UVA Library’s Aperio to begin publishing Quill & Quire journal

Aperio, the UVA Library-led open access press, is pleased to announce the launch of Quill & Quire, an open-access journal.

Quill & Quire is an undergraduate journal of medieval studies committed to showcasing original research, adapted coursework, and critical reflections on the medieval period. The journal invites interdisciplinary approaches to the global Middle Ages (476-1492 C.E.) and provides undergraduates with professional experience in editing, peer review, and academic publishing.

Gabrielle Ashby, recent graduate of the College of Arts & Sciences, and Niamh Kierans, a third year in the College, are the journal’s co-founders and co-editors-in-chief. Both medieval studies majors, they are committed to expanding opportunities for undergraduate research and publication at the University of Virginia in collaboration with the University’s Medieval Studies Program.

Quill and Quire is Aperio’s first undergraduate student journal. Through its inclusive editorial model and rigorous scholarly standards, the journal will foster a dynamic intellectual community and seeks to reimagine how students engage with the medieval past. 

Aperio, a service of UVA Library, publishes discipline-leading, high-quality open access journals. By removing price and permission barriers, Aperio increases the dissemination, visibility, accessibility, and impact of research and scholarship across disciplines, while providing its journals with a stable and committed institutional home.

According to Ashby, “Quill & Quire grew from a desire to create space for undergraduates to contribute meaningfully to medieval studies as researchers, writers, and editors. We believe that rigorous scholarship and fresh perspectives go hand in hand, and that students have valuable insights to scholarly conversations. Working with Aperio allows us to share this work openly and ensure that these voices are given a peer-reviewed platform. I am proud of what we have built and excited to see how Quill & Quire will continue to foster curiosity and critical engagement with the medieval past.”

Kierans said that bringing Quill and Quire to life has been a valuable experience. “I believe it is only the start of the many opportunities it will bring to undergraduate students of medieval studies at UVA,” she said. “I am honored to have helped create something that will open the door for research, editorial training, and publication for countless students to come, and incredibly thankful to Aperio for making this not only possible, but accessible. I greatly look forward to seeing Quill and Quire expand and promote connection and collaboration within our program and beyond.”

Professor Deborah McGrady, founding advisor and Director of Medieval Studies at UVA stated, “Far too often, undergraduate research remains a hidden step in the process of becoming a scholar when, in fact, it is here that exciting insights and provocative thinking first take shape. It is for this reason that the Medieval Studies Program at the University of Virginia supports the undergraduate board of Quill & Quire in its commitment to encourage undergraduate participation in intellectual inquiry on the global Middle Ages and to provide a venue where emerging voices can contribute to advancing the field.”

“We are over the moon to have Quill & Quire as our first undergraduate student journal hosted on Aperio,” said Kiowa Hammons, Director of Copyright & Scholarly Communication Services in UVA Library. “The breadth of research and commitment of the editors to medieval studies aligns with Aperio’s mission of open access and the fostering of scholarship and collaboration,”

Quill & Quire is the seventh journal in Aperio’s portfolio and is available at www.quillandquirejournal.com. The journal is free for both readers and authors, and individual articles will be published immediately after completing production. All articles will be published using a Creative Commons license, meaning authors retain their copyright and have the right to attribution.

Learn more about Aperio, the University of Virginia’s open access press.