The Kenyon Review
The Kenyon Review is a 1939-founded nonprofit literary arts organization at Kenyon College that publishes a quarterly international journal of literature, runs writing workshops and fellowships for adults and high school students, and operates annual contests and a digitized historical archive.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1939
- HeadquartersGambier, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Kenyon Review does
The Kenyon Review is a nonprofit literary arts organization founded in 1939 by John Crowe Ransom at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. It publishes a quarterly international literary journal — currently Vol. XLVIII, with the Winter 2026 issue released — featuring fiction, poetry, nonfiction, translations, and book reviews from established and emerging writers worldwide. The organization operates from Finn House on the Kenyon College campus and maintains a 63-person staff.
Its product surface extends well beyond the journal. It runs Adult Writers Workshops and Young Writers Workshops in both residential (on-campus) and online formats, administers Kenyon Review Fellowships including a Developmental Editing Fellowship for Emerging Writers, and conducts annual contests including the Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers, the Poetry Contest, the Nonfiction Contest, and the Fiction Contest. A newly digitized archive dating to 1939 features works by Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners and is bundled into subscription access.
Revenue is generated through a diversified set of streams: print-plus-digital annual subscriptions, digital-only subscriptions (monthly from $3.99 or annual), single-issue sales ($20 for current, $10-$15 for historical), workshop tuition, and tax-deductible donations. Distribution is direct-to-consumer globally through the KR Store on kenyonreview.org, with quarterly print delivery via postal mail and immediate digital access for online subscribers. The underlying technology is a standard WordPress/WooCommerce publication platform; there is no proprietary AI or developer-facing API. The organization serves literary readers, adult writers seeking craft development, talented high school students, and submitting writers seeking publication pathways.
The Kenyon Review firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Kenyon Review
- Legal name
- The Kenyon Review
- Website
- https://kenyonreview.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1939
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Kenyon Review is a 1939-founded nonprofit literary arts organization at Kenyon College that publishes a quarterly international journal of literature, runs writing workshops and fellowships for adults and high school students, and operates annual contests and a digitized historical archive.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Kenyon Review industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary journal publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE)
Keywords
Where The Kenyon Review is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gambier
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Kenyon Review business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Print-plus-digital subscriptions: Annual subscriptions including four print issues delivered quarterly plus full digital archive access. Primary revenue stream for the nonprofit literary arts organization.
- Digital-only subscriptions: Monthly or annual digital-only subscriptions providing immediate access to latest issues and complete archive.
- Single issues: Individual print issues sold at $20.00 for current issues, with historical issues ranging from $10.00-$15.00.
- Workshop programs: Residential and online writing workshops for adult writers and young writers (high school students). Tuition-based educational programs.
- Donations: Tax-deductible contributions supporting the nonprofit literary arts organization.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Digital-only subscription |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single print issue |
| Subscription | Annual | Print-plus-digital annual subscription |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Kenyon Review product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Kenyon Review publishes an international quarterly literary journal of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translations, and reviews, distributed via annual print-plus-digital and digital-only subscriptions and individual single-issue sales. It supplements the journal with tuition-based residential and online writing workshops for adult writers and high school students, fellowships for emerging writers, and annual contests including the Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers, the Poetry Contest, the Fiction Contest, and the Nonfiction Contest.
Product overview
The Kenyon Review is a literary arts organization centered on its flagship publication, the quarterly Kenyon Review Journal (Vol. XLVIII), published in March, June, September, and December at Kenyon College since 1939. The organization offers print-plus-digital and digital-only subscriptions to the journal plus full digital archive access. Supporting the literary community, it runs Adult Writers Workshops (residential and online), Young Writers Workshops for high school students, and Kenyon Review Fellowships. It operates annual contests including the Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers (November), Nonfiction Contest (December), Fiction Contest (January), and Poetry Contest. Single issues and back issues are available for purchase through the KR Store.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement: Annual award recognizing literary achievement
- Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers
- Kenyon Review Poetry Contest
- Kenyon Review Nonfiction Contest
- Kenyon Review Short Fiction Contest
- Adult Writers Workshop
- Young Writers Workshop
- Kenyon Review Fellowship
- Emerging Writers Fellowship
Products and services
- The Kenyon Review Journal An international literary journal published quarterly (March, June, September, December) at Kenyon College, featuring poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translations, reviews, and art from established and emerging writers worldwide.
- Print-plus-digital Subscriptions Annual subscription bundle including four print issues of the Kenyon Review journal delivered quarterly plus full access to the digital archive, for individual readers worldwide.
- Digital-only Subscriptions Monthly or annual digital-only subscription providing immediate access to the latest issues of the Kenyon Review and the complete digital archive, starting at $3.99/month.
