The first volume of Promethean was published in 1953. This was to be a new publication in the spirit of The Clionian, Microcosm, or the Collegian, journals that had begun back when City College was the Free Academy.

Part of a lively, ongoing literary community, Promethean has published notable authors, including Grace Paley, Anthony Burgess, Henry Roth, Walter Mosley, and Ernesto Quinonez, alongside emerging writers.