Monday, June 2, 2014

Call for Nonfiction: Assay: A Journal of Nonfiction

Assay: A Journal of Nonfiction Studies is seeking work of creative writing scholarship, interviews, and pedagogy for its inaugural issue. The purpose of Assay is to publish the best in critical scholarship of creative nonfiction, to provide a space for work that elevates the genre in an academic setting. While there is no shortage of craft pieces and craft texts, the focus of nonfiction analysis has been on the art of the genre. Critical scholarship that studies nonfiction as literature, not simply art, is lacking in our genre. Our purpose is to facilitate all facets of that conversation, to be a resource for writers, scholars, readers, and teachers of nonfiction.  

Our online format makes research materials more accessible to scholars, but it also utilizes the available technology to expand the discussion. In addition to the written expression of nonfiction criticism, Assay provides the space for both written and video interviews with writers, as well as providing for more informal discussions of reading and teaching in the genre.  

General Guidelines: We seek critical explorations of nonfiction texts, explications of nonfiction pedagogy, and conversations with nonfiction writers, teachers, and scholars.  

Article Guidelines:
Scholarly articles of 15-25 pages, not including Works Cited.
We welcome explorations of all types of nonfiction texts, from traditional to experimental, from travel writing to memoir. We also seek submissions that attend to the incredible variety of nonfiction forms.
We welcome all critical lenses, from craft analysis to ecocriticism to postcolonialism.
We seek a wide variety of authors and texts to represent the range of the genre. We particularly seek articles on women and nonfictionists of color.
We welcome submissions by undergraduate writers, but please query us first.
 

Conversations Guidelines:
Interviews: The subject and approach are negotiable, though we are open to video and podcast interviews as well as traditional print; the interview will aim to add something new to the nonfiction conversation; we will not accept interviews simply because of name recognition; please query us if you wish to do an interview.
Riffs: Riffs include short, informal discussions of a craft element or reaction to a work of nonfiction (book length or otherwise), whether that text is new or not. We generally do not publish book reviews, but if you would like to query us with a book review idea, please feel free to do so. We are open to the conversation. We do, however, seek to build a library of reviews of nonfiction textbooks (please see Pedagogy). Riffs should be 500-1000 words.
 

Pedagogy Guidelines:
We seek to facilitate conversations between teachers of nonfiction. To do this, we seek work that addresses the pedagogy of nonfiction. This may include a reading list with explanation for a nonfiction course, a Riff addressing how a particular book worked (or failed) in a course you've taught, a lesson plan with writing exercises, or other aspect of practical pedagogy, your credo or philosophy of nonfiction. These are only a few ideas; Pedagogy is a flexible forum.
We seek Pedagogy that addresses all levels of students, from first year composition to beginning and advanced creative writing undergraduates, to graduate students.
Pedagogy submissions are generally short (1000 words); we also seek scholarly articles of nonfiction pedagogy, but we will consider them under Articles guidelines.
 

For More Information, please visit us online or email Karen Babine at:

assayjournalATgmailDOTcom (Change AT to @ and DOT to . )

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