Since our founding, our three-fold mission has been to “entertain, educate, and engage readers and writers of creative nonfiction.” As part of that, since our first issue in May 2011, we’ve offered two-way engagement with readers by way of allowing comments on pieces.
However, as of June 2026, we never had a formalized, in writing comment policy. We had a few automated spam filters in place, but otherwise monitored comments regularly and generally did not engage ourselves.
Given the state of the world today, where social media and other interactive platforms have become more volatile than ever, we are implementing some ground rules and expectations for our comments section. This will help hold us as a publication, and individual contributors, accountable. It will give us something to point to when we need to remove a comment (or user), respond to a comment or, if necessary, disable comments on an individual story.
Special note about the nature of our magazine content:
We want to be clear that Hippocampus Magazine is a literary journal, not a mass media outlet or journalistic publication. We celebrate and publish personal essays that include elements of literary craft. As such, the pieces here are often deeply personal. The majority of folks reading Hippocampus know that, but users find us from all different sources, so we thought this was an important distinction to make.
Our Guidelines & Comment Policy
We encourage participation in our community. We do not require you to have an account to comment, but as a member of the literary community, we also encourage you to use your name rather than post as “anonymous.”
To create a welcoming environment for anyone who wants to engage (whether participating in the discussion or just reading along), we have a few expectations for those commenting.
Stay on topic
Please keep your comments related to the themes/topics associated with the page you are viewing. We will remove comments that are irrelevant to the essay or article.
Keep it civil and respectful
Simply put, be polite to others, including other commenters, the author of the essay/article, or the subject of a review/interview. We have the right to remove uncivil and disrespectful comments.
Critique the craft, not the person
In the spirit of effective writing workshops, remember that you are reading a piece of writing by a real human, and one that a team of editors found of merit to publish. But writing is subjective, and you may share your opinions in the style of literary criticism. However, we will not stand for name-calling or personal attacks on the writer or their character. We will remove comments that violate this rule.
Keep hate speech, harassment, and intimidation out of it
This should be self-explanatory. We have zero tolerance for comments of this nature and will remove them as soon as we see them.
Do not include/reveal confidential information
This is a rule in many comment policies and forums, and it’s one of particular importance to us here at Hippocampus. Many writers of creative nonfiction take great care to protect those close to them, often using aliases for friends, family members, and colleagues. We will not tolerate anyone sharing a third party’s personal information or otherwise violating someone else’s right to privacy. We will remove comments like this as soon as we see them.
Do not spam or share promotional content
This is a literary magazine meant to discuss the pieces published here. Spammy or self-promotional content will be removed.
Moderation of Comments
Reporting violations
We do our best to monitor comments, especially in the days following the launch of a new issue. But we are a 100% volunteer team and are not online 24/7. If you spot something before we do, please email info@hippocampusmagazine.com and include the exact URL (link) of the page where you see the comment.
Disabling comments
On a case-by-case basis, we may disable (turn off) comments on an individual piece should the conversation become hostile and/or unproductive. In these cases, unless any of the above guidelines were violated, all existing comments prior to turning off the commenting feature will remain on the page for the record and to honor the labor put into the conversation.
This is a fluid document
Technology changes fast these days. Social norms and internet best practices also evolve. We reserve the right to update this policy when deemed necessary.
