MAYDAY is a fully remote organization staffed by unpaid volunteers who can work anywhere in the world. We seek out people who bring with them diverse intellectual and cultural backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and points of view that will inform the evolving identity of the magazine. Staff at MAYDAY are asked to limit their contributions to five hours per week to maintain the sustainability of our collective volunteer efforts.
We invite applications for the positions below which are open until filled. We will be inviting for interviews interviewing on a rolling basis as we identify qualified applicants.
MANAGING EDITOR
The managing editor oversees all aspects of MAYDAY’s day-to-day operations, including procuring and preparing content for publication, content production and publication scheduling, as well as promoting published content. In this role, the managing editor directs MAYDAY’s five content departments: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, culture and translation, in addition to the managing editors office, whose staff oversees all aspects of production and promotion. Competitive candidates for this position will thus display strong leadership skills, organizational and communication skills, in addition to a managerial perspective focused on team-building and creating a fun, welcoming, yet productive environment for our all-volunteer staff. An educational background in creative writing, journalism, or literature is helpful but not required, as is editorial experience at a literary or journalistic publication (online or in print).
ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR, PRODUCTION
The assistant managing editor overseeing production is responsible for proofreading, formatting and posting all new content (both creative and promotional) to MAYDAY, in addition to managing the publication’s various submission platforms. As such, the AME overseeing production must work with both the managing editor and acquisitions editors to make sure all of MAYDAY’s content reflects various stakeholders’ vision for the tone and visual appeal of the publication’s content, and has a key role in facilitating communication between these various stakeholders by providing mockups of content layouts to various stakeholders (primarily acquisitions editors and contributors), as well as soliciting and responding to feedback about layout, design and line-level editing issues. Competitive candidates for this position will thus display strong organizational and communication skills, in addition to the interpersonal skills necessary to work in collaboration with a team to execute complex, multi step processes. Familiarity with WordPress and the Chicago Manual of Style are not required but highly valued as well.
NONFICTION EDITORS
Nonfiction editors are responsible for reading and assessing submissions in a timely fashion on an ongoing basis in accordance with MAYDAY’s eight-week editorial cycles. In collaboration with their colleagues, nonfiction editors select work for publication, meet virtually as an editorial team at least once per month to discuss submissions, and attend all-staff editorial meetings once every two months. The ideal candidate for a nonfiction editor position may or may not have an educational background in creative writing, journalism, or literature, but should demonstrate substantial experience with nonfiction as a student, teacher, editor, or writer. Editorial experience at a literary or journalistic publication is a plus. In addition to reading submissions and selecting work for publication, nonfiction editors also have the opportunity to solicit writers and to help develop feature series and other ongoing projects in collaboration with other editors on staff.
CULTURE EDITORS
Culture editors lead discussions and insights into the rapid evolution of social values, politics, technology, and other cultural shifts, curating work that explores, describes, evaluates, analyzes, and interprets what these changes mean in today’s world. Reporting to the Managing Editor, culture editors are responsible for evaluating and curating cultural commentary submissions, collaborating closely with the editorial team to shape this evolving focus at MAYDAY. This role will also involve commissioning new work, engaging with contributors, and helping to create compelling feature series and other editorial projects.
FICTION EDITORS
Fiction editors are responsible for reading and assessing submissions in a timely fashion on an ongoing basis in accordance with MAYDAY’s eight-week editorial cycles. In collaboration with their colleagues, fiction editors select work for publication, meet virtually as an editorial team at least once per month to discuss submissions, and attend all-staff editorial meetings once every two months. The ideal candidate for a fiction editor position may or may not have an educational background in creative writing, journalism, or literature, but should demonstrate substantial experience with fiction as a student, teacher, editor, or writer. Editorial experience at a literary or journalistic publication is a plus. In addition to reading submissions and selecting work for publication, fiction editors also have the opportunity to solicit writers and to help develop feature series and other ongoing projects in collaboration with other editors on staff.
POETRY EDITORS
Poetry editors are responsible for reading and assessing submissions in a timely fashion on an ongoing basis in accordance with MAYDAY’s eight-week editorial cycles. In collaboration with their colleagues, poetry editors select work for publication, meet virtually as an editorial team at least once per month to discuss submissions, and attend all-staff editorial meetings once every two months. The ideal candidate for a poetry editor position may or may not have an educational background in creative writing, journalism, or literature, but should demonstrate substantial experience with poetry as a student, teacher, editor, or writer. Editorial experience at a literary or journalistic publication is a plus. In addition to reading submissions and selecting work for publication, poetry editors also have the opportunity to solicit writers and to help develop feature series and other ongoing projects in collaboration with other editors on staff.
Why Should You Apply?
Everyone at MAYDAY is an unpaid volunteer, and most of us work fewer than five hours per week. We all have day jobs, but most of us get something here that’s missing in other parts of our professional and creative lives. These positions will actively contribute to the editorial vision of a publishing enterprise that is excited to embrace new perspectives, investigate emerging ideas, and discover new writers and artists. Candidates early in their careers will build marketable skills and develop their professional networks, and mid-career candidates will enjoy the freedom to reach out to the writers, artists, and thinkers they admire to solicit work, invite to interviews, and pursue other projects of their own design. Our publishing schedule is flexible, deadline pressure is minimal, and there is already a whole community of helpful and passionate editors on staff who love writing, books, art, and ideas. But we especially look forward to meeting you. Should you be invited to interview for a position, we’ll be very interested to talk about how your work at MAYDAY can help you achieve your own creative and professional goals.
How Do You Apply?
Use this link to submit a resume or CV, including a full list of your publications and/or relevant professional experience, and a cover letter that briefly describes your background, explains your interest in one of the positions, and addresses the following prompts:
- Describe your participation in the literary community. Have you done editing or administrative work at a journal or small press? Which literary journals, magazines, and/or small presses do you admire? Which lit blogs or other online culture spaces do you visit?
- Describe some books (of any genre) that matter to you. These may be books you’ve read recently or books you read a long time ago. Explain the impact each book had on how you think or what you think matters about literature.
Final Reminders
- Use this link to submit your application.
- All positions are unpaid and ask five or fewer hours per week.
- All positions are remote and editors can work anywhere there’s an internet connection.
- We will accept applications until filled. Interviews will be on a rolling basis.
- Send questions to nikki.palladino@newamericanpress.com.
