What’s the purpose of ruralore?

ruralcore is proof that rural people are intelligent, complex, and knowledgeable. It showcases the knowledge and literacies held by people who live in, are from, and engage with rural America. 

How is ruralcore funded?

ruralcore is lucky to be funded through two grants from Arizona State University: the Department of English's Research Excellence award, and the Graduate Student Government's Outstanding Research Award. ruralcore does not obtain or seek profits (besides educational knowledge!)

Are the photos, artwork, and writing published in ruralcore with permission?

All content in ruralcore is published with the expressed permissions of contributors or their legal guardians. Contributors retain full ownership of their work. Redistribution or reproduction without consent is prohibited.  

Who writes the content for ruralcore? 

There are a whole bunch of lovely folks who contribute to ruralcore. ruralcore entries will specify authorship (i.e. "Lois from Wisconsin"); if no author is mentioned, readers can assume it was written by the editor. 

“Content written by rural students” includes authors the editor worked alongside while either doing research in their classrooms and or in her own English classrooms. These authors may presently or previously be rural high school students. 

Why don’t you include the authors' last names? 

Overall, to maintain privacy, as many of the authors are under the age of 18. It is not an intention of ruralcore to decenter the authors from their own stories or to generalize anyone when using identifiers like "Lois from Wisconsin," and it is important to establish how rural folks are different from each other and even feel differently about rural life. Ultimately, last names are omitted as the goal of this magazine is to celebrate rural writing and visual media rather than promote authorships. 

Can I submit my own writing or artwork to ruralcore? 

Sure thing! You can send hunting stories, lore, recipes, facts, photos, and any other written or visual artifact that’s rural to editor@ruralcoremag.com. 

Why is ruralcore a magazine and not an official book or research article? 

The magazine’s purpose is to reach a wide audience of diverse folks and make creative expression of rural culture easy to access. 

Where will I be able to read ruralcore?

The digital version of ruralcore issues will be available via this website for digital download. You may also request a physical copy to be sent to your mailing address (based upon availability). All content contributors will receive a mailed physical copy of the issue in which their work is printed. We hope to distribute printed editions to local businesses in rural towns all over the U.S. for folks to take home. As of now, physical copies of ruralcore will remain limited, but free of charge. 

How many issues has ruralcore published so far?

ruralcore is currently in-draft of its very first issue. 

How many issues will ruralcore publish? 

Volume 1 (2025) of ruralcore will include three issues, hitting printers/online in late Winter, Spring, and late Summer of that year. Future volumes of ruralcore absolutely depend on the amount of submissions received as well as funding to maintain publication past 2025.