The Upper New Review

What The Upper New Review does

The Upper New, Inc. (legal name; operating as The Upper New and The Upper New Review) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2023 and headquartered in downtown Sparta, North Carolina, at the headwaters of the Upper New River basin (USGS HUC 05050001). Its stated mission is to foster place-based creative work in watersheds globally as a path toward ecological literacy and environmental stewardship, classified under the IRS 509(a)(2) framework. The organization is led by founder and publisher Dr. Benjamin Erlandson and operates with 11–50 employees.

The Upper New runs an interconnected portfolio of programs: The Upper New Review, a literary magazine accepting prose, poetry, visual arts, audio, video, research, and data visualization submissions via Submittable and published both online and in print; Friday Afternoon In The Universe, a monthly multigenerational discussion salon hosted with the Alleghany County Library; Eco Challenges, self-paced learning activities; Eco-Critical Reviews, an ecologically framed media-review format launched in 2024; interactive GIS watershed maps (KML/GeoJSON/PDF) covering the Upper New basin; and the Bioregional Platform, an open educational resource initiative to document every North American basin. Supporting brands include Postropolis, a conceptual framework for post-urban human habitation.

The technology stack is composed of standard, low-cost tools: WordPress for web, Google Groups for the Friday listserv, Google Drive for document hosting, Submittable for submissions, JotForm for contact forms, and Felt, Google Maps, and GaiaGPS for watershed mapping. Revenue mechanics rely on individual donations collected through an annual Givebutter campaign (givebutter.com/uppernew2024), modest Submittable reading fees with a Pay It Forward free-submission window, and institutional support such as the North Carolina Arts Council and Google for Nonprofits program benefits. The go-to-market motion is community-led, combining in-person salons, an online literary magazine, directory listings on Chill Subs and Duotrope, CLMP membership, and a 2026 Confluence convened in parallel with the global r3.0 Conference.

Name

The Upper New Review

Legal name

The Upper New, Inc.

Website

https://uppernew.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Upper New is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Sparta, North Carolina, that publishes a literary magazine, runs monthly ecological literacy salons, and produces open educational resources on watersheds for writers, learners, and educators globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sparta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Campaign Contributions: The organization raises funds through annual general campaigns (such as their 2024 campaign on givebutter.com/uppernew2024) to support work fostering ecological literacy and stewardship learning experiences. Donations are tax-deductible as they are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
2. Submission Fees: Modest reading fees are charged for submissions to help cover operations costs including Submittable platform fees. They offer a Pay It Forward program where fee-free submission windows are available based on contributions received.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Upper New is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that publishes The Upper New Review, a literary magazine featuring place-based creative work focused on watersheds and bioregions, accepting submissions across prose, poetry, visual arts, audio, video, research, and data visualization. It also operates educational programs including the monthly Friday Afternoon In The Universe discussion salon in Sparta, NC, self-paced Eco Challenges, Eco-Critical Reviews, and interactive watershed mapping resources for the Upper New River basin (USGS HUC 05050001).

Product overview

The Upper New Review is a literary magazine operated by The Upper New, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on fostering ecological literacy around the globe. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs: The Upper New Review (UNR) serves as the core literary publication accepting creative works across multiple formats; Friday Afternoon In The Universe provides an in-person monthly learning salon for ecological discourse; Eco Challenges deliver self-paced educational activities for environmental learning; Eco-Critical Reviews offer a novel critical media review methodology with ecological framing; Interactive Watershed Maps provide downloadable geographic resources for the bioregion; the Bioregional Platform aims to create comprehensive basin documentation across North America; and Postropolis represents a conceptual framework for post-urban human habitation aligned with biosphere restoration. The organization operates primarily in the Upper New River basin (North Carolina and Virginia) with global educational reach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Friday Afternoon In The Universe: Open discourse intentional multigenerational learning salon hosted monthly in Sparta, NC
• Eco Challenges
• Postropolis
• Eco-Critical Reviews
• The Upper New Review

Products and services

• The Upper New Review A literary magazine published both online and in print, featuring place-based creative work focused on the watersheds and bioregions. Accepts submissions across multiple categories including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, visual arts, motion-based works, audio productions, interactive experiences, research, and data visualization.
• Friday Afternoon In The Universe An open discourse intentional multigenerational learning salon hosted monthly in Sparta, North Carolina, serving as an ecological community of practice focused on fostering ecological literacy and understanding the biosphere as a commons.
• Eco Challenges Self-paced learning activities designed to challenge participants' conceptions and perceptions of reality and their relationships with the biosphere. Includes challenges such as 'Write Me A Letter,' 'The Soundtrack of Our Lives,' 'Unplugged,' and 'Where Is Your Bioregion?'.
• Eco-Critical Reviews A critical media review process that combines traditional reviews with reports, infused with systems thinking mindsets and ecological contextualization. Reviews can target books, movies, records, performances, apps, restaurants, parks, organizations, concepts, or any artifact with proper ecological perspective.
• Interactive Watershed Maps Interactive digital mapping resources for the Upper New River bioregion (USGS HUC 05050001) and neighboring sub-basins. Includes downloadable PDF basin flyers in multiple styles (ESRI Gray Reference, ESRI Terrain Reference, ESRI World Topo, OpenStreetMap, USGS Topos) and downloadable KML/GeoJSON boundary files.
• Bioregional Platform A comprehensive database initiative to create basin pages, basin books, basin flyers, basin cards, and basin catalogs for each basin in North America. Intended as open educational resources (OER) to serve as a model for bioregional communities across the biosphere.
• Postropolis A conceptual framework and model for human habitation after cities, in service of continued habitability and restoration of the biosphere. Encompasses concepts including Urban Core Districts, Human Transportation Networks, food systems, work/livelihood, healing, and belief systems, serving as an eco-socio-technical system and global hybrid learning platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Member of CLMP (Community of Literary Magazines & Presses)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• r3.0 ConferencemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 September 2026The Upper New is hosting a local bioregional 'Confluence' in parallel with the global r3.0 Conference (September 8-10, 2026) on the theme 'Bioregional Regeneration as Collapse Resilience: Earth-centric Biocultural Kinship, Knowledge & Governance'. This involves coordinating with similar bioregional groups globally during Global Bioregional Month.
• Google for NonprofitscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Upper New participates in the Google for Nonprofits program, gaining access to Google products including Google Groups for listserv management, Google Drive for document hosting, and other tools to support nonprofit operations. The program is available in over 60 countries.
• North Carolina Arts CouncilcoreOthersThe Upper New has received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, for various projects and initiatives.
• Community of Literary Magazines & Presses (CLMP)coreOthersThe Upper New Review is a member of CLMP, indicating adherence to literary publishing standards and participation in the community of independent literary publishers.
• Alleghany County LibrarycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Alleghany County Library serves as a physical host for Friday Afternoon In The Universe monthly discussion sessions, providing venue space for the community learning salon in Sparta, NC.
• Chill SubsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed on Chill Subs directory to increase discoverability among writers seeking submission opportunities.
• DuotropeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed on Duotrope literary magazines directory to increase discoverability among writers and artists seeking publication venues.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• EcoTheo Collective: An emerging arts and literary collective exploring the intersection of ecology and theology/spirituality. Comparable given its focus on literary and creative work engaging ecological themes, though smaller and more focused on faith/spiritual framing than UNR.

Direct peers

• Emergence Magazine: Multimedia publication exploring ecology, culture, and spirituality through long-form essays, film, and podcasts. Comparable given its overlapping focus on ecological literacy and the relationship between humans and the biosphere, distributed digitally like UNR.
• Orion Magazine: Long-running independent literary magazine publishing essays, fiction, poetry, and art at the intersection of nature, culture, and place. Closest direct peer given its similar mission of bridging literary publishing with environmental/ecological content and serving a similar creator-and-reader audience.
• Dark Mountain Project: A literary and arts project exploring the roots of ecological uncivilization through books, a journal, and events. Comparable given its combination of creative publishing and ecological/cultural critique, serving a similar niche audience of writers and thinkers.
• Terrain.org: An online journal of place-based writing focused on the built and natural environments. Comparable given its emphasis on place-based creative work and ecological content, addressing a similar creator community interested in bioregional and environmental themes.

Regional players

• Appalachian Voices: A regional nonprofit working on environmental issues across the Appalachian region, including parts of North Carolina. Comparable given its geographic overlap with UNR's Upper New River basin and similar focus on ecological literacy in the Southern Appalachian context, though its primary work is advocacy rather than publishing.

Others

• Resilience.org: An online community and resource hub for ecological sustainability and resilience thinking. Comparable given its overlap with UNR's ecological literacy mission and its role as a destination for educators and practitioners, though it operates primarily as a content aggregator/community rather than a publisher.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theuppernew
• Facebookfacebook.com/theupperne
• Instagraminstagram.com/uppernew
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-upper-new

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Upper New Review