The Margins is open year-round to pitches and submissions of critical essays on Asian American literature, film, visual art, and culture. 

We specifically seek essays that—through close engagement with art—might challenge the Asian American community to think or act in a new way. We are open to criticism of any artform, of works from any time period, so long as the writer speaks in some way to how we live now. Critics are encouraged to foreground their own voice and style in the pursuit of this goal, but should ultimately keep focus on their chosen objects of study. 

Possible forms include but are not limited to:

• A review of a single title with ambitions and analysis that extend beyond the title under review. E.g., “The Banality of Hate” by Sanjena Sathian (The Margins)

• An essay where personal experience or voice is used to drive a critical study. E.g., “Death, Mediated” by Ismail Ibrahim (The Margins)

• A study of an emerging phenomenon—referencing multiple recent works—with an eye toward the future. E.g., “Mixed-Race Metaphor” by Andrea Long Chu (Vulture)

• A critique of a persistent, underexamined issue in our literature or literary community. E.g., “Blunt-Force Ethnic Credibility” by Som-Mai Nguyen (Astra)

• An essay that puts new work into conversation with older works (or emerging artists into conversation with established artists) to make an argument about the evolution of a form or genre. E.g., “Controlled” by Noor Qasim (The Drift)

Additional notes on book reviews: We prefer criticism of works by more established writers, or posthumous criticism. We are generally not interested in list-style or roundup reviews, but are open to pieces that put multiple books in conversation with each other, or to reviews of anthologies. It is useful, but not a requirement, for a pitch to be timed to a publication date.

Send pitches of up to 500 words or drafts from 1,500-3,000 words to Spencer Quong, criticism editor, at criticism@aaww.org. Writers can expect a reply within one month. Please do not use the criticism@aaww.org inbox to pitch interviews. 

We pay all writers and translators. Please refer to our rate sheet for more details.