Commissions & enquiries

Work with me.

Have an interesting story, a column to fill or a brief that could use a slightly different perspective? I'm listening.

I'm Al Jennings, a writer and columnist interested in people, culture, contradictions and the peculiar things we do while trying to get through modern life with a reasonable amount of dignity.

My writing can be personal, funny, argumentative or occasionally all three within the same paragraph. I like a good idea, a strong editorial brief and the chance to make readers think about something differently. I also know that not every story needs to culminate in a profound lesson about personal growth. Sometimes the punchline is enough.

What I can write

More than one trick.

I write from experience, but I'm not confined to autobiography. I'm interested in original commissions, recurring columns and stories that bring a human perspective to a wider cultural conversation.

I'm especially drawn to arts and culture, queer life, relationships, bodies and belonging, work, travel and the gloriously untidy business of reinvention. I will also take Eurovision considerably more seriously than is perhaps advisable.

  • Opinion & observational columns
  • Personal essays & first-person features
  • Arts, entertainment & cultural commentary
  • Humour & lifestyle writing
  • Recurring columns & editorial collaborations
A bit of evidence

The work speaks.

My columns have appeared in TheGayUK, with work also published in Tackle Magazine. More recent essays and commentary live at The Unfinished Man, my independent publication.

There's no need to take my word for it. Read the pieces and decide whether the voice fits what you're looking for.

Browse the portfolio →
How I work

A conversation first.

If you've got a brief, tell me a little about the publication, the idea, the intended audience and the deadline. If you're exploring a column or a longer collaboration, I'm happy to discuss that too.

I can develop an angle from a brief or work with an editor to sharpen an existing idea. And I do understand deadlines. Years in recruitment will do that to a man.

For unpublished ideas being pitched elsewhere, I keep the full articles off this site until publication arrangements are agreed.

Direct line to the writer

Let's talk.

Commissions, collaborations, introductions or a genuinely interesting editorial proposition — send me an email. No forms, no automated booking funnels, no unnecessarily elaborate courtship ritual.

Get in touch →