ASAP/J publishes reviews of recent scholarly books, art exhibitions, film festivals, and other curated content. Ideally, reviews not only provide a generous and accurate account of a work, but also open it up to larger disciplinary and critical conversations. We are particularly interested in reviews that can build bridges between medium-specific genealogies and specializations, for instance articulating the relevance of an art history book for a literary theory audience, or exploring how a film festival also contributes to discussions in the arts of the present more broadly.
We publish reviews in a variety of formats.
Conventional Reviews and Review Essays
A list of books available for review can be found here, and reviewers may assess either a single book or several titles brought together under a common topic they propose. Single-book reviews should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length; review essays should not exceed 4,000 words. While we primarily review academic titles, we are also eager to publish review essays on clusters of books of fiction, poetry, essays, arts writing, etc. Michael Dowdy’s essay on “Poetry from a Year of Precarity” is a good example of this genre. We do not publish single-book reviews of fiction, poetry, memoir, etc.
Provocations
This format brings together multiple scholars and/or artists to consider a recent scholarly monograph or edited volume by situating it within a field and posing questions for future inquiry. Provocations approach a chosen book with a focus on what comes next: what lines of thought are opened up by the book, and what questions does it leave for future research in the field? A prospective guest editor should pitch a title to the Reviews Editors as well as the names of 3–4 other scholars they have invited to join the conversation. In its final, published form, a Provocation will include an approximately 300-word capsule summary of the book written by the guest editor followed by a similar-length paragraph from each of the invited provokers.
Uncanny Juxtapositions
In this format, a reviewer puts together two very recent works of art, creative production, or literature—or two scholarly monographs on arts of the present—that would otherwise seem to have no connection, traversing the so-called high/low divide, and transcending medium. The review brings out unexpected intimacies and resonances between them. How does a new pop song re-frame a recent gallery exhibit at MoMA and vice versa? How does a book in media studies and a book in architectural theory—two books with minimal overlap in citation networks—work toward a common thesis or intervention? Uncanny Juxtapositions should be 1,500 to 2,000 words.
How to submit
Please contact both Reviews Editors Jerrine Tan and Michael Dango at reviews [at] asapjournal.com to inquire about conventional review, review essay, Provocation, or Uncanny Juxtaposition. In your email, indicate the format you are interested in and please include a brief bio (50 words), including prior publications. ASAP/J is committed to boosting the voices of emerging and contingent students and scholars; if you don’t have prior publications, please just tell us why you think you’re the right person for this particular review.
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