The primary aim of Culture Shelf is to contribute to the ongoing advancement and rebirth of the humanities. It represents an effort towards elevating art and the creative depths of the human mind in order to promote collective criticism and artistry in a world where they are undervalued and under-appreciated.
Culture Shelf was founded by Nick Stonaker, a graduate student, critic, and creative writer working towards a PhD in the humanities. The website was originally created as a passion project encompassing music, film, literature, and video game reviews, various other thoughts, projects, essays, and written pieces, but now includes various other thoughts, projects, and written pieces from multiple authors.
Featured writing is always honest and unique to personal perspective, sometimes dissonant but always genuine. This website is a passion project and purely unmonetized. There are no cookies or ads associated with this website and there never will be.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of submissions do you receive?
Culture Shelf currently accepts submissions including: short fiction, creative non-fiction, personal essays, criticism, and/or cultural commentary. We encourage you to submit any work you are proud of that fits into our guidelines. Work previously published in any form will not be considered. No AI or LLM generated works will be considered or responded to. All submissions will be reviewed and feedback should be expected within three weeks of submission.
What does Culture Shelf add to creative writing and criticism that hasn't been said before?
New and varied voices, of course, but the focus of Culture Shelf is adding a community of well-researched and intellectually curious voices to the already active discourse.
How do I contact you with thoughts, suggestions, or submissions?
Email works best: cultureshelfmag@gmail.com
“To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?”
- Cicero
“Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love.”
- Claude Monet
“Do not bend, do not water it down, do not try to make it logical, do not edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”
- Franz Kafka