THE LINEWAITERS’ GAZETTE
The Linewaiters’ Gazette publishes new content every three weeks by the Park Slope Food Coop, Inc., 782 Union Street, Brooklyn, New York 11215, 718-622-0560.
Opinions expressed here may be solely the views of the writer.
LETTERS UPDATE AS OF 3/24/26
The Gazette will resume publishing letters in the April 14, 2026 issue; all letters submitted during the pause, in addition to any new submissions, will be eligible for consideration for that issue. The updated, clarified letters policy can be found below. All letters published going forward should adhere to these guidelines.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation.
The Co-Coordinating Editors
Lily Rothman
Eric Baldwin
Whitney Curry Wimbish
General Manager Joe Szladek
General Coordinator Ann Herpel
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Park Slope Food Coop members can contribute to the Gazette in one of two ways: letters to the editor and member-submitted articles. (See deadline dates at the bottom of this page.)
The Gazette welcomes Coop-related articles and letters from members that follow the published guidelines and policies.
All submissions must include author’s name, phone number and e-mail address, conform to the following guidelines and to the Fairness, Anonymity and Respect policies. Editors will reject letters and articles that do not follow the guidelines or policies.
LETTERS SUBMISSION POLICY
Letters should be no more than 300 words in length. The Letters Editor reserves the right to run a representative selection of letters on any given topic, in the event multiple letters make substantially similar points.
Letters must be the opinion of the letter-writer and can contain no more than 15% non-original writing.
All submissions must be original; we will not accept form, chain, or template letters for publication. We will not accept letters from nonmembers or former members, nor will we accept submissions prepared by someone other than the submitting member. Letters to the editor should reflect the authentic voice and writing of the submitting Coop member; submissions that appear to be generated or substantially written using artificial intelligence tools may not be published. Writers may include links to reputable websites in submissions. Letters are meant to express opinions; the Gazette does not publish letters containing known inaccuracies or falsehoods. When facts are in dispute, writers may be asked to supply a reputable third-party source. The editors reserve the right to determine whether sources are sufficient and reliable for publication.
Letters must adhere to the Fairness, Anonymity and Respect policies (see below). They cannot be hateful, needlessly inflammatory, discriminatory, or libelous; contain personal attacks; make unsubstantiated claims or accusations; or be contrary to the values of the Coop, as expressed in our mission statement. The Gazette discourages the use of the Letters section to make accusations about identifiable members, and may edit or omit such content at its discretion. References to individuals may be permitted in the context of factual descriptions of public statements made in official Coop forums, such as the General Meeting, or to previously published letters or articles.
All submissions must be legible, intelligible, civil, and concisely written, with accurate and attributable statements of fact that are easily verifiable.
Letter writers are limited to one letter per issue.
Editor-Writer Guidelines: All submissions will be reviewed. Those that do not abide by Gazette policies will be rejected. Writers are responsible for the factual content of their stories. Editors may lightly copy edit letters to conform to the Gazette style guide (AP style). Editors will not revise or suggest improvements for grammar; writers are responsible for writing intelligible prose. Letters must contain a salutation (“To the Editor”) and a suggested title. Letters without a title will be given one by an editor.
MEMBER-SUBMITTED ARTICLES
A member-submitted article (formerly called a “voluntary article” or “member submission”) is held to a higher standard than a letter to the editor. To be considered for publication, it must meet the following criteria:
- It must analyze its topic rather than simply express an opinion.
- It must present accurate, verifiable information and include corroboration for factual assertions. That means the writer attributes statements to their source, such as “the apples were 55 percent bigger, according to data from Farmer Max.” Sources must be credible and not, for example, an anonymous post from Reddit.
- It may criticize Coop practices or policies, but may not include personal attacks on Coop members or staff.
- If critical, it should offer constructive or positive solutions.
- It must demonstrate reporting—such as interviews, research, or other fact-gathering—and seek to make a meaningful contribution to readers’ understanding of the topic.
- 500 words or less
Articles based primarily on personal opinion or experience will not be accepted as member-submitted articles. Such pieces may instead be shortened to 300 words or fewer and submitted as letters to the editor. Submissions that serve primarily as advertisements for member businesses (or those of family or friends), consist mainly of opinion, or otherwise fail to meet these standards will be rejected.
