We’re delighted that you’re interested in publishing with Edge Effects. Our editorial board invites submissions from anyone interested in bringing interdisciplinary environmental work to a public audience. We are committed to highlighting work by graduate students, practitioners, contingent faculty, and early career scholars. We especially welcome contributions by people of color, Black and Indigenous people, and those with underrepresented genders, including trans men, women (both cis and trans), and nonbinary, gender fluid, and two-spirit individuals.
What do we publish?
We publish a wide variety of content about the environment and society, from a range of approaches. True to the ecological concept from which we draw our name, we’re most excited by what takes place at the edges: where the sciences meet with the humanities, activism with art, scholarship with praxis, and where narrated pasts collide with imagined futures.
We’re currently accepting critical essays written for a general audience (~2000 words), commentaries on current events, reviews of new books/games/television/film, reflective fieldnotes essays (~1000–2000 words), and exhibits (photo essays, graphic essays, multimedia pieces, and other creative forms).
We generally prefer not to republish writing that’s previously appeared in print or online. We are open to simultaneous submissions; please just let us know if the piece is accepted elsewhere.
How to submit to Edge Effects ?
For general submissions, we prefer to work with you on a brief pitch before we read a full draft. If you do send a complete draft, please make sure you still include a pitch.
In approximately 200–250 words, include the following in the body of your email to edgeeffects@nelson.wisc.edu:
- A summary of the post, including its format and argument or angle;
- A description of how you would make it exciting to both those who are familiar with its topic and those new to the subject who happen upon it online;
- A discussion of why you think your piece would be a good fit for Edge Effects, with our readership of academics and non-academics interested broadly in questions of environment, culture, and society;
- Any professional or biographical information relevant to the content of the piece, as well as a brief explanation of any affiliations or financial ties you have to organizations your piece would feature;
- A sense of your schedule. When could we reasonably expect a first draft? How available would you be to work with an editor on subsequent drafts after that?
If you are interested in reviewing a new scholarly monograph or trade nonfiction book, please email managing editor Weishun Lu with the book title, a short bio, and a brief explanation (~250 words) of why you’d like to review it for Edge Effects. Visit our Reviews page for more information.
We aim to respond to pitches within two weeks. If you don’t hear from us within three weeks, feel free to send a follow-up email.
Our editorial process
For every post on Edge Effects, a primary editor works directly with the author(s) throughout the editorial process. Our editorial process is fairly rigorous. Authors can expect editorial feedback to include comments and suggestions, but also detailed line edits which we offer in the spirit of improving clarity while respecting your voice(s). We are dedicated to working closely with authors to consider carefully every post we take on, whether solicited by us or pitched by the author. However, we cannot guarantee publication and we sometimes find it necessary to reject a piece that falls outside of the tonal or content scope of Edge Effects, even after the editorial process has begun.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Featured Image: Photo of post office boxes by Tim Evans on Unsplash
