Dive into the world of emerging literature, refine your critical skills, and gain invaluable experience. Perfect for writers, readers, and charitable givers!

To help us keep up with the positive response to our publications and process submissions in a timely manner, we maintain a staff of volunteer readers to review and take notes on submitted manuscripts. This is an unpaid, volunteer position, but it may be listed on your resume/C.V. 

In many cases, this volunteer position also qualifies for college internship credit.

Perks

• All staff receive access to free digital copies of E&GJ publications and a discount on print copies.
• Readers have a unique opportunity to see trends in poetry and short prose and enjoy early access to work from established and emerging writers.
• Authors and poets have consistently reported that spending time in the "slush pile" of any magazine has improved their own writing, and this has been confirmed by E&GJ Press volunteers, too.

Responsibilities

• Read up to twenty submitted works per week.
• Vote "Yes" or "No" on each work read.
• Write a brief note explaining your reaction to each work read.

Requirements

• Be at least 16 years old.
• Have regular access to the Internet.
• Have regular access to e-mail, and check it at least once per day.
• Be able to work independently and commit to at least 5-10 hours per week.
• Be willing to accept Non-Disclosure Agreement and abide by U.S. and International copyright laws.
• Must be fluent in English. Fluency includes a reasonably solid grasp of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Be willing to read any genre of work and judge it objectively.
• Be willing to read and comment on both poetry and prose.

Preferred skills

These are not required, but candidates who have these skills will be selected over those who do not. 

• Previous experience on the staff of any publication
• Previous experience with Submittable submission manager
• An understanding of traditional and modern poetry forms, meters, and rhyming schemes
• An understanding of the differences in spelling and punctuation standards around the English-speaking world

Training

We're with you all the way! Once your application is reviewed and provisionally approved, you'll have access to senior staff members who will walk you through our tools, review our feedback style and standards with you, and leave you with our "Getting Started" documents for reference. During your initial period as a new staff member, you'll have an opportunity to make sure we're a good fit for you—and we'll be able to see that you're a good fit for us, too.

We encourage open discussion and mentorship, so we welcome your questions and suggestions whether you're a new intern or a veteran volunteer.

Location

There are no location requirements! We have staff members around the world, and we welcome international applicants. Keep in mind that all tasks, tools, and communication are completed online, so wherever you are: a reliable internet connection is critical.