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 Production Editors and Poetry Editors until the positions are filled.
We will begin scheduling interviews on December 16, 2022.
PRODUCTION EDITORS: As an integral part of the managing editor’s office, production editors are responsible for layout and formatting of all content prior to posting at MAYDAY. In addition to an interest in literary publishing, strong applicants might also have experience with digital journalism, publishing, and/or 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. We provide staff training and ongoing support. Familiarity with the Chicago Manual of Style will also be helpful, though it is also not an immediate requirement.
POETRY EDITORS: In addition to reading submissions and selecting work for publication, poetry editors will be encouraged to solicit work for the magazine and help develop various feature series and ongoing projects in collaboration with other editors on staff. Ideal candidates for the poetry editor positions may or may not have an educational background in writing or literary studies, but should have experience publishing their own work and/or editing the work of others.
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. You should apply anyway. 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 are already several 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.
Can You Apply to Multiple Positions?
Yes. Please submit a separate application for each position.
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 begin scheduling interviews on December 16, 2022.
- Send questions to david@newamericanpress.com.
