Yesterday (but too late to include it in the job roundup) I ran across the announcement for a new Director/Editor-in-Chief for Ploughshares, the famed literary journal based at Emerson College in Boston. If you’re curious, you’ll find it here. (And even if you’re not interested in applying for this particular job, reading the list of duties associated with the position will give you some idea of the range of tasks associated with running a literary journal.)
Earlier this week I learned (via the Wompo listserv) about a job opening for Executive Director of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project.
Here are the details:
The New Hampshire Writers’ Project, a vibrant, independent nonprofit literary arts organization based in Manchester, NH, seeks an executive director to oversee administration, fundraising, programming, publications, membership, and public relations. The Writers’ Project serves all aspects of the writing and publishing field in New Hampshire and offers programs and services to writers, from aspiring to established, and to people who love writing and reading.
The successful candidate will have strong editorial, marketing, print production, and fundraising skills as well as program, people, and project management skills and up-to-date computer skills. While no candidate embodies every desired quality and some skills can be learned on the job, the ideal person for this position will offer many of the skills and experiences listed below. He or she will demonstrate:
* A passion for writers and writing.
* Knowledge of NH’s literary and cultural community.
* Entrepreneurial, nonprofit, or business management experience.
* Program development experience.
* Superior oral and written communication skills.
* Experience developing promotional copy and print publications.
* Experience scheduling projects and managing people.
* Organizational skills.
* Budgeting experience.
* Computer skills. (Our office regularly uses Word, Excel, FilemakerPro,
Dreamweaver, and Photoshop.)
* Ability to handle multiple projects with efficiency and good humor.
* Self-motivation, perseverance, and ability to thrive under deadline pressure.
* Ability to work independently and collaboratively, as part of a team and with
staff, board, and volunteers.The executive director manages three part-time employees, as well as freelance designers and editors; this position reports to NHWP’s president. It is a 32-hour-a-week position. Salary to mid-thirties, commensurate with experience. Position open until filled.
To apply, send resume, cover letter, and three brief writing samples to Executive Director Search Committee, NHWP, 2500 North River Road, Manchester, NH 03106. NO PHONE CALLS OR EMAILS. For more information about the organization, please take a look at our Web site.
And you’ll find that Web site here.
There’s been quite a bit of discussion on two sites I visit fairly frequently (the MFA Weblog and on a couple of threads at the Poets & Writers Speakeasy) on the general topic of what kinds of employment opportunities there are for writers who have earned an MFA.
I’ve just posted a bunch of resource links over on the Speakeasy. And right away, I thought it made sense to offer them here, too. Here they are:
Academic360.com: (free access) Helpful not just for links to employment offices, but also if you want to compile lists of colleges/universities to contact for adjunct positions within a given geographical area);
HigherEdJobs.com: (free access) This is where I saw the posting that led me to my current job;
Chronicle Careers: (free access) Some overlap w/HigherEdJobs.com, but also offers good articles/features on jobs in (and, occasionally, outside) academe. NOTE: Each summer they advertise for (paid) diarists to chronicle their job searches over the following year. Look out for that, if it interests you (you can do this pseudonymously);
Idealist.org: (free access) Limit your search to “editing and writing” jobs;
MediaBistro.com: (free access, but requires registration to view complete job listings) Good source for jobs in publishing/editing.
AWP JobList listings and the MLA Job Information List are also good, but you need to be a paid subscriber to access them. (I receive the former with my AWP membership; I no longer subscribe to the latter.)
Finally, as everyone who visits this blog regularly already knows, Monday I post a list of “Markets/Jobs/Opportunities.” Today’s post, for example, included eight non-teaching jobs at colleges/universities; nine teaching jobs; and four (I think) freelance opportunities, plus one paying internship (that one’s in Canada).
And as I told everyone over at the Speakeasy, stay tuned for another resource-rich post on fellowships available to MFA grads. (Coming soon, I promise!)