Basic Information about the HPR
- History (abridged, from the website):
The HPR is written and published entirely by Harvard undergraduates and is housed at the Institute of Politics. The HPR was founded in 1969 by a group of Harvard College undergraduates.
The founders envisioned a publication that allowed students to research, write, and edit incisive reportage and commentary in a thoughtful, non-partisan forum. To this day, the HPR does not take magazine-wide editorial positions (as shown by the latest collective article, “Nowhere is a Nice Place for a Rape,” which was published by a coalition of Campus writers, named and unnamed, rather than by the HPR at large or the HPR staff. Given that we could not assume that everyone in the magazine shared the same stance on the issue, the view expressed in the magazine was very widely held; however, we decided against speaking on behalf of the magazine). While individual articles have distinct viewpoints, the magazine as a whole does not represent any ideology or party.
Over the past generation, the HPR has incubated some of the best political minds in America. Among the magazine’s alumni are Al Gore, Jr. (former Vice President and Nobel Laureate), E.J. Dionne, Jr. (Washington Post columnist), Jonathan Alter (former Newsweek Senior Editor and columnist), and Jeffrey Sachs (Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University). In recent years, HPR writers have won the National Press Club Award for Outstanding College Political Writing, and matriculated to staff positions with Politico, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters, Al Jazeera, and elsewhere.
- How to get involved:
There are a number of ways to contribute to the Harvard Political Review. We are always seeking new staff writers and contributors for our print publication and online content streams. Please direct inquiries about the Editorial Board to President Samuel Kessler (president@harvardpolitics.com).
In addition, students can join the HPR’s Publishing Board, which offers Harvard’s only integrated publishing comp. For those who are financially inclined, the Business Associate track offers a creative, hands-on opportunity to gain experience in sales, circulation, and advertising. Students with design interest can become a Design Associate, those with web design talents can become Web Associates, and students with an interest in video and photo production can become a Multimedia Associate. Anyone interested in web development, data science, or any aspect of technology can join the tech team and become a Senior Engineer. Contact Publisher Drew Pendergrass (publisher@harvardpolitics.com).
The requirements for students seeking to comp (i.e., join) the editorial staff of the magazine are as follows:
- Publish five articles, with one featured article counting for two credits
- Sell five years’ worth of subscriptions
- Promote your work on social media five times
- Attend comp meetings, section meetings, and social events
The Harvard Political Review meets weekly on Sunday evenings from 7 to 8 pm in the first floor conference room at the IOP.
