MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States joins Oxford University Press

Oxford University Press (OUP) is pleased to announce a publishing partnership with the Society for the Study of Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States to publish their quarterly journal, MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States.

A prestigious and rigorous journal in the field of multi-ethnic literature of the United States, MELUS has been a vital resource for scholarship and teaching for more than thirty years, illuminating the national, international, and transnational contexts of US ethnic literature. By including interviews with established authors such as Maxine Hong Kingston, Amy Tan, and Richard Rodriguez, as well as more recent writers such as Junot Díaz, Ruth Ozeki, and Diana Abu-Jaber, MELUS remains on the cutting edge of literary and cultural scholarship. The journal plays a pivotal role in the field of US Ethnic Literature and is an indispensable resource for any library or any scholar of US Ethnic Literature.

As the only academic journal focusing exclusively on multi-ethnic literary and cultural studies of the United States, MELUS will enhance OUP’s literature list and contribute to its vision as an indispensable home for a cross-cultural exchange of views and a multi-ethnic community of scholars.

Niko Pfund, President of OUP USA, commented: “Too often in history, American literature has, by default, been limited to overly restrictive interpretations of what qualifies as such. Among its many other valuable contributions, MELUS forcefully corrects this myopic perspective by examining the many contributions of multi-ethnic literature to the American cultural landscape. We at OUP couldn’t be more pleased to be joining forces with MELUS in this important mission.”

Martha J. Cutter, the Editor-in-Chief of MELUS and a professor of English at the University of Connecticut, noted: “Increasingly, the MELUS journal has taken a transnational and intercultural approach to the concept of American literature. Our partnership with Oxford University Press is absolutely crucial to our goal of bringing content to new audiences in the US and outside the US. We look forward as well to making the journal available in new formats and with new features such as online access and ordering, searchable digital archives, and mobile optimization for smart phones. The MELUS society is very excited about the new possibilities for future access and readership enabled by our partnership with Oxford.

Self-published since 1974, MELUS features articles, interviews, and reviews encompassing the multi-ethnic scope of American literature, film, and culture. Articles also engage newly emerging art forms, such as graphic narrative and internet blogs. Most issues are thematically organized for greater understanding of topics, criticism, and theory in the full picture of American literature MELUS hopes to present.

OUP will publish MELUS beginning in 2013. For more information about the journal, including subscriptions, article submission guidelines, and how to register for free content-alerting services, please visit melus.oxfordjournals.org.