The Oxford American

What The Oxford American does

The Oxford American is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and media organization (The Oxford American Literary Project, Inc., EIN 77-0635463) founded in 1992 and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. It publishes a quarterly print magazine dedicated to exceptional writing, music, and visual art exploring the American South, distributed nationally through newsstands and subscriptions at $49 per year, with digital editions available via Zinio. The organization has published 132+ issues including 28 annual Music Issues, with editorial contributions from Pulitzer Prize-winning photographers, James Beard Award-winning writers, and authors such as Lauren Groff and Nikki Giovanni.

The business model combines recurring subscription revenue, individual donations and planned giving (consistent with its 501(c)(3) status), merchandise sales through the OA Goods storefront (including limited-edition vinyl LPs), and national advertising sold across print, web, e-newsletters, and social. Supporting sub-brands include the Points South podcast (audio storytelling about Southern culture), Eyes on the South (a curated visual art and photography series), On Jubilee (a Juneteenth web-first edition), and live events such as Points South Live. Editorial partnerships with the Julia Child Foundation, Otis Redding Foundation, The Do Good Fund, and the Iris Photocollective Foundation fund themed issues and programming.

The organization operates with 1–10 employees and is governed as a nonprofit with no parent company, no institutional investor ownership, and no disclosed funding rounds. Its go-to-market is direct-to-consumer across print, digital, podcast, merchandise, and live event channels. Notable editorial leadership includes Editor Eliza Borné. The organization does not disclose revenue, subscriber counts, or financial performance in the input data.

Name

The Oxford American

Legal name

The Oxford American Literary Project, Inc.

Website

https://oxfordamerican.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Oxford American is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit literary magazine founded in 1992 that publishes a quarterly print periodical and digital content exploring Southern writing, music, and visual art, funded through subscriptions, donations, advertising, and merchandise, and distributed nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary Magazine

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)

Keywords

• Literary magazine
• Southern arts coverage
• Nonprofit publishing
• Cultural journalism
• Quarterly magazine

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Annual print magazine subscriptions delivered quarterly to subscribers, supporting the nonprofit's publishing mission.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The Oxford American is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 77-0635463) that relies on community donations to support writers, artists, staff, and programming.
3. Merchandise Sales (OA Goods): Sale of magazine issues, merchandise, and limited-edition items through the OA Goods storefront including vinyl LPs accompanying music issues.
4. Advertising: National advertising opportunities reaching engaged audience of cultural travelers, literature, music, and art enthusiasts. Expanded platforms include website ads, editorial e-newsletters, sponsored editions, and social media.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Oxford American publishes an award-winning quarterly print magazine dedicated to exploring the depth, complexity, and vitality of the American South through exceptional writing, music, and visual art. It supplements the print magazine with digital editions (via Zinio), the Points South audio podcast, the Eyes on the South visual art series, themed web series like On Jubilee, a weekly newsletter, and a merchandise storefront (OA Goods) selling magazine issues, branded apparel, and limited-edition vinyl LPs accompanying the annual Music Issues.

Product overview

The Oxford American is a nonprofit arts and media organization offering a quarterly print magazine as its core product, supplemented by the OA Goods online merchandise shop, the Points South podcast for audio storytelling, and the Eyes on the South visual art series. The publication also offers digital editions via Zinio and themed web series like On Jubilee. Annual Music Issues are accompanied by limited-edition vinyl LPs available through OA Goods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Oxford American Magazine Award-winning quarterly print magazine exploring the depth, complexity, and vitality of the American South through exceptional writing, music, and visual art, delivered quarterly to subscribers nationally and available on newsstands.
• OA Goods Storefront E-commerce storefront at oxfordamericangoods.org selling magazine issues, branded merchandise, and limited-edition vinyl LPs, including the LP accompanying each annual Music Issue.
• Points South Podcast Podcast series featuring audio storytelling about Southern culture, music, and place, with episodes exploring topics such as Reconstruction, music history, and regional storytelling.
• Eyes on the South Online visual art series featuring film, photography, and visual art documenting the American South, curated by Jeff Rich, with photo essays on topics ranging from Mardi Gras traditions to climate resilience.
• Digital Edition (Zinio) Digital version of the print magazine distributed via the Zinio platform for readers who prefer digital access.
• On Jubilee: A Juneteenth Series Web-first edition series exploring food, film, and visual art traditions related to Juneteenth celebrations.
• Weekly Editorial Newsletter Weekly editorial e-newsletter delivering curated content and updates about Southern arts, culture, literature, and new magazine issues to subscribers.
• Annual Music Issue (Issue 135 - New Orleans Music Issue)

Quantifiable outcome

• Award-winning magazine recognized for excellence in Southern journalism and literature

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Food Issue is published with support from The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, providing funding and recognition for food writing coverage.
• The Do Good FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Do Good Fund collection featured in Eyes on the South photography series, showcasing Southern visual art.
• The Iris Photocollective FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit organization that works in the Watts community of Los Angeles and New Orleans. Clarence Williams serves as Director.
• No Tears ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization mentioned in magazine navigation, related to music coverage.
• Otis Redding FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPoints South Live event collaboration celebrating Southern music, specifically Otis Redding and Macon Music.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Believer: The Believer is a literary magazine featuring long-form criticism, essays, and fiction. It compares to Oxford American through its nonprofit-affiliated publishing model, quarterly format (historically), and literary editorial approach.
• The Paris Review: The Paris Review is a long-running nonprofit literary magazine publishing fiction, poetry, and interviews. It shares the nonprofit literary-magazine model, subscription-based revenue, and editorial reputation for excellence that defines Oxford American.
• Virginia Quarterly Review: Virginia Quarterly Review is a literary journal based at the University of Virginia publishing essays, fiction, and poetry. It overlaps with Oxford American in Southern US geographic roots, literary editorial scope, and quarterly cadence.
• Garden & Gun: Garden & Gun is a magazine and multimedia brand covering Southern culture, food, music, and travel. It is the most direct competitor to Oxford American in scope, audience, and regional content focus, though it operates as a for-profit lifestyle magazine rather than a nonprofit literary publication.
• McSweeney's Quarterly Concern: McSweeney's is a literary publisher producing a quarterly journal of fiction, nonfiction, and design. It shares Oxford American's quarterly format, literary-editorial focus, and small-team nonprofit-adjacent operations.
• The Bitter Southerner: The Bitter Southerner is a digital publication dedicated to Southern culture, identity, music, and food. It shares Oxford American's regional focus and editorial depth but competes primarily through digital and newsletter channels rather than print quarterly issues.
• Granta: Granta is a quarterly literary magazine known for long-form fiction, journalism, and photography. It mirrors Oxford American's quarterly frequency, literary editorial standards, and emphasis on place-based storytelling.
• The Sewanee Review: The Sewanee Review is one of the oldest continuously published literary quarterlies in the United States, based in the American South. It shares Oxford American's regional roots, quarterly cadence, and literary nonfiction/fiction editorial mix.

Emerging players

• Tin House: Tin House was a literary magazine and book publisher emphasizing fiction, poetry, and craft essays before suspending print operations. It compares to Oxford American in literary quarterly tradition and small independent publisher profile.

Broad incumbents

• The Atlantic: The Atlantic is a large general-interest magazine publishing long-form journalism, essays, and cultural criticism. It is comparable as a high-credibility subscriber-supported American magazine with cultural coverage that occasionally overlaps Southern themes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/oxfordamerican

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Oxford American