Want to join Arc Poetry Magazine ’s editorial team?
Arc Poetry Magazine is now open for expressions of interest from candidates seeking to becoming our next Poetry Editor.
As well as a large group of first readers, Arc operates with a very small team of contracted staff, a board of directors, and an editorial board. All the members of Arc ’s team (except for the contract staff) are volunteers who give their time to the celebration of poetry. Arc currently publishes three times per year subject to funding.
The Poetry Editor is a volunteer position with a small honorarium on a per issue basis. The Poetry Editor reports to Arc ’s Board of Directors: works in consultation and liaison with the Editorial Board; and has the support and administrative assistance of Arc ’s contracted staff. Barring rare and exceptional circumstances, this position is not expected to work beyond 8 hours per week (and often less than that).
A successful candidate will be engaged to work on one issue of Arc Poetry Magazine as a trial period.
After the trial period, the successful candidate is expected to commit to a two-year term in the position, ideally.
The candidate may be brought onto the editorial team as early as May 2023 to participate in training with the outgoing Poetry Editor.
The first issue of the successful candidate as Poetry Editor will be Arc Poetry Magazine 103 (Spring 2024).
Candidates should be Canadian citizens or permanent residents with a strong background in the practice of contemporary poetry.
Candidates should have at least one full-length collection published by an established Canadian publisher (preferred), or 10+ years of activity in the poetry community.
Candidates from Ottawa or the National Capital Region will be prioritized, but all expressions of interest will be considered.
Arc is committed to diversity and inclusivity, and strongly encourages expressions of interest from candidates who identify with historically marginalized groups and underserved communities, including but not limited to First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples/Indigenous peoples of North America as well as other racialized people, persons with disabilities, and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
Primary Duties include:
make final decisions on submitted poetry content based on feedback from the editorial board
attend and chair Editorial Board Meetings, including the annual Poem of the Year Contest editorial meeting where the editorial board decides on a winner, honourable mention, and shortlist for the contest
collaborate with the Prose Editor, Reviews Editor, and the rest of the editorial board to develop content and themes for issues, including reviews, essays, interviews and explorations of issues, ideas and trends in poetry
provide minor editing on poetry content, and requesting changes and rewrites where necessary
write an editor’s note for one or more issue of the magazine per year
set a prompt for the Award of Awesomeness monthly contest and judge the entries as needed
maintain an active presence and fostering relationships in the literary community both locally and coast-to-coast-to-coast
attend quarterly business meetings as well as the Annual General Meeting to report on editorial activities as needed
participate in Strategic Planning meetings held by the board of directors (generally on a biennial basis)
maintain and raise the profile of the magazine
Additional duties may include:
solicit work from established or emerging poets as needed
recommend poets to read/perform at Arc -sponsored events
collaborate with additional committees as needed
provide updates and contributions to Arc ’s website (such as soliciting new poems to be posted online for April’s National Poetry Month)
recruit contributors, volunteers, and editorial board members to the magazine in consultation with the board of directors
contribute to visual art selection activities as needed
contribute to grant application and report writing as needed
contribute to decisions on judges for awards and contests that Arc administers
contribute to decisions on Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grants for Writers applications
attend occasional seminars, conferences and trade fairs
attend magazine events as available, including issue launch and awards events
Rewards:
This is a volunteer position with an honorarium of $500 per issue. In addition to the honorarium, there are other rewards and perks that come with the position, including (but not limited to):
a paid reading (live and/or virtual) organized and sponsored by Arc to highlight and promote the works and reputation of the Poetry Editor (once per term)
a complimentary subscription to Arc Poetry Magazine
promotion of achievements and new releases on Arc ’s website and/or social media accounts
access to advance readers copies of new Canadian poetry releases
access to speaking and presenting opportunities on behalf of Arc at various events, workshops, conferences, etc.
insight to the magazine publishing industry
Interested candidates should send a short biographical statement and a literary CV (including the candidate’s books, chapbooks, selected magazine publications, grants, and selected readings as well as other pertinent information) to the attention of Chris Johnson, managingeditor@arcpoetry .
We encourage candidates contact us regarding assistance that we can provide to individuals with disabilities who may have difficulty putting together an application package.
The deadline for expressions of interest is March 31, 2023