“It Started in the Basement of the Reading Room”: How Agora Wants to Become a New Platform for Postgraduates

“A few months ago, some postgraduate students were sitting in the basement of the reading room at Trinity College Dublin when a question emerged: why was there no publication specifically dedicated to postgraduate critical writing? This question became the starting point of Agora, which describes itself as the new magazine dedicated to interdisciplinary exchange across Trinity’s postgraduate community. The University Times had the opportunity to speak to its editors, Liliana Wehr and Yebo Chipofya, about the idea and vision behind the project. The two editors described their experiences writing essays as part of their Master’s programmes as “go[ing] into the ether of Google Docs”. And who cannot relate to that feeling? Students spend days, weeks, sometimes even months researching and writing essays, only for them to disappear into the depths of the cloud after submission. This is exactly what the editors of Agora want to challenge. Their aim is to preserve selected essays by offering a platform for academic and critical writing through which postgraduate students can gain their first publication experience and share their ideas with a wider audience beyond the classroom. According to the editors, Trinity Publications immediately supported the idea of a publication “by and for postgraduates” as “Postgrads are not very engaged in, like, the community at college and in, like, societies and events, which is, of course, just an issue because most postgrads are only here for a year. So it’s very difficult to get involved, therefore Trinity Publications was very excited about the idea of, like, a publication that is by and for postgrads, and sort of engages them more.” The goal of the magazine, however, was never simply to create another student publication. Looking at Agora’s Instagram page and mission statement, two ideas stand out in particular: interdisciplinarity and critical thinking as the foundation of the essays published in the magazine. The editors describe critical essays as “the basis of…academic writing as being, like, questioning something; posing an alternative”. In their understanding, critical writing means more than summarising knowledge. Instead, it involves presenting arguments, challenging assumptions and offering new perspectives on existing debates. The decision to make the magazine interdisciplinary emerged from the desire to create something “campus-wide”. The publication, therefore, aims to bring together “ideas from all sorts of disciplines”, ranging from humanities and law to business and the natural sciences. As the editors explain, Agora should become a platform where students “come together and exchange ideas from different disciplines”. The name itself reflects that ambition. In ancient Greece, the agora was a public gathering space for discussion and debate. The publication hopes to recreate something similar within the university: a place where postgraduate students can share research, arguments and critical reflections beyond the boundaries of their departments. At the same time, the project also reflects a broader question about the future of student journalism and academic writing in an age dominated by social media and short attention spans. Despite these developments, the editors remain convinced that there is still an audience for thoughtful, long-form student writing. As both note, many students still wish to get involved in student magazines. The publication is still in its early stages, and it remains exciting to see what kinds of essays will appear in the very first issue. For future editions, the editors are already considering introducing overarching themes around which contributions could be organised. Another challenge will be continuity. Since both editors are currently in the final phase of their Master’s programmes, the leadership of the magazine will likely soon be handed over to a new generation of students. “We’re hoping to maybe hand it over to a PhD student”, both explain. Interested students are therefore more than welcome to contact the Agora team and become part of the project. For now, the Trinity postgraduate community awaits the release of Agora’s first issue with curiosity and anticipation, as a publication that may soon become a valuable addition to the already vibrant student media landscape at Trinity.

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