Founded in 2008 by Michael Cross, Thom Donovan, and Kyle Schlesinger, ON Contemporary Practice’s mission is to publish critical, discursive writings regarding the work (poetics, aesthetics, ethics) of one’s contemporaries.

The editors of ON believe the most valuable critical writing is that motivated by desire, friendship, sociopolitical commitment, and discourse among one’s communities and peers. We are interested in producing an ongoing archive of work that generously and personally engages literary and aesthetic works that are urgent and important to our contributors. As with past ‘small magazines’ of any significance, ON believes that the most exciting thing we can offer our readers is a glimpse into the emergent—critical discussions among younger, marginal, and under-recognized practitioners.