JAF Calls for Applications for New Editorial Collective Member

Help Wanted at JAF

In coordination with the AFS Publications Committee and AFS leadership, the current Journal of American Folklore Editorial Collective seeks to recruit an additional Collective member for service during the remainder of the Collective’s joint editorship.

Published continuously since 1888, The Journal of American Folklore (JAF) is a cornerstone activity of the American Folklore Society and a crucial resource for folklore studies worldwide. JAF is currently edited collaboratively by an international Editorial Collective comprised of Norma E. Cantú, Coppélie Cocq, Tim Frandy, Lisa Gabbert, and Shelley Ingram. Editorial work on JAF is supported by managing editor Lorraine Walsh Cashman, a team of review and section editors, and a graduate student editorial assistant. This team will lead the journal’s work through the end of 2030. JAF is published by AFS in partnership with the University of Illinois Press.

How the Editorial Collective Works

Within the group, editorial decisions are made collectively; however, the general labor of the editorial process is divided equally. One collective member chairs the process each year (chairs for the remainder of the editorial term have already been assigned, so a new member would not have this responsibility).

The work intensifies around deadlines in early April, July, October, and mid-December/early January. Usually, and with some turn-taking, several editors bear the brunt of this quarterly production work with the managing editor.

Every week, the editorial team meets 90-minutes via Zoom to make acceptance and other decisions, to coordinate work, and to distribute responsibility for reading manuscripts, drafting and sending timely correspondence, copyediting, and proofreading. There is some ebb and flow, but candidates should be able to commit an average of five to ten hours to JAF per week. As is customary, staff and student labor for the journal is paid, but the service work of the editors is voluntary.

How to Apply

The Publications Committee and the Editorial Collective are open to considering folklorists with a wide range of qualifications; all capable applicants are welcome. In a letter of application, interested candidates should articulate the skills and knowledge that they would bring to the team and to the work of the journal. Previous editorial experience is not required. We do seek someone who is well-acquainted with folklore studies journals in general and JAF in particular. While the collective encourages folklore studies colleagues from all backgrounds to apply, expertise in marketing, social media, and/or Asian folklore studies would be a plus.

Those wishing to be considered for this role in the Editorial Collective are asked to submit a letter of interest and CV to Danille Christensen, Chair of the AFS Publication Committee. The Publications Committee and AFS leadership, in consultation with the current JAF Editorial Collective, aspire to have a new Editorial Collective member appointed as soon as practical. Application letters should be received by September 15, 2026.

Please submit by email to: Danille Christensen, AFS Publications Committee Chair, dec09@vt.edu.