Publishing

Amplify publishes original works that deepen critical thought and discussion around the complexities and pluralities of place. Our publishing program as a whole supports a wide range of genres, including essays, photo essays, criticism, research, interviews, creative nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid forms that document and interpret the cultural traditions, ecologies, and civic histories of our region.

Our definition of “region” encompasses the Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregion, the Loess and Glacial Drift Hills, and the Missouri Alluvial Plain in what is now Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana.

We select Alternate Currents blog and Journal contributors through an annual open call process. Up to 10 artists, organizers, researchers, scholars, and writers working within the region, or with meaningful connections to it, are selected each year by a panel of reviewers composed of arts professionals, educators, and members of Amplify’s staff, board, and community advisory group. Each applicant’s submission materials are reviewed independently by panelists, then discussed as a group before final selections are made. Artist book projects are cultivated and developed as part of our Fellowship program. Learn more about the Fellowship here.

Contributors receive financial compensation, critical feedback, and editorial support from members of Amplify’s staff to help them fully realize their work. We promote and circulate work published online and in print through our communications and distribution channels, connecting broader audiences to creative work produced in the region.