FAIRNESS, ANONYMITY AND RESPECT POLICIES
In order to provide fair, comprehensive, factual coverage:
Fairness
1. The Gazette will not publish hearsay—that is, allegations not based on the author’s first-hand observation.
2. Editors will reject polemical accusations against specific members. Writers should instead address ideas.
3. The Gazette may allow publication of submissions that make claims about specific individuals, if necessary to make the point of the submission. To comply with Coop Fairness, Anonymity and Respect policies, those submissions will be shared with individuals named to enable them to write a response, and both submissions and responses will be published simultaneously. This means that the original submission may not appear until the issue after the one for which it was submitted. (Straightforward summaries of public statements by identifiable members, including at General Meetings or in the Linewaiters’ Gazette, will not necessarily require a response.)
Anonymity
Unattributed letters will not be published unless the Gazette knows the identity of the writer, and therefore must be signed when submitted (giving phone number). Such letters will be published only where a compelling reason is given to the editor as to why public identification of the writer would impose an unfair burden of embarrassment or difficulty. Such letters must relate to Coop issues and avoid any non-constructive, non-cooperative language.
Respect
Submissions to the Gazette must be in keeping with the Coop’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, and must not be hateful, inflammatory, or needlessly provocative. They may not be personally derogatory or insulting, even when strongly critical. The Gazette also does not tolerate abusive behavior towards staff and, consistent with New York State workplace safety guidance—which defines workplace violence to include threats, harassment, abuse, and intimidation in the workplace—will not publish submissions that include such conduct toward staff or otherwise conflict with these requirements.
The Gazette is a collaboration among Coop members. When submitting, please consider the impact of your words on the writers, editors and production staff who use our limited workslot time to try to produce an informative and cooperative publication that reflects the values of our Coop community.
HOW TO SUBMIT
All submissions should be emailed to GazetteSubmissions@psfc.coop. Please include your name, member number and best email address and phone number to reach you.
WORD LIMITS
Letters: Maximum 300 words
Member-submitted articles: Maximum 500 words
Committee reports: 750 words
SUBMISSION DEADLINES*
(*Please note submission dates for letters and articles are different.)
Letters deadlines:
For the April 14 issue, letters are due on March 27 at 12pm.
For the May 5 issue, letters are due on April 17 at 12pm.
For the May 28 issue, letters are due on May 8 at 12pm.
Member-submitted articles, committee reports/events deadlines:
For the April 14 issue, submissions are due on March 23 at 12pm.
For the May 5 issue, submissions are due on April 13 at 12pm.
For the May 28 issue, submissions are due on May 4 at 12pm.
JOIN THE GAZETTE
Are you interested in fulfilling your Coop work credit by writing for the Linewaiters’ Gazette? We have openings from time to time, and keep appropriate applications on file. Send a letter, résumé and work samples to GazetteSubmissions@psfc.coop.
The Gazette looks for writers who can generate crisp, clean, compelling copy. For those interested who do not have a background in journalism or relevant clips, consider writing a voluntary article as described above.
For members interested in joining the Gazette art or production staff, please send a letter, résumé and work samples. Prerequisite: Must be a member at least six months before joining the Gazette.
GAZETTE MASTHEAD
Coordinating Editors
Eric Baldwin
Lily Rothman
Whitney Wimbish Curry
Teams Manager
Ishah Janssen-Faith
Development Editors
Cliff Levy
Lauren Mechling
Petra Lewis
Michal Hershkovitz
Letters Editor
Sara Ivry
Reporters
Dan Bergsagel
Zach Schiffman
Kayla Levy
Susannah Jacob
Liz Welch
Sam Mellins
Leila Darabi
Emmett Lindner
Kim Velsey
Kemi Aladesuyi
Lora Kelley
Development Art Directors
Fanny Chiari-Gotschall
Isaac Jonas
Debbie Urra
Adam Selbst
Illustrators
John Donohue
Steven Savage
Olexa Hewryk
Fran Meneses
Caty Bartholomew
Deborah Tint
Maggie Carson
Photographers
Zachary Schulman
Azikiwe Aboagye
Jackson Krule
Jennifer MacFarlane
Caroline Mardok
Michael Berman
Rod Morrison
Kate Previte
Puzzler
David Levinson Wilk
Image Prep
Claudia Wolter
Aurora Andrews
Content Editor
Becky Cassidy
Chialin Chou
Mia Tran
Kristin Lilley
Production Editors
Kat Aaron
Patrick Cranston
Helena Boskovic
Steven Li
WordPress Producers
Ian Douglas
Ehud Tal
Kerrie Mitchell
Julia Holmes
Proofreaders/Traffic Managers
Brett Berman
Cynthia Lawson
Dilhan Kushan
Production Art Directors
Weronica Murray
Brooke Singer
Elizabeth Hart
Final Proofreaders
Rachel Ossip
Leslie Cuyjet
Email Outreach Manager
Josh Ascherman
Gazette Staff Liaison
Karen Mancuso