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American Literature

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For information on how to submit an article, visit submission guidelines. See ethics and policies.

Journal

Current Volume: 98

Frequency: Quarterly

Academic Editors: Priscilla Wald, Matthew Taylor

American Literature has been regarded since its inception as the preeminent periodical in its field. Each issue contains articles covering the works of several American authors—from colonial to contemporary—as well as an extensive book review section; a “Brief Mention” section offering citations of new editions and reprints, collections, anthologies, and other professional books; and an “Announcements” section that keeps readers up-to-date on prizes, competitions, conferences, grants, and publishing opportunities.

Electronic access to current and back volumes of American Literature is available through a combination of read.dukeupress.edu/american-literature and JSTOR.

Recent Awards

"'A Face of Anguish': Pain and Portraiture in the Civil War Hospital" by Jess Libow (vol. 97, issue 2), winner, Norman Foerster Prize, 2024


"Poetry Will Not Optimize; or, What Is Literature to AI?" by Michele Elam (vol. 95, issue 2), winner, Norman Foerster Prize, 2023

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Information

Editors

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Editorial Office:
Department of English
Duke University
Box 90020
Durham, NC 27708-0020
919-684-3948
919-684-4871 (fax)
am-lit@duke.edu

Editors:
Matthew A. Taylor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Priscilla Wald, Duke University

Managing Editor:
Sadye Teiser

Editorial Assistants:
Elizabeth Apple
Jordan Williamson

Editorial Board:
Tina Chen, 2026
Tara Fickle, 2026
John Morán González, 2026
Carrie Hyde, 2026
Autumn Womack, 2026
Jessica Hurley, 2027
Jennifer C. James, 2027
Benjamin Kahan, 2027
Stephanie Li, 2027
Kathryn Walkiewicz, 2027
Adrienne Brown, 2028
Sarah Ensor, 2028
Benjamin Friedlander, 2028
Mary Caton Lingold, 2028
Jennifer Rhee, 2028

For Authors

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American Literature has a blind submissions policy. Submit manuscripts online at mc04.manuscriptcentral.com/dup-aml. Double-space manuscripts throughout; the length of manuscripts should not exceed 11,000 words, including endnotes and reference list. We do not accept simultaneous submissions. For house style, consult The Chicago Manual of Style, eighteenth edition, or a current issue of the journal. Send correspondence about editorial matters to am-lit@duke.edu.

Forms for authors of accepted manuscripts:
Style guide
Art and permissions guide
Reprint order form

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Abstractors & Indexers

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Indexed/abstracted in the following: Academic ASAP, Academic OneFile, Academic Search Alumni Edition, Academic Search Complete, Academic Search Elite, Academic Search Premier, Advanced Placement Source, America: History and Life, ArticleFirst, Arts & Humanities Citation Index, ATLA Religion Database (American Theological Library Association), Biography Index: Past and Present (H.W. Wilson), Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson), Book Review Index Plus Chicano Database, Current Abstracts, Current Contents, Dietrich's Index Philosophicus, Electronic Collections Online, European Reference Index for the Humanities (ERIH) PLUS, Expanded Academic ASAP, Gender Studies Database, General OneFile, General Reference Center Gold, Historical Abstracts (Online), Humanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective: 1907-1984 (H.W. Wilson), Humanities Abstracts (H.W. Wilson), Humanities Index Retrospective: 1907-1984 (H.W. Wilson), Humanities International Complete, Humanities International Index, Humanities Source Ultimate, Humanities Source, IBZ - Internationale Bibliographie der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaftlichen Zeitschriftenliteratur, InfoTrac Custom, InfoTrac Student Edition, Internationale Bibliographie der Rezensionen Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaftlicher Literatur, IT Source, Library & Information Science Source, Literary Reference Center Plus, Literary Reference Center, Literary Reference Center: Main Edition, MasterFILE Complete, MasterFILE Elite, MasterFILE Premier, MLA International Bibliography (Modern Language Association), OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson), Poetry & Short Story Reference Center, PubMed, Russian Academy of Sciences Bibliographies, Scopus, Social Sciences Index Retrospective: 1907-1983 (H.W. Wilson), SocINDEX with Full Text, SocINDEX, TOC Premier (Table of Contents), Ulrichsweb, Web of Science.

Online Access

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Individual Access Instructions

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  1. Go to read.dukeupress.edu/my-account/register. (Please ignore the message "Already have a Duke University Press account?" if your previous account was created before November 20, 2017.)

  2. Complete the form to activate your access. Enter your customer number. You can find your customer number on the mailing label of the journal or on the renewal notice. If you are unable to find your customer number, please contact Customer Service.

  3. Click “Register.” You should now have access to your journal.

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Issue 98:2 (June) – February 4, 2026
Issue 98:3 (September) – May 14, 2026
Issue 98:4 (December) – August 18, 2026

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Additional Information

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ISSN: 0002-9831

e-ISSN: 1527-2117