Calling all editors! Curators! Admirers! Friends.
Are you Midwest-obsessed? Interested in volunteering to edit for a high-quality print magazine full of deeply researched and carefully crafted stories and thoughtfully-designed art? Longing to be part of a small and dedicated team? We’re here, we’re ready. Read on!
The New Territory (NT) is the flagship publication of The New Territory Magazine, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating and fostering love and protection of the Great Plains, Ozarks, and Lower Midwest through publishing personal, natural and societal narrative journalism, art, and stories. Geographically, we focus on Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Northwest Arkansas, Southern Illinois, and Iowa.
We are pleased to announce our third round of New Territory Fellowships. NT Editorial Fellows will have the opportunity to shape the magazine in ways big and small. Fellowships run from September 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026 with about 1-2 hours/week commitments, depending on the position.
Editorial Fellowships
FEATURES EDITOR,
who works closely with NT contributors and contributing editors to edit longform journalism, nonfiction, and/or photo essays from pitch to final drafts.
Features — of which five are published each issue — are The NT’s bread and butter.
The duties of a features editor will include:
- evaluating journalism pitches and creative nonfiction (CNF) submissions in a bimonthly team meeting
- participating in the planning of issues
- helping prepare NT features for publication via:
- helping contributors and contributing editors shape, clarify, and/or develop narratives
- editing to adjust the tone of pieces to meet the needs of our readers
- copy-editing and proofreading
- maintaining writers’ unique styles, voices, and perspectives
- aiding the creative director in finding accompanying artwork for each essay.
You won’t work alone! We have a tradition of pairing feature contributors with previously published volunteer editors, so the first few rounds of most pieces are covered. (We will work with you to determine which pieces you get to edit directly, as will fit with a reasonable volunteer workload.)
Therefore, we need an astute, meticulous, professional editor who is also able to recognize The NT’s larger editorial picture and collaborate with our editor-in-chief and creative director/program manager to make the book cohesive.
HERE SECTION EDITOR,
who curates and edits a selection of short, place-based essays for each issue.
Here essays are bite-sized celebrations of place. Averaging 1,000 words, each Here essay is a cozy, bite-sized read that takes readers to new and familiar places.
The duties of the Here section editor will include:
- curating and editing three essays per issue
- aiding the creative director in finding artwork for each essay
- evaluating journalism pitches and CNF submissions in a bimonthly team meeting
- if desired, assisting with other editing projects related to The NT, TBD on a case-to-case basis
Past editors of our Here section have benefited greatly from having and curating a personal network of Midwestern writers, photographers, and/or artists. Inviting people you know and admire to work with you on an essay for this section is a perk of the job! Our current team will of course also help with making introductions and connections.
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR,
who curates the Light Room section and assists The NT creative director in building our network of photographers.
The Light Room section opens each magazine with a splash. It features three full-spread photos that showcase the Lower Midwest through unique faces, landscapes, patterns, and events.
Duties of the photography editor will include:
- curating three Light Room photos per issue via online research and personal outreach
- managing the image files for Light Room, ensuring they are the right size for print and include a meaningful caption
- evaluating journalism pitches, particularly photo essays, and CNF submissions in a bimonthly team meeting
- advising on photo editing for the rest of the magazine
- if desired, making photos for the magazine’s print pages and/or marketing efforts
Ideally, our photography editor fellow will be someone with connections to the art and photojournalism world. Through online research and social media, they will discover and connect with photographers who can take us to new and interesting places across our region.
DABBLER EDