Vela is hiring!
On the heels of its successful Kickstarter campaign, Vela is looking to expand. We’re very excited about where we’re heading as a publication and we’re looking forward to bringing new people on board. At the time, we’re still a predominantly volunteer-driven nonprofit organization, so these positions are unpaid. We’re in the process of applying for grants and will be building more programs and opportunities in the future. We’re a tight-knit community of writers and editors committed to supporting, reading, editing, and promoting one another’s work. Come join us.
Social media coordinator:
This position is perfect for someone who reads widely; wants to keep up with and participate in conversations about publishing, literature, and the gender gap; and loves the camaraderie of social media. Applicants should be familiar with Vela’s voice and style, and should be eager to learn about best practices, tactics, and promotional strategies across various social media. This position requires a time commitment of approximately 5 hours per week, most of which will be spent reading work by women published on Vela and elsewhere. To apply, please send the following to sarah@velamag.com:
A brief cover letter
A list of 3-5 stories you’ve read recently by women writers, and/or about publishing, literature, or the gender gap, along with a 1-2 sentence explanation of what you found interesting/significant in each
Your favorite Vela story, and 1-2 lines about why you like it
Assistant editor:
This position is excellent for someone who wants to gain professional editorial experience and who loves spending a lot of time working to get a story right: making sure the structure is solid; playing with rhythm and cadence; keeping a careful eye out for repetition, redundancy and cliche; and seeking to realize the writer’s vision with maximum clarity and profundity. Editors will be responsible for editing 1 story per month, soliciting submissions from established and emerging writers, and participating in bi-monthly editorial meetings. This position requires approximately 10 hours/month of work. We are a tight-knit editorial team committed to reading, critiquing, and supporting each other’s work as well as that of our writers. Candidates should have some editing experience and should be familiar with Vela’s content. Applicants should also be enthusiastic about working with a wide range of styles, including narrative nonfiction, essays, reported stories, and memoir. We encourage MFA and PhD candidates and recent graduates to apply. To apply, please send a brief cover letter with a summary of your work experience and an explanation of why you’d like to work for Vela to sarah@velamag.com.
Reader:
This position is ideal for someone with a critical eye who wants to learn more about the editorial and selection process at literary magazines. Readers must be very familiar with Vela’s content, voice, and style, and will be responsible for reading submissions in a timely manner and sending regular reports to editors. Readers are also encouraged to submit weekly blurbs to Vela’s Women We Read This Week column. This position requires approximately 3 hours of work per week. To apply, please send the following to sarah@velamag.com:
A brief cover letter with an explanation of your professional goals and why you’d like to work for Vela
Two of your favorite Vela stories and 1-2 sentences about why you enjoyed them
Column editors:
Vela will soon be launching a series of columns covering women and storytelling; writing and place; and the writing life, and we are hoping to add more columns to this list. Column editors are responsible for producing one piece for their column per month, which they may write themselves or solicit from other writers and edit. We are particularly interested in columns dealing with the following:
Writing and teaching
Writing and parenting
Publishing and the gender gap
Writing and race
If you are interested in running a column, please send the following to sarah@velamag.com:
A brief cover letter
A 2-3 paragraph summary of what the column would cover, including a proposed title
2-3 examples of work published on Vela or elsewhere that could fall under the column’s proposed rubric
Thanks so much, and we hope to hear from you!
