In The Big Rock Candy Mountains, all the cops have wooden legs. And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth, and the hens lay soft-boiled eggs. The farmers' trees are full of fruit and the barns are full of hay. Oh I'm bound to go where there ain't no snow, where the rain don't fall, the wind don't blow—in The Big Rock Candy Mountains.
—Harry McClintock, 1928
Welcome to Cake Zine’s Candy Land, an issue exploring the ways in which candy intersects with the natural world and other implications of “land,” such as nationalism, borders, ownership, and utopias. This is a lush, summery, unexpected take on candy—not your classic candy cane trope.
Our editorial team welcomes broad interpretations of “Candy” and “Land,” so long as you have an original idea and compelling case for how it relates to the theme. Analyze candy names that borrow from Mother Nature, like candy corn, cotton candy, or Pop Rocks. Investigate the origins of Hershey’s chocolate theme park, visit warehouses filled with strange candies that have been lost to time, or dive deep into raver kandi culture and the sweetness of PLUR. You can even take on the board game, as long as we don’t get sued.
Please see this pitch guide for more ideas to get you started, detailed information on rates, what to include in your submission, and the types of content we are interested in. Written Pitches are due at 9 a.m. EST on January 30th, and Visual Pitches at 9 a.m. on February 6th, but we will gladly accept submissions prior to the deadline.