New JAF Collective Opens Call for Review Editors

The Journal of American Folklore (JAF: A Global Quarterly) invites expressions of interest for review editors to join our editorial team. Positions that need to be filled include:

• Book Review editor
• Featured and Reviewed Project Editors
  • Exhibits and Events 
  • Music and Sound 
  • Films and Videos
  • Electronic Media

JAF is committed to advancing excellent work in the broad field of folklore across academic, public, and applied spheres, and to advancing AFS’s inclusive vision for  our interdisciplinary and international field. Reviews play a key role in AFS’s mission to support a lively, healthy communications ecology for our field in a time of rapid technological, legal, economic, and social change. All review editors are encouraged to be innovative in their thinking about format, content, and recruitment while still maintaining the publication standards of AFS and JAF. 

As a review editor, you will work closely with the journal’s new Editorial Collective for a period of 6 years. 

Review Editor duties include:

• Identifying recent publications, events, or media that are relevant to JAF’s mission and audience and that meet journal standards.
• Coordinating with publishers to procure review copies, when applicable.
• Recruiting potential reviewers and communicating clear guidelines and deadlines for commissioned reviews. This includes ensuring that potential reviewers are sent copies of the material, when applicable.
• Evaluating submitted reviews to determine whether they are suitable for publication.
• Communicating with reviewers during the writing process and tracking the status of the review, including conveying any editorial decisions.
• Editing reviews and providing feedback to reviewers; making sure that reviews meet JAF’s publication standards, follow JAF house style, and remain fair and free of bias.
• Managing workflow to ensure that each issue of JAF has enough reviews, which may include coordinating with other review editors. 
• Where appropriate, sending published reviews back to the presses to ensure continued press interest in the discipline

Review editors will work with the Collective, and particularly the Chair, to coordinate workflow but are not expected to attend Collective meetings. 

Please send a CV and a 1-page letter of interest that outlines the position you are interested in and your qualifications and/or experience to Senior Managing Editor Lorraine Walsh Cashman at JAF.editors@afsnet.org by Oct. 25, 2024.