the magazine's prototype issue, 00, was published in october, 2010. in early 2011, jennifer acker obtained an investment from amherst college as a literary magazine focused on the motif of place in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual arts. the magazine is published by the common foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. at the magazine's inception, amherst college provided an on-campus office, a website, funding for start-up costs, and the budget for a staff of student interns. one former student employee, diana babineau, had transitioned into a full-time employee of the magazine as the managing editor under acker. since 2016, emily everett has worked as the managing editor of "the common". the college hosts the magazine's offices in its robert frost library.