We’re issuing a new call for pitches, My Secret Obsession, in which we’re searching for compelling stories about real people with secret obsessions or unconventional infatuations. Preferably these people will have taken their obsessions to a degree that disrupts their life in some way, affecting themselves, their families, their jobs, their living situations, etc. People who belong to or have taken part in subcultures that are little-known, taboo or unheard of, and as a result, have had their world upended or received unfathomable joy they never foresaw.

Stories will offer an eye-opening look at the human side of obsession — exploring the how and why of what makes these quirky characters and communities tick, plus the lengths people are willing to go to to keep their obsessions under wraps and/or how their obsessions have lasting effects, positive or negative.

Ever know someone who got so obsessed with a stranger’s cold case that they lost all their friends as a result? Have you had a neighbor who started rescuing stray cats at an unhealthy level, causing your whole block to turn against him and resulting in an ugly lawsuit? Was it you who rescued hundreds of cats and had your whole neighborhood confront you publicly?