Apply to be one of The F-Word’s newest section editors

books.jpgThe F-Word is looking for UK-based volunteers to join our team of section editors, with roles available in fiction, non-fiction and comedy. These are some fantastic opportunities to have an exciting part in building a feminist resource and taking on an important role on the site.

It is frequently reported that women do not put themselves forward for leadership roles as often as men do, despite extensive qualifications and experience. It is also reported by women who attain positions of power that they did not feel entitled to them until they ‘gave themselves permission’ or were given an opportunity by a more privileged male counterpart. Therefore we have taken the decision collectively to invite Section Editor applications from self-identified women/genderqueer people/anyone who doesn’t define as male.

Please note that The F-Word is run entirely online by unpaid volunteers. We are aware of current discussions around the politics and ethics of expecting people to work for free but alas at this point we can offer permanent volunteer roles only. We are not paid for our work either so there is no hierarchy or differentiation between paid and unpaid positions.

So, whether you’d like to be our fiction editor, non-fiction editor or comedy editor, we’d love to hear from you if you think you’d be a good fit! Read on for more on what the roles will involve and how to apply.

What the roles will involve:

• taking on responsibility for the review section (fiction, non-fiction or comedy), getting to a point where at least two reviews are posted a month;

• sourcing ideas for reviews and interviews;

• commissioning reviews, encouraging new voices from a range of backgrounds and diverse perspectives;

• dealing with the reviews and reviewing opportunities that come in through the submissions pile;

• editing reviews (prior experience as an editor/subeditor/proofreader will be an advantage, particularly experience of working with a set style guide);

• posting reviews (familiarity with blogging platforms is an advantage here, as is at least basic HTML);

• moderating comments on published reviews;

• promoting reviews;

• working with the other Section Editors and The F-Word team where necessary, including attending Skype meetings every two months

What you will bring:

• You must be enthusiastic about the role and the opportunities to develop the section. This is a volunteer position, so some time, energy and regular internet access are all required;

• You must commit to the role for at least 6 months (with a minimum period of one month’s notice)

• Ideally you will have some editing experience, as you will be working with submissions from an extremely broad range of contributors; some who have never written for publication before, while others are experienced journalists. Submissions need to be given a critical edit, making sensitive suggestions to the author and offering some guidance where needed. Submissions must also be edited in line with our style guide, so some experience in working with a house style is an advantage.

The F-Word is an online magazine dedicated to talking about and sharing ideas on contemporary feminisms from the UK and elsewhere. The collective goal for the site is primarily to provide a platform which welcomes and shares perspectives from writers representing intersectional feminisms through contributions from people who identify along all parts of the gender and sexuality continuums. This could be older women, disabled women, working class women, sex workers, women of minority ethnicities (including Black, Asian, migrant or refugee women and women of dual or multiple ethnic heritage), trans* women, lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer women and/or socialist feminists. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list – please don’t be put off from applying if you’re interested but don’t identify with the perspectives above; particularly if you feel your perspective is currently under-represented in the feminist blogosphere.

To apply for any of the roles: please email me ([email protected]) with a brief message setting out which section you would like to edit, why you want to take on the role and any prior experience. Please also explain how you would like to see the section you are applying for develop.

I am also asking for two references: Section Editors need to have access to and maintain our database of contributors, which includes sensitive information such as full names and addresses. For that reason, this additional step is needed for those who are going to be dealing with this confidential data (particularly for those writing about sensitive issues under pseudonyms). Please include the contact details of two references – feel free to email me if you have questions on who would be a suitable reference, this doesn’t necessarily have to be a work-type reference.

The deadline for applications is Friday, 10 April 2015.

The image is by az and is used under a creative commons licence. It shows several books, either stacked in a pile or on a bookshelf, but photographed so only the edges are visible, rather than the spines or covers, so all that can be seen in each book are the edges of the pages. The books are a range of sizes and some are slightly yellowed, appearing a bit aged.

Without being able to see the covers, they could be fiction, non-fiction or even comedy-related!