Positions Announcement: Editors for Social Media, Issue Content, and Blog

Posted 08.31.20

Composition Studies is looking to fill several new editorial positions to help run our social media platforms, produce issues, and develop a new blog. The journal is the peer-reviewed, biannual, independent journal (We also recently added open-access, guest-edited, summer special issues!). The oldest independent journal in the field, we at CS are dedicated to publishing on a range of professional practices and topics associated with rhetoric and composition, but also to pieces that don’t fit neatly elsewhere. For more on the journal’s history, including the staff please visit our website.

What We Are Looking For

These are unpaid positions—as are all positions at the journal. That said, we remain dedicated to negotiating healthy, productive working relationships within the editorial staff and looking for labor arrangements that honor your other commitments, whatever they might be. There are benefits to being a part of the editorial team of CS including, but not limited to the following:

• contributing to knowledge-making in the field across a range of genres;
• working collaboratively with scholars of all ages, ranks, and associations in the field;
• scholarly and professional editing experience across platforms;
• exposure and relationship-building with authors, reviewers, publishers, and editors.

(We—both Kara and Matt—were both part of an editorial team during graduate school and found the process rewarding, and, in many ways, it led us to our current position as co-editors of CS. Thus, we hope to be able to provide a similar mentorship to any interested graduate students.)

Social Media Editor

Social Media Editor (SME) responsibilities would be to actively maintain a dedicated presence on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Time commitment would be 3-5 hours per week and include building content for each platform, responding and engaging with audiences associated with each platform, and working collaboratively with the Editors. Must be able to maintain a schedule, pay attention to details, and creatively engage with each platform. We envision one SME but welcome applicants who might want to focus on one platform.

Content Editors

Content Editors (CE) are responsible for collaboratively copyediting all genres of the journal—accepted articles, course designs, Where We Are pieces, and At a Glance sections—with attention to style, accessibility, and readability. CE responsibilities include both surface issues and a “deep dive” into textual content, citations, etc. CE work primarily focuses on individual issues – fall, spring, and summer issues – and thus the expected commitment is greater during the production weeks. Must be able to meet strict deadlines that we negotiate at the beginning of each issue cycle.

Blog Editor

Soon, we will unveil a new feature of our website—a bi-weekly blog—that will serve several purposes but mainly will provide the field with shorter, scholarly and creative (but not peer-reviewed) pieces that respond more quickly to topics and inquiries in the field. The Blog Editor (BE) would work closely with the Editors to determine topics/discussions as well as extend invitations. The BE will also be responsible for editing the content for the blog. Must be a self-starter able to maintain a strict schedule, able to collaborate online and through different spaces, and have excellent copyediting skills. This position includes more autonomy than the SME or CE positions; the time commitment is also higher than the other positions as it will be a monthly feature on our website.

Required Qualifications for Each Position

Ability to:

• communicate in online space in a timely and effective manner
• work collaboratively alongside the editorial team
• complete tasks on time
• pay consistent attention to details
• work across multiple platforms (e.g. Gmail; Open Journal Systems; WordPress) and have a willingness to learn new platforms

Must have: 

• Excellent copy-editing skills, specifically MLA style
• Reliable internet connection

How To Apply

By 9/30/20, please send as a single PDF to compstudiesjournal@gmail.com that includes:

• one-page (or shorter) letter of interest that describes your specific qualifications, explains the ways you are a self-starter and effective collaborator, and mentions which position you are interested in;
• please also include the name and information for someone who can speak on your behalf of your qualifications;
• an abbreviated CV.

We also welcome inquiries about the positions! Qualified applicants will then be invited to an informal interview with us and asked to provide a small sample of relevant work. We look forward to hearing from you!

CFP: Summer Special Issue (2021), Guest-Edited 

Posted 8.26.20

Composition Studies invites proposals from potential guest editors for an open-access, digital, special issue to be published in summer 2021! This is an open call, and we are especially interested in research on issues of and approaches to justice, equity, and anti-racism.

Our first summer special issue arrived this August— it’s a wonderful issue on justice and equity in corequisite writing guest edited by Samantha Sturman, Dawn Shepherd, and Heidi Estrem, all colleagues at Boise State University. That issue is available here. Samantha, Dawn, and Heidi convened more than 25 contributors in most genres of the journal—articles, course designs, Where We Are and At A Glance sections. The result is a collaborative, multi-faceted issue that covers an important topic in both breadth and depth, and we think it serves as a lovely, imaginative model of what a special issue at Composition Studies can be. 

We welcome formal proposals (of no more than 500 words, please) about the topic, importance, contribution, and possible structure of the issue. If available, we also welcome a draft of the CFP you would use to solicit submissions for the issue. We also welcome inquiries and creative ideas in want of guidance. If you have any of the above, please contact us via email at compstudiesjournal@gmail.com by 9/20/20.

The production timeline for the special issue, roughly, is as follows, though we encourage potential editors to revise it to their purposes:

• Fall/winter 2020 – a call for proposals for contributions
• Winter 2020/2021 – review and acceptances for the issue
• Spring 2021– revisions to accepted pieces
• Late spring 2021 – production
• Summer 2021 – publication