— About the Journal —
A Publication Born from Patience
The Literary Scholar is a quarterly journal committed to serious engagement with literature. We believe that reading, done well, is one of the most demanding and rewarding activities available to the human mind.
Our Manifesto
Why We Still
Read Slowly
In an age of algorithmic recommendations and thirty-second summaries, we believe there is still profound value in sitting with a text — following its arguments, feeling its rhythms, and allowing it to change us.
The Literary Scholar publishes criticism, poetry, fiction, essays, and interviews that demand your full attention. We are not interested in trend pieces or hot takes. We are interested in literature as a sustained practice of human understanding.
We publish four times a year. Each issue is composed with the care of a collection — not a feed, not a stream, but a curated encounter with language at its most alive.
What We Stand For
Our Editorial Principles
I.
Depth Over Breadth
We publish fewer pieces than most journals, but each one receives the editorial attention it deserves. Quality is not a compromise.
II.
No Algorithmic Thinking
We do not publish what performs well. We publish what matters. Our editors are readers first, and they choose with their whole selves.
III.
Global Voices, Ancient Forms
We are interested in the whole map of human literary expression — from ancient epics to contemporary micropoetry, from every language, every tradition.
IV.
Writers Deserve Readers
Every contributor to this journal is paid fairly for their work. We believe that the labor of writing, like all skilled labor, deserves fair compensation.
The People
Editorial Board
Editor-in-Chief
Eleanor Whitfield
Eleanor has spent two decades at the intersection of literary criticism and editorial work. Her essays have appeared in n+1, the TLS, and The New York Review of Books. She teaches comparative literature at a research university in the northeast.
Poetry Editor
Rajan Krishnamurthy
Rajan is a poet and translator whose work moves between English, Tamil, and Kannada. His debut collection, The Monsoon Manuscripts, was shortlisted for three national prizes. He is especially interested in contemporary South Asian poetry and its dialogue with classical forms.
Fiction Editor
Mara Okonkwo
Mara is a novelist and short story writer. Her fiction has appeared in literary journals across three continents, and her debut novel was called ‘the most important Nigerian novel of the decade’ by the Guardian. She reads for character and moral complexity above all else.
Submissions
We Are Reading Your Work
We accept submissions of poetry, fiction, essays, criticism, and translation year-round. Response time is 6–8 weeks. We respond to every submission.