Genres Accepted: nonfiction, reviews
Medium: Print and Online (4-8/year)
Established: 2009
Circulation:
Tagline: “The Point is a Chicago-based print journal publishing rigorous but accessible writing about contemporary life.”
Payment: None
About: Started by three students at University of Chicago’s graduate program, the Committee on Social Thought,The Point is a journal of ideas published twice a year. One of the founders described the journal’s impetus: “we felt frustration that there really weren’t forums for us to write about ideas we were learning about as active forces in our lives and cultures. In graduate school you wind up writing about what Heidegger thought about what Hegel thought about Plato, and you never get to the point—which is how does this idea speak to us today? How does it explain our lives?”
Analysis: The Point has intellectual prestige being connected to the University of Chicago (although there is no official connection) but it also contains a diverse range of accessible articles. For example, articles on Facebook, David Foster Wallace, the American meat industry, and a review of the Creation Museum each combine philosophical probing with sympathetic insight into what these topics say about our culture and ourselves.
Good for New Writers:
Yes—it’s worth a shot. Many of the articles are written by graduate students, and the topics covered are pertinent to college students and young people. Definitely worth a read, and a submission if you like what you see.
Calvin Connection:
Hekman Availability: Not available
