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 until the positions are filled.
We will continue interviewing through November 30th.
FICTION EDITOR
MAYDAY is interested in original and engaging short fiction. We are committed to featuring a diverse range of content and authors, including LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and international voices. As part of the fiction department, fiction editors are responsible for collectively reviewing, soliciting, and selecting short and flash fiction for publication at MAYDAY. Fiction editors are also encouraged to solicit relevant book reviews, conduct interviews with novelists and story writers, and pitch ideas for other features and series. In addition to a general interest in publishing, we will be particularly drawn to applicants who have experience publishing their own creative work; editing at other periodicals, journals, magazines, or blogs; studying and/or practicing literature in an academic setting; and/or doing other forms of nonprofit or administrative work that demonstrates an affinity for contributing to collaborative, creative, and highly self-directed teams.
PRODUCTION EDITOR
As part of the managing editor’s office, the production editor at MAYDAY is responsible for layout and publishing all MAYDAY content. In addition to a general interest in literary publishing, we will be particularly drawn to applicants with backgrounds/interests in digital journalism and publishing, as well as those who can demonstrate experience proofing or editing copy. MAYDAY is published on WordPress, so experience with this platform will be helpful, but it’s not prohibitively difficult to learn, either. Familiarity with the Chicago Manual of Style will also be helpful.
SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST
Another crucial role in the managing editor’s office, the social media specialist develops and curates content for MAYDAY’s social media platforms, including important updates about MAYDAY content and activities, cross-promotions with peer publications and other effective forms of audience engagement. Additionally, the social media specialist acts as the publication’s liaison among the various audiences and communities with which we are engaged. We will be particularly drawn to applicants who can demonstrate their familiarity with audiences and communities across social media platforms who are likely to be drawn to the art, literature, and commentary at MAYDAY, as well as in applicants who have experience in graphic design and copywriting.
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 the positions are filled.
- We will schedule interviews through November 2023.
- Send questions to chase@newamericanpress.com.