Editorial Program
The editorial program of the University of Minnesota Press is recognized internationally for rigorous, groundbreaking work, often informed by social and critical theory and generally defined by interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to scholarship. The Press’s books for general readers include nonfiction titles on politics, current events, music, art, architecture, race, sexuality, and history. The Press is also committed to publishing on Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.
Since the 1980s—and the launch of the Theory and History of Literature series—Minnesota has been a leading force in opening new areas of academic inquiry and sponsoring publications in emerging areas of thought and research. The Press is among the most active publishers of scholarly translations from Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Minnesota publishes a broad array of academic disciplines and encourages writing that is politically and culturally engaged and has a strong argumentive voice.
All projects taken under formal consideration undergo a rigorous four-step process of initial editorial screening, peer review, staff evaluation, and faculty committee approval.
Looking to submit a proposal? See our book proposal submission guidelines.
ABOUT THE EDITORS
Richard W. Morrison, Editorial Director
Richard Morrison acquires books for both scholarly and general readers. General interest titles may include original works of literary nonfiction, history, and current events, while academic books focus on literary criticism, cultural studies, art, visual culture, and American studies. His primary editorial interests are in works that engage gender and sexuality, critical race and ethnic studies, cultural history, and aesthetics. Manuscripts addressing the intersections of cultural, artistic, political, and intellectual movements are especially welcome as are those that advance feminist and queer theoretical discourse, investigate the politics of difference, critique structures of imperial power (past and present), and examine histories of photography, literature, and other forms of cultural production.
Subject areas: American studies, art and visual culture, critical race and ethnic studies, literary and cultural studies, queer studies
Series: Critical American Studies; Difference Incorporated
Assistant to Richard Morrison: Erin Warholm-Wohlenhaus
Todd Orjala, Senior Editor for Regional Studies and Contemporary Affairs
A native of northern Minnesota and a University of Minnesota graduate, Todd Orjala has been acquiring regional books for the Press since 1995. These books enhance a greater understanding of and appreciation for various aspects of Minnesota and the surrounding region. Subject areas include history, politics, architecture, current events, and natural history. The regional list features gardening, cookbooks, children’s books, travel guides, nature writing, memoir, biography, and creative nonfiction. Regional subjects might explore a previously obscure topic or offer a new interpretation of something familiar. Of particular interest are books that serve as the definitive volume on a specific subject, such as the local transportation history Twin Cities by Trolley, Land of Amber Waters (a brewing history of the state), and Trees and Shrubs of Minnesota.
Subject areas: regional history and culture, natural history
Assistant to Todd Orjala: Kristian G. Tvedten
Jason Weidemann, Senior Acquisitions Editor
Jason Weidemann seeks manuscripts that make field-defining interventions in their core disciplines, contribute to interdisciplinary conversations, and communicate to readers beyond the academy, including activists, policymakers, and general readers. His interest in Native and indigenous studies draws on literary studies, the social sciences, legal studies, and education. He also acquires work in cultural and human geography, feminism, and social movements, including books that develop compelling ethnographic research and inform global debates about environmental politics, health and science, and the urban environment. The interdisciplinary Asian studies list is rooted in Japanese literary and cultural studies; translations are of particular interest, specifically critical theory and nonfiction by contemporary Japanese intellectuals. He is also interested in manuscripts on the social aspects of video games and digital communication.
Subject areas: anthropology, Asian studies, media studies, geography, Native and indigenous studies, sociology
Series: Indigenous Americas; Social Movements, Protest, and Contention; Visible Evidence
Assistant to Jason Weidemann: Danielle Kasprzak
Pieter Martin, Editor
Pieter Martin acquires scholarly and general interest books in architecture and urban studies, politics and international relations, education studies and policy, and music history. In political science and international relations he acquires projects that are theoretically ambitious, policy-focused, or both; specific interests include the governance of cities, the politics of race and ethnicity in America, environmental studies, critical security studies, radical criminology, and innovative work in political theory. In architecture, he looks for writing and research that connect the material realm of buildings, landscapes, and cities to broader cultural and political contexts, as well as the intellectual and cultural history of architecture and design practices. He is building an interdisciplinary list in education, focusing on the intersection of public school reform, curriculum, and social justice, especially in urban contexts. Finally, he is interested in both scholarly and trade manuscripts that document the cultural history of popular and avant-garde music during the past century.
Subject areas: architecture and design; environmental studies; education, policy, and law; music; political science; urban studies
Series: Architecture, Landscape, and American Culture; Globalization and Community
Assistant to Pieter Martin: Kristian G. Tvedten
Danielle Kasprzak, Associate Editor
Danielle Kasprzak acquires books for the cinema and media studies lists at Minnesota. In cinema studies, she acquires books by scholars investigating avant-garde and experimental cinema, intersections of cinema and art/aesthetics, nonfiction film and documentary studies, and film theory (Deleuzean and otherwise). In addition, she is interested in critical examinations of new media and media theory, including critical code studies, network theory, digital and new media art, and other digital media topics.
Subject areas: cinema and media, digital culture
Series: Electronic Mediations
Douglas Armato, Director
Douglas Armato focuses his acquisitions on Minnesota’s translation program and on projects in social, political, and critical theory. He is the in-house editor for the Electronic Mediations and Posthumanities series and occasionally acquires general projects on literature, culture, and digital media. Concepts prevalent in his current acquisitions program are biopolitics, animal studies, consumerism, utopianism, cosmology, avisuality, nonlinear thought, materialism, technology, and the history and practice of theory. He also looks for books that follow an essayistic or speculative rather than traditional monographic structure as well as works that advance a strong argumentive reading of contemporary society.
Subject areas: digital culture, philosophy and theory
Series: Electronic Mediations; Posthumanities; Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science
Assistant to Douglas Armato: Danielle Kasprzak
Beverly Kaemmer, Associate Director and Test Division Manager
Beverly Kaemmer acquires books on the MMPI instruments for mental health professionals, researchers, and students. They range from hands-on interpretive guides for using the instruments to scholarly titles documenting the psychometric development of scales and research on constructs such as masculinity/femininity. In development is a series of practical guides for the latest version of the MMPI-2 for adults, the MMPI-2-RF, in a variety of settings—mental health, medical, forensic (civil and criminal), and personnel selection. Also of interest are books on therapy practice.
Subject area: psychology
Assistant to Beverly Kaemmer: Tami Brown
