About Nerds Unbridled
Nerds Unbridled is an independent, student-run publication for essays that take a position and defend it. We publish work centered on politics and public life, but we're open to any subject a writer can make a real argument about—culture, science, ethics, and beyond. We hold the view that all things worldly are political, all things relate to each other, and all things must be deconstructed.
We are not affiliated with any single class, department, or organization.
Anyone—student or not—is welcome to submit.
Broad Editorial Theme
The publishers self-identify on varying points of the left-wing spectrum. The point, however, is not to create a dogmatic journal, but to open a space for any work students may have done on politics, economy, society, culture, etc. that, rather than depreciating in the bowels of our own insecurities as students, may be granted the space to live out there on the vast interwebs, granted a trial in the court of public opinion, allowing your voice to reach the world.
We thus welcome many genres, and will take many efforts to provide adequate space for varying themes, clearly delineated so.
A Real Conversation: Our Commenting System
The goal of Nerds Unbridled is to provide space for conversation, rather than just a closed-off academic journal rehashing. For this purpose, we've developed a system of commenting. The central aim is to allow participants to engage with a published piece—to emulate the sort of discussion you might come to expect at an academic roundtable, without the hierarchy of thought that comes with having a title behind a name.
We understand that not everyone might want to engage in a system where their piece is visibly subject to the court of public opinion. Public forums may seem a bit stressful in our post-modern society huh?
With this in mind, writers may request that commentary be closed on their pieces. When commentary is open, an invitation to respond appears at the end of the original essay.
Rules for Commentary
Just as important as the idea of commenting are the rules for commentary. The following is such a list, based on the goals and objectives of the creators and editors of this journal.
- Comments are subject to the same editorial process as primary authors. For more information, see the section below on editorial guidelines
- Commentaries must not exceed 1,000 words, and there is no lower limit
Commentaries respond to original essays only; responses to other commentaries are not accepted. Each approved response is published as a standalone, formatted piece linked to the original essay. Browse our conversations or use the button at the bottom of an article to submit one.
Two formats, clearly labeled
Every essay we publish is labeled as one of two formats, so readers always know what kind of writing they're getting.
Rolling
We welcome year-round rolling submissions. We encourage, but do not mandate, adherence to any particular theme. Authors have the option of permitting comments on their pieces, but are not required to. In terms of exact formatting, think coursework-quality argumentative or analytical writing, that final research paper sitting in your professor’s archive. But as always, we encourage formats a-plenty. Surprise us with a poem, thought piece, play, satire, or a spicy take.
Thematic
Authors that choose to submit to a theme are required to permit comments on their pieces. This way, conversations can be facilitated surrounding that theme! Much like with rolling submissions, feel free to submit either more formalized or more stylized writing. Have something to say and say it!
Themes
Themes are integral to the purpose of Nerds Unbridled. The goal is to allow contributors to: publish works already building on a particular conversation; begin a new conversation; and to allow readers to intentionally eavesdrop on a conversation that interests them.
- Themes will be published regularly, with corresponding calls for essays!
- Authors are encouraged, but not required, to submit articles corresponding to a particular theme.
- Commentators may choose to engage with a particular theme and situate their comments within it.
- Older themes will continue to exist, and even when a new theme is published, will continue to accept applications!
How to submit
We're currently collecting submissions through a short Google Form. It asks for your essay text, a short excerpt/summary, your name (or a pen name, if you'd prefer anonymity), your intended format, and a category/theme.
Ready to submit? Fill out the submission form below. Our editors read every submission and will follow up by email if your piece is selected for publication.
Open Submission Form →What we're looking for
- Clear, defensible point of views.
- Any takes welcome—Hot, Mild, or Minty*
- Pieces of any size welcome. Though be wary, if your piece is ~10k+ words, we we still read it, but consider whether an alternate publication or journal fits your project better.
- Civil, good-faith argument. We welcome disagreement, not personal attacks
Editorial guidelines and process
Our editorial team reviews submissions before publication. We will then email you if your piece has been chosen for review, and we will also notify you when the editorial process will begin. We may suggest edits for clarity or length.
- We do not publish anonymously without discussing it with the author first.
- Any published piece is welcome to updates—The first take is not always the best take. Any updates will be displayed seperately from the original.
- We’ll never alter a piece without your knowledge—The point is to remain as unbridled as possible
- We'll never publish a piece without your knowledge.
- We advise against publishing pieces here that also exist in academic journals. Please check any applicable copyright laws before publishing with us!
- Please give the editors time to read and comment on your piece. We're all students here :)
* The editors of this paper concur with Alex O'Connor's view that Minty is the opposite of Spicy. If you disagree, you can write a piece about it