ESQ: Submissions
New Submissions Now Being Considered:
The editors of ESQ invite submission of scholarly articles on any aspect of nineteenth-century American literature (see ESQ‘s Mission Statement for specifics). Submissions should range from 6,000 to 12,000 words (about 25 to 35 pages). In the case of longer submissions (dependent on editorial approval before general/external review), subject matter and treatment must fully justify the extended argument, and the critical urgency of the monograph should be clearly apparent from the start; unrevised dissertation chapters, for example, are not likely to meet with success. No cover letter is required.
Electronic submissions are strongly preferred and should be provided in Microsoft Word format; send by email attachment to the Editors at esq@wsu.edu. Print submissions should include two copies of the typescript as well as provisions for the return of one copy, if desired; address to the Editors, ESQ, Department of English, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-5020. In aid of ESQ‘s commitment to double-blind review, the author’s name should not appear on the essay itself. NB: ESQ does not accept simultaneous submissions.
Upon acceptance, contributors are asked to submit final versions that conform to The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, with some exceptions covered in ESQ‘s House Style Sheet. Links to our house style sheet and individual author style sheets are provided below for your convenience.
New ESQ Features:
Provocations
ESQ welcomes submissions for a new feature: Provocations may respond concisely to an important scholarly or professional question; propose and/or model a new critical methodology; articulate scholarly or professional desiderata; or reflect briefly on an urgent concern for research, pedagogy, and/or scholarship as it impacts public life. Provocations narratives may encompass single-author views, dialogues, or forums. Conversations involving two or more individuals might feature established and emerging scholars, synergistic or conflicting methodological perspectives, regional and national foci, or reflections on canonical and outsider authors. Whether playful or serious, imaginative or pedagogical, one voice or many, contributions should wake readers up. Most submissions will be 1,000-2,000 words, but authors may query the journal about longer projects. Contributions representing multiple voices should be copied to all participants.
Animating the Archives
ESQ is pleased to announce a new feature: Animating the Archives will present essays that examine innovative methodologies for how we conduct and share archival scholarship. Contributions (typically 6,000-12,000 words) may theorize and/or model approaches that invite readers to understand archival materials in manifold registers, including (but not limited to) historical, temporal, spatial, material/corporeal, affective, political, social, and personal. These essays, which may unfold associatively, analytically, or in some combination, will illuminate specific materials and stimulate variously responsive scholarship, teaching, and/or public debate. Animating the Archives will appear whenever the journal receives appropriate submissions.
Please note: Any images included with Animating the Archives submissions should either have confirmed permissions for worldwide print and electronic use or be out of copyright/subject to fair use.
Findings
This feature highlights a valuable “lost” or forgotten text, reprinting the original with an accompanying introduction and annotations. The introduction will typically provide some historical context, outline the text’s publication history (if available), explore its significance, and sketch connections with more familiar texts. Contributors might also ask themselves: Why do we need this text now? Suggested length of recovered text: usually fewer than 10,000 words. Introductions should provide an appropriate frame, with the length varying. The editors welcome queries.
Resonances
What texts from the long nineteenth century reverberate today, and are those connections affirmative or troubling? This feature invites contributors to reflect on this question analytically, personally, or both. We welcome submissions that include creative nonfiction. Suggested length: 1,000-6,000 words. The editors welcome queries.