08.11.09: MLA, Call for Advisees, Chat With An Editor 2009
CHAT WITH AN EDITOR
About:
- shaping an article submission
- selecting a publisher
- drafting a cover letter
- following style guides
- corresponding with editors
- ethical dilemmas
- trends in scholarly publishing
- and other issues in journal publishing
For the past ten years, in an effort to help younger scholars submitting their work to journals, the Council of Editors of Learned Journals, an Allied Organization of MLA, has sponsored "Chat with an Editor" at the MLA Convention. With so many requests from editors and authors to keep this program going, the MLA has stepped forward to officially sponsor these sessions, which will now take place in the room the MLA maintains for certain associated organizations.
The service gives scholars the opportunity to meet one-on-one with an experienced editor to discuss any aspect of the publication process. It is not an article vetting service, but rather a chance for authors to obtain advice on any aspect of writing, submitting, and publishing a journal article, in a neutral and friendly atmosphere. Advisors and advisees will meet in Room 203-B of the Philadelphia Convention Center. (Please note the chats will not take place in the book exhibit hall). In recent years, about half of the advisees have been graduate students and half have been assistant professors, postdocs, adjunct or part-time professors, and independent scholars.
What this service is:
- A chance to meet editors in a low-key, informational situation.
- A way to better understand the intricacies of scholarly publishing.
- A means to further collegiality and scholarly exchange in our profession.
What this service is not:
- A substitute for a job interview at the MLA.
- An alternative to going through a journal’s normal referee process.
- Something that should be treated casually, i.e. please do not make an appointment if you think you might have to change it, and if you cancel please let the Chat Coordinator know in a timely fashion.
SCHEDULE OF CHAT ADVISORS
Monday Dec 28
9-10 Arthur Kinney and Thomas Hopper, English Literary Renaissance
10-11 James Phelan, Narrative
11-12 Batya Weinbaum, Femspec
12-1 Maire Mulllins, Christianity and Literature
1-2 William Baker, Year's Work in English Studies/Eliot-Lewes Review
2-3 Barbara Cantalupo, Edgar Allan Poe Review
3-4 Richard Kopley, Resources for American Literary Study
4-5 Catherine Tosenberger, Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures
Tuesday Dec 29
9-11 Michael Cornett, Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies
11-1 Thomas Wortham, Nineteenth Century Literature
1-3 John Bryant, Leviathan
3-4 Peter Rudnytsky, American Imago
4-5 Jana Argersinger, ESQ
MAKING YOUR RESERVATION
To reserve a free 20-minute meeting time on Monday, December 28, or
Tuesday, December 29, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., contact Professor Nicholas Birns of Eugene Lang College, The New School, at birnsn@newschool.edu. Supply your name, affiliation, and position
(graduate student, assistant professor, independent scholar, etc.), and
indicate three times in order of preference (1 = most preferred), or
indicate that any time is okay.
The last day to make a reservation is Saturday, December 19. You will receive confirmation of your meeting time by December 20-22 at the latest, or somewhat earlier if the slots "sell out" and the schedule can be finalized. Once the schedule is full, a wait list will be made, and these advisees will be given meeting times as cancellations create new openings.
Because of the popularity of this program, it is advisable to make your reservation as soon as possible. Every effort will be made to accommodate necessary, last-minute changes and cancellations, but please only make a reservation if you are reasonably certain of keeping it.