Epistolary Explorations of Academic Writing: An Open Letter to Student Publication Leaders

Inspired by inventive approaches to the epistolary method delineated by Rickard (2024), this open letter to student publication leaders proposes a series of innovations aimed at cultivating higher-order thinking and inclusion by integrating multiple theories. First, I reflect on the Socratic method and the power of questions. Next, I describe re-envisioning the future of letters and text communication and the role of student publications in preparing for this evolution. To take strides toward future possibilities, I describe design thinking as a general framework for higher-order cognition, employing morphological analysis and SMART goals as two examples that target divergent and convergent thinking respectively. After describing design thinking, I provide an example of the arts-based tomorrowland storytelling technique, which supports inclusion by valuing “inchoate” ideation. In a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style section, three specific propositions for student publications are presented to be explored at the election of the reader. Penultimately, I describe how epistolary and arts-based methods can diversify the content of student publications and align with theories of youth involvement in organizational change. Finally, I situate these ideas for student publications in the scholarly ecosystem using a basic framework that draws from dynamic systems theory.