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UPDATE: Please note that both of these positions have now been filled. 

Many of you know I’m the managing editor of an online literary magazine that has taken off quite nicely over the past couple of years.

Well, our team at Compose Journal has a couple of exciting opportunities available at the moment: we’re looking for a features editor and a fiction director.

Before we tell you more about the positions, we want you to know that people have been saying some pretty nice things about us and our work. Things like . . .

• “There’s a new literary journal online, and I think you’ll like it.” —DA Powell, Poet
• “Compose is presenting fabulous work on a regular basis. Maybe even some of mine . . . someday. Give it a read.” —Joseph Hesch, Writer
• “Compose Journal is a new journal to watch out for. Some of their pieces are instant classics!” —Roy Guzmán, Poet

And we’re chuffed that The Review Review reviewed our Fall 2014 issue this month. You can read that here:

Hefty Online Journal Features Many Genres and Some Advice for Writers

We’ve featured the work of many well-known writers and poets, including William Logan, Ada Limón, Rebecca Rosenblum, Ian Duhig, Marion Roach Smith, and Randall Mann, just to name a few.

In short, we think we’re building something special, and we know there are two candidates out there who are perfect for our team.

Might you be one of them?

1. Features Editor

Description: For each biannual issue of the journal, the features editor develops and edits two features (generally one interview and one essay or article). The editor reads and responds to queries; invites writers to submit to our publication or take part in an interview; solicits excerpt reprints from traditionally published books by established authors; conducts interviews, if necessary; works with volunteer interviewers; and edits copy (developmental editing, stylistic editing, copy editing).

Qualifications: The ideal candidate has a wide variety of professional writing and editing experience, and has plenty of established contacts in the literary world or has the networking savvy to make those contacts. The candidate must be comfortable using email, word processors, Google Drive, and social media.

For your reference, here are a few of the features we’ve published:

• Mean Mail, by Katrina Kenison
• Marion Roach Smith on Teaching Memoir, by Debra Eve
• On Risk in Writing, by Dan Blank

Start date: ASAP

Closing date: Open until position is filled

Hours: Varies according to our production schedule rather than being steady, but an average of 1—2 hours per week overall.

Location: Work from home

2. Fiction Director

UPDATE: Please note that this position has now been filled. 

Description:  The fiction direction will be responsible for making final decisions on fiction pieces to be published in each issue, choosing from a pool of pieces that have received favourable feedback from the rest of our editorial team. While no formal editing will be expected in this position, the fiction director will, when necessary, make suggestions for improvement on accepted pieces, so a senior editor can work with their authors to implement the edits.

Qualifications: The ideal candidate has a substantial background in writing, publishing, teaching and/or editing literary fiction. Most importantly, the candidate’s aesthetic will closely align with ours.

You can get an idea of what we like by checking out these short stories we’ve published:

• Fat Ankles, by Jane Eaton Hamilton
• Pale Ale, by Mitchell Welch
• Horse Thieves, by Glen Chamberlain

Start date: ASAP

Closing date: Open until position is filled

Hours: Varies according to our production schedule rather than being steady, but an average of 1—2 hours per week overall.

Location: Work from home

Compose is a free publication and charges no reading fees (as many other journals do these days), so at this time we are unable to compensate our staff. In spite of this, all of our volunteer editors are passionate about, and committed to, their positions.

How to Apply

You can express your interest for one of these positions by emailing Suzannah Windsor, Managing Editor, at editor [at] composejournal [dot] com.

Please include the following information in the body of an email (no attachments, please):

• The position for which you are applying
• Your name, phone number, and a postal address
• A brief outline of your qualifications relevant to the position
• A brief statement of why you think you would be a good candidate for the position
• Any relevant links you think would help us get to know you better, if applicable (your website/blog, professional social media accounts, online writing/editing portfolio, etc.)

You will receive confirmation of receipt of your application, and candidates of interest to us will be contacted for further information.

Please pass this information along to anyone you think might be a good match for one of the positions. Thanks!

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