Heel Press, an online writing community, gives college students a forum to creatively express their ideas and gain exposure among their peers. Publication of articles is based upon a democratic system, which allows those who have previously been published to vote upon submitted articles.
The Web site was started about a year ago by college students at UC Berkeley who were looking to create a forum where students could submit their articles for review by their peers and for publication on the Web site.
It began with about 15 writers who wrote on a variety of topics, from fashion and fake news to current events. The Web site gained popularity by word of mouth and through Facebook groups. The site now boasts 600 writers from about 100 schools across the nation.
There are three tiers to which the articles can be submitted with tier one being the most selective and the most difficult in which to get an article published. Most articles are submitted to tier two, which is still selective but slightly less difficult to get published in.
The Web site receives about 20 submissions a week and roughly half of those submissions are rejected. Writers often receive commentary and suggestions which are meant to help them improve their writing.
The Web site has several literary circles devoted to a variety of writing styles and interests, including: Fiction, News Whore, Curiosity Killed the Poet, You See Eye and the Heel Cunning Linguist Club.
Students submit a wide variety of articles to these literary circles such as short stories, political pieces, poetry, personal accounts, movie reviews and more. Often, articles open up a forum of discussion and debate among the members of http://www.heelpress.com, especially in the case of politics and romantic relationships.
Aside from providing a creative outlet for college students, Heel Press aspires to provide writers with a way to earn recognition from both their peers and from editors of magazines and newspapers.
Nick Miller, one of the creators of Heel Press, hopes to expand the Web site and generate more interest from both students and publishers.
‘My dream is to take this to a national[ly] recognized forum for college expression
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