- Adult Writers Workshops Tuition-based residential and online writing workshop programs for adult writers at every stage of their writing journey.
- Young Writers Workshops Residential and online writing workshop programs for talented high school students to join a literary community, stretch their talents, and challenge themselves alongside passionate peers.
- Kenyon Review Fellowship Program Fellowship program supporting emerging writers, including the Kenyon Review Fellowship and the Emerging Writers (Developmental Editing) Fellowship.
- Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers Annual poetry contest held in November for young writers, awarding outstanding youth poetry submissions with publication in the Kenyon Review.
- Poetry Contest Annual poetry contest for poets, with winners selected by guest judges and published in the Kenyon Review.
- Fiction Contest Annual short fiction contest held in January, with winners selected by guest judges and published in the Kenyon Review.
- Nonfiction Contest Annual nonfiction writing contest held in December, with winners selected by guest judges and published in the Kenyon Review.
- Single Issues Individual Kenyon Review journal issues available for one-time purchase through the KR Store, including current issues at $20.00 and historical issues (2018-2022) ranging from $10.00-$15.00.
- Digital Archive A newly digitized archive of Kenyon Review content dating back to its founding in 1939, featuring curated special collections (Writers Reading Writers, Translation, Nobel Prize Winners) and works by Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners.
Companies that use The Kenyon Review
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Kenyon Review technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Kenyon Review partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Kenyon Review competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tin House: Literary magazine and book publisher paired with the Tin House Summer Workshop, directly paralleling The Kenyon Review's combination of quarterly publication, workshop programming, and literary community building.
- Granta: Leading literary magazine featuring fiction, poetry, and nonfiction from established and emerging writers. Comparable subscription model, quarterly publication cadence, and reputation-based curatorial approach to The Kenyon Review.
- The Paris Review: Prestigious quarterly literary journal featuring fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and craft essays, with a similar publishing model to The Kenyon Review including emerging-writer programs and a global literary brand built over decades.
- The Sewanee Review: Oldest continuously published literary quarterly in the United States, university-affiliated (University of the South). Directly comparable to The Kenyon Review in age, prestige, and literary journal model.
- Ploughshares: Literary journal published quarterly at Emerson College, featuring poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Operates a similar guest-editor model, contest programs, and literary community focus as The Kenyon Review.
- American Short Fiction: Nonprofit literary journal focused on short fiction with strong workshop and community engagement components. Operates in the same nonprofit literary arts space with quarterly publication and educational programming.
- The Iowa Review: University-affiliated literary journal from the University of Iowa publishing fiction, poetry, and nonfiction quarterly. Directly parallels Kenyon Review's academic-affiliated literary journal model and contest ecosystem.
- Sewanee Writers' Conference: Premier residential writers' conference held at the University of the South. Directly comparable to The Kenyon Review's Young Writers and Adult Writers Workshops in residential programming for serious writers.
Broad incumbents
- The Atlantic: Major literary and current-affairs magazine with significant fiction, poetry, and literary nonfiction coverage. Larger scale and broader audience, but operates in adjacent literary publishing and subscription space.
- The New Yorker: Iconic weekly literary magazine with overlapping coverage of fiction, poetry, and literary nonfiction. Much larger scale and broader audience but addresses the same literary reader demographic with stronger commercial reach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Kenyon Review social profiles
Digital presenceThe Kenyon Review financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Kenyon Review leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Kenyon Review funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Kenyon Review M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Kenyon Review
What does The Kenyon Review do?
The Kenyon Review publishes an international quarterly literary journal of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translations, and reviews, distributed via annual print-plus-digital and digital-only subscriptions and individual single-issue sales. It supplements the journal with tuition-based residential and online writing workshops for adult writers and high school students, fellowships for emerging writers, and annual contests including the Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers, the Poetry Contest, the Fiction Contest, and the Nonfiction Contest.
Is The Kenyon Review a public or private company?
The Kenyon Review is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Kenyon Review founded?
The Kenyon Review was founded in 1939. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Kenyon Review based?
The Kenyon Review is headquartered in Gambier, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Kenyon Review make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Print-plus-digital subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are digital-only subscriptions, single issues, workshop programs and donations.
Who are The Kenyon Review's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tin House, Granta, The Paris Review, The Sewanee Review, Ploughshares, American Short Fiction, The Iowa Review and Sewanee Writers' Conference. Broad incumbents are The Atlantic and The New Yorker.
Does The Kenyon Review have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Kenyon Review.
What industry is The Kenyon Review in?
The Kenyon Review's product category is Literary journal publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJABAC, Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed), with a secondary code of EDAGAFAE, Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.