Mission

PopMatters is an international magazine of cultural criticism and analysis, which has been independently owned and operated since its inception. With the mission to educate as well as entertain, our scope is broadly cast on all things pop culture and we are the largest site that bridges academic and popular writing in the world. 

We provide intelligent reviews, engaging interviews, and in-depth essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, sports, theatre, the visual arts, travel, and the Internet. We publish for posterity. Our content is indexed in academic databases via ProQuest. Since 1999, PopMatters has been providing smart readers with sharp, entertaining writing on a wide range of topics in pop culture, offering a refuge from the usual hype and gossip.

Contributors

Information about PopMatters staff is on the masthead.

Submissions 

Details about submitting essays, reviews, and interviews for publication consideration are on the Submission page,

Advertising

Click here for information about advertising and sponsorships on PopMatters.

More About Us

PopMatters cultivates smart writers from the world at large. Our staff ranges from the multiple-degreed and/or well-traveled, to young writers of high caliber, to ‘seasoned’ folks who punch the 9-5 clock, regardless of what type of degree, if any, they may hold. PopMatters recognizes that creative, compassionate intellectuals reside at all levels of society, in all types of societies, and we value their ability to provide intelligent, entertaining cultural criticism in the form of thoughtful, magazine-style essays. Many of our writers are called upon for their opinion by notable members of the media such as the BBC, NPR, MSNBC, Radio Australia, and VH1. Publications such as USA Today.com, Alternet.org, and Imdb.com regularly pick up links to PopMatters articles and post quotes from PopMatters writers. Our articles are also indexed by all English language Google News sites and by NewsNow in the UK.

Naturally, this value for our staff and our content extends to great respect for our readers, who also hail from many parts of the world, are inquisitive and savvy, and bring many experiences and expectations to this magazine. Our intent is to reach the broadest possible audience with intelligent and thought-provoking writing that is often not readily available within the mainstream mass media.

Among those readers, Entertainment Weekly has listed PopMatters as one of its favorite popular culture websites. Music critic Jim DeRogatis has said that “writing as thought-provoking, engaging, insightful, witty, and just plain ol’ fun as much of the fare on PopMatters is a rare and wonderful thing, and it should be treasured.”

PopMatters has been profiled and/or name-dropped in numerous reputable sources including: BBC, New York TimesThe Times (London), The GuardianSlateSalonEntertainment WeeklyFinancial TimesNME, CBC, VarietyThe Globe & Mail (Canada), Scotland on SundayDaily TelegraphChicago Sun-TimesUSA TodayNewsdayBoston GlobeBaltimore Sun, and Curve.