the imprint was co-founded in 2011 by eileen a. joy (a medievalist and advocate of open access) and nicola masciandaro (brooklyn college, cuny), who left the project in 2012. the imprint was conceived partly as an offshoot of the babel working group, a "non-hierarchical scholarly collective" with an emphasis on medieval studies. since its inception, punctum has sought to bring creative works on the fringe of academic research to a broader public. it publishes print editions through createspace, but buyers can get a pdf version of the book by giving a donation to the publisher.