The Chicago Sun-Times opinion pages are a place for robust, respectful debate on issues of the day. We welcome guest essays that will bring a variety of perspectives and diverse voices — not an echo chamber of the same points of view — to the paper.
Opinion pieces and Letters to the Editor are handled by Rummana Hussain, a former Sun-Times Editorial Board member.
Opinion pieces are guest essays that are published in our “Other Views” section. These essays can take a variety of forms: expert analysis and fact-based argument on an important matter of public interest; engaging commentary on current events, written by those with experience or knowledge in a particular area; a call to action by activists; or even a first-person, perhaps humorous, essay.
Regardless of its form, an opinion piece must be thought-provoking, insightful and engaging — and free of angry tirades or personal attacks. Ideally, an opinion piece will challenge readers to think about something — a policy proposal, a news event, a controversial social or cultural topic — in a new and unexpected way.
If you are writing to respond to a news story, a Sun-Times editorial or an opinion piece that has already been published, the appropriate format is a letter to the editor of up to 375 words. Guidelines for submitting a letter are below.
Guidelines for submitting an opinion piece
- Submission should be sent to opinions@suntimes.com.
- Submissions should be between 600 — 750 words. Ideally, include the full op-ed within the body of your email. Attachments can cause your email to be screened out as spam.
- The author(s) should include his or her name and a brief bio, plus an email and contact number(s). It’s best to have no more than two co-authors.
- Only completed submissions will be reviewed. Do not send drafts, outlines or pitches.
- Submissions should be exclusive to the Sun-Times. We don’t accept op-eds submitted to multiple outlets at the same time. Of course, if we decide not to publish your piece, you are then free to submit elsewhere.
- Include links to source material for any factual assertions.
- If your piece is time-sensitive — for example, an essay tied to Memorial Day — please submit at least a week in advance.
- We reserve the right to copy edit or lightly trim articles as needed for clarity.
- We make every effort to read submissions and get back to writers within 7 business days. Due to the volume of submissions, that’s not always possible; it may take a few extra days if your topic is not time-sensitive. However, if you do not hear from us within 10 business days, you can assume we have decided to take a pass on your article.
Check out The Op-Ed Project, a nonprofit that offers workshops and writing resources, if you need additional writing tips.
Send us your letters
A letter to the editor is the best place for reader’s views on current events and popular topics, and is the forum for responses to already-published Sun-Times news stories, editorials and opinion pieces. We publish a full page of letters on Sunday, and sometimes on other days if we receive a large number of submissions.
- Letters should be sent to letters@suntimes.com or through our online form here.
- To be considered for publication, letters must include your full name, your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes should it be needed.
- Length is no more than 375 words. (We may go longer in some cases.)
- We will lightly edit letters for clarity, typos, grammar and space.
