Now seeking volunteers for Team Moss

Moss is staffed and run entirely by volunteers. As such, these are volunteer positions. No one makes money from Moss except the writers we publish. We are now seeking for the following roles:

ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

Moss is seeking an assistant managing editor to help coordinate our operations, organize our editorial calendar, and oversee our process for reviewing submissions. This position will report to the managing editor and will play a central role in ensuring the smooth and timely functioning of our publication process. We are looking for someone who is not only passionate about literature, but also diligent, good with deadlines, and meticulously organized. If desired, this position may also include other editorial responsibilities, including reading submissions, participating in the selection process, conducting interviews, etc.

Responsibilities:

• Manage submissions inboxes, including corresponding with writers about the status of their submissions
• Coordinate our team of readers for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; this includes participating in a kickoff meeting, tracking progress, corresponding with readers, and ensuring that all submissions are given full consideration
• Attend regular production meetings with the editors and managing editor
• Oversee copyediting and proofreading processes

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated project management experience
• Strong communication skills and ability to manage deadlines
• Proficiency in Chicago style and a sharp eye for proofreading
• Interest in and passion for contemporary books and literature, including especially literature of the Pacific Northwest
• Copyediting / proofreading experience a plus

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Moss is seeking a social media editor to help us deepen our online connections with the communities we serve, assess new platforms, better understand the wider social media landscape, and get the work we publish in front of as many new people as possible. Thus far, because our social media channels have mainly been handled by staffers with other primary responsibilities, our engagement has been sporadic and limited. We are looking for someone with energy and experience who can help shape our strategy, develop a distinctive voice, and forge relationships with the writers we publish. Because we have a healthy print subscriber base and make our issues available for free online, we are not constrained by the logic of “traffic” that typically defines social media work. We’re after real community building, not clicks and page views. If desired, this position may also include other editorial responsibilities, including reading submissions, participating in the selection process, conducting interviews, etc.

Responsibilities:

• Post to our current social accounts (Twitter and IG) about new issues, special events, new books from past contributors, etc.
• In consultation with the editors and managing editor, explore new potential social media channels that we might use, assess the effectiveness of current ones, and help to shape our overall social media strategy.
• Engage with our community of past contributors and other Northwest writers
• Compose and schedule posts based on suggestions from other editorial staff members

Qualifications:

• Strong writing skills, including especially the ability to write quickly and with voice
• Deep knowledge of today’s top social media platforms and how to navigate them
• Interest in and passion for contemporary books and literature
• Knowledge of the Northwest literary world, including the region’s established and emerging writers, bookstores, and literary institutions
• Past experience managing social channels for an institution strongly preferred (ideally a publisher or literary magazine)

GUEST POETRY EDITOR

Moss is seeking a guest poetry editor to curate new work from across the Pacific Northwest for our upcoming Volume 9. This will include reviewing a pre-screened selection of poetry from our submissions inbox and commissioning or soliciting work from peers. Above all, we are looking for someone who will approach the selection process thoughtfully, come with a clear artistic agenda, and prioritize assembling a body of work that is fully representative of the broader Northwest in every way, including different geographies, peoples, identities, and poetic forms. The position involves a commitment for Volume 9 only, and should require only a few hours a week at most, between now and April, when we plan to have selections made.

Responsibilities:

• Review a pre-screened selection from our submissions inbox
• Solicit and/or commission work
• Altogether, curate a selection of 8-10 poems
• Communicate with the selected poets (admin work will be handled separately)

Qualifications:

• Deep knowledge of and connections within the PNW poetry landscape
• Mid-career poet
• Responsiveness to email, etc. for a defined period of time

To apply for any of the roles above, please email a brief bio, a resume, and a paragraph explaining why you’re interested and why you would be a good fit to mosslit@gmail.com, with the position you are applying for as the subject line.

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