THE REPUBLIC OF LETTERS

The Republic of Letters is a digitally-forward publication dedicated to contests, debates, and polemics on literary and cultural themes.

It has three goals: to be smart, to be democratic, and to have a sense of humor about itself.

The basic idea is every week to provide a prompt and to solicit pieces based on that prompt. The essays that are selected win $50 (that amount goes up as pledges come in over time) and are featured on The Republic of Letters. These contests are in addition to commissioned debates and essays.

VISION

The idea with The Republic of Letters is to be at the same time playful and unabashedly high-brow. It is a chance for writers to grapple with significant ideas in the world of arts & letters and to do so in a spirit of fun-loving competition. And to make a little money while they’re at it.

WHY GIVE?

The Republic of Letters is a bit different from other Substacks. The money that goes into it is a “kitty” that is then paid out to winners of contests and writers of commissioned debates. The more money that goes into the kitty the more that can be paid out to writers. Think of it like the ever-growing pot in Squid Game where, to make money, you don’t actually have to be gunned down in cold blood while playing Red Light Green Light.

HOW IT WORKS

It’s pretty simple. Every week The Republic of Letters will announce a prompt for a few weeks in advance. The prompt will usually be some thought-provoking, somewhat-provocative question about the state of art and ideas. All contestants may submit to The Republic of Letters’ e-mail address.

MASTHEAD

Sam Kahn - Founder and Editor

David Roberts - Founder and Senior Advisor