See Also: All jobs at E&GJ Press

To help us keep up with the positive response to Spark and process submissions in a timely manner, we maintain a staff of volunteer readers to review and take notes on submitted manuscripts. This is an unpaid, volunteer position (as is Editor-in-Chief), but it may be listed on your resume/C.V. In many cases, this volunteer position also qualifies for college internship credit.

Perks

• All staff receive access to free digital copies of E&GJ publications and a discount on print copies.
• Readers have a unique opportunity to see trends in poetry and short prose and enjoy early access to work from established and emerging writers.
• Authors and poets have consistently reported that spending time in the “slush pile” of any magazine has improved their own writing, and this has been confirmed by E&GJ Press volunteers, too.

Requirements

• Must have regular access to the Internet; preferably broadband.
• Must have regular access to e-mail, and check it at least once per day.
• Must be available for self-directed work at least 5-10 hours per week.
• Must be willing to accept Non-Disclosure Agreement and abide by U.S. and International copyright laws.
• Must be fluent in English. Fluency includes a reasonably solid grasp of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Must be willing to read any genre of work and judge it [somewhat] objectively.
• Must be willing to read and comment on both poetry and prose

Preferred skills

These are not required, but candidates who have these skills will be selected over those who do not.

• Previous experience on the staff of any publication
• Previous experience with Submittable  submission manager
• An understanding of traditional and modern poetry forms, meters, and rhyming schemes
• An understanding of the differences in spelling and punctuation standards around the English-speaking world

Responsibilities

• Read an average of fifty submitted works per week
• Vote “Yes,” “No,” or “Maybe” on each work read
• Enter a note explaining/justifying your vote to other readers (and to the Editor-in-Chief)

Training

Once your application is reviewed and provisionally approved, you’ll learn quickly through hands-on practice with actual submissions in our queue. We’ll also provide a “Getting Started” document and you’ll have round-the-clock access to several senior staff members for mentoring and to ask questions. During the initial two-week period as a new staff member, you’ll have an opportunity to make sure we’re a good fit for you, and we’ll be able to see that you’re a good fit for us, too.

Location

Because all tasks are completed online, there are no location requirements. We have staff members around the world, and we welcome international applicants.

Student Interns

This position is open to student interns and non-intern volunteers. The following addendum applies to student interns:

Student interns will have an opportunity to participate in the layout and proofreading of the publication assembled during the internship. We publish at least one each quarter. Opportunities in other volunteer roles exist. Because we are a non-profit and this is an unpaid internship, we have the flexibility to tailor the role to fit each student’s interests and academic needs.

To Apply