Pitch Us

As a student-led journal of the engaged and public humanities, Interspaces is deeply interested in work and writing that practices promiscuous border-crossing and blurs disciplinary lines in service of our commitment to study and to transformative interventions, both within and outside academia.

We welcome work from a wide range of positionalities, ideas, and perspectives, particularly by people historically underrepresented in humanities journals. We welcome content in all types of mediums, including those dubbed experimental, that are thinking through and grappling with concerns and themes like these:

Social Technologies: Priya Raju and Nicole Penak, in “Chapter 9: Indigenizing the Narrative: A Conversation on Disability Assessments,” have an open dialogue about the oppressive medical-industrial complex which requires mental health diagnoses as a way to keep the psychological effects of colonization as a problem of the individual. Raju states, “Medicine and psychiatry are given a lot of power in society. It’s colonialism all over again – privileging one way of seeing things, violently replacing people’s ways of telling their own stories” (Raju, 143). Either within or beyond the medical-industrial complex (i.e. within other harmful institutions of hierarchical power), in what ways can your piece combat the “violently replacing” of “people’s ways of telling their own stories”? In other words, in what ways can your piece speak to the importance of storytelling as a radical act of truth-sharing against systems and structures of oppression? Further, how can new media/new forms of storytelling help us do this?

Other possible topics: feminism, technology, consumerism, podcasting, social media

The Meanings of Everyday Life: The first chapter of Jane Bennett’s “The Enchantment of Modern Life” explores the affective force that enchantment can have on contemporary life. “To be enchanted is to be struck and shaken by the extraordinary that lives amid the familiar and the everyday”. In what ways are you shaken by the extraordinary in your everyday life? What vehicles in our life can be used to spark enchantment? How do we fight fatigue, ignorance, and disenchantment through localized and accessible methods? 

Other possible topics: High school athletics, Dungeons and Dragons, dog ownership, voting rights and craftivism, folk art and craft traditions

Arts and Aesthetics: Zakiyyah Iman Jackson, following Sylvia Wynter’s “Rethinking ‘Aesthetics’: Notes towards a Deciphering Practice.” writes that “the sociohistorical dynamics that secure commonplace assumption of aesthetic categories and tastes -the normative deployment of and very meaning of Aesthetics [have to be] contested;” as such, we would like to invite you to meditate with us on the delimitations of this “hegemonic aesthetic ordering”; what can we do to avoid replicating these hegemonic arrangements; what can we offer as alternate ways of “being and behaving” outside of these constraints? Can we seek to disrupt these arrangements? Towards what end?

Other possible topics: visual art and health, historical women’s artists, rethinking aesthetics and epistemological struggle, reforming/abolishing museums

Disciplinary Intersections: Giulio Boccaletti’s Water: A Biography explores and exposes the history of humanity’s  relationship with the essential element, and how it has shaped our contemporary existence, by combining environmental science and social history for a discussion on politics, survival, and society. “The reason the early story of water and society matters is that it has left deep cultural traces guiding and inspiring human adaptation ever since.” What are some essential elements of life or society that are undeniably connected but perhaps not always explored in context with one another? What parts of your/our culture do you want to holistically apply to a seemingly disparate part? How does an individual, group, or national culture collide or blend with politics, medicine, or religion? What gives society meaning and why do you think it matters?

Other possible topics: Labor exploitation and international relations, religious studies and identity, public humanities and policy

Even if your idea does not fit in one of the above themes or topics, pitch it to us! We are always looking for new points of view.

Style Guide

Below are general guidelines aiming to support contributors in their creative processes. These guidelines could be especially helpful for those who might not have experience in developing works in this manner. We are open to working with people looking for support, so please do not hesitate to reach out. 

Accessibility and Textual Format

Pieces should be written in a conversational style — break up your paragraphs, contextualize your narrative, avoid industry jargon as much as possible. If usage is necessary, please explain the term.

No footnotes. Instead use hyperlinks to and titles of sources you cite within the piece itself.

All images must provide text content that can be accessed by non-sighted users (Alt-Text). 

All works will be published open access, with creative commons licensing.

Fact-check and proofread your piece before submission.

Commentaries, Essays, Interviews and other Long Reads should be 12-point type with sequentially numbered pages. Creative Nonfiction should be double-spaced. Poetry should be single-spaced. The writer’s name and email address should be typed at the top of the first page. 

Pen names are acceptable, just let us know.

Use U.S. spelling and date format.

Always use the full word “percent” instead of %.

Commas and periods go “inside quotation marks.”

Use a single space after a period. 

Possible Submission Genres

Shorts (500- 1,500 words): We are looking for passionate writing and argument-making. There is no expectation for a specific topic, nor do we uphold expectations that your piece engages current issues. As long as you present some reasoning for its relevance and importance, then we are excited about it.  

Long Reads (1,500+ words): This piece must be intentional writing for its length and keep the readers interested for its entirety. Ensure that all words are necessary for the points you’re making and ideas you’re creating. If anything seems redundant, then consider eliminating excess words.

Videos (Max 5 minutes with 200 max introductory text; closed captions required): We ask that your film’s project sheds light on or offers new meanings of lived experiences, challenges pre-existing thoughts, and engages your audience.  Video series are allowed (multiple 5 minute videos). 

Photos (10-15 max with 200 max introductory text); We expect a collection that may not necessarily be visually cohesive, but has a collective message to share that would not be the same if the photos were presented individually. 

Audio: podcast, sonic essay, conversations etc. (Max 10 minutes, transcriptions are required): We ask that if your audio pieces include more than one voice, that you rethink the idea of an ‘expert.’ The piece may also be a singular voice; you may present stories or ideas that are personal, theoretically-based, or a combination of the two. 

Deadlines for Pitches & Submissions

Pitches are accepted on a rolling basis. Pitch us at interspaces.journal@gmail.com.