- Natalie Oliver
- Sarah Factor
- Margaret Davis
- Elise Ehrheart
- Gregg Brady
- Wendy Booher
- Tawn Kennedy
Thanks also to the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG), Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC), and Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) for providing press releases for this site.
News: Press releases and other announcements
It’s fine to promote your business, civic club, hobby, or whatever, as long as it includes info relevant to biking in the Monterey Bay Tri-County Region, especially Monterey County. In some cases, that can be as basic as including tips on how to bike to your location, or a photo of a bicycle there.
Local bike-related news and features from other local media
Feel free to send in a heads-up about Monterey County bike news or features in other media. In most cases, Bicycling Monterey is happy to link to their work, helping to bring attention to any bike-related buzz happening in Monterey County. Sending such links can help Bicycling Monterey serve as a more comprehensive information source regarding bicycling in the county.
Big Sur photo contributed by guest photographer Devian Gilbert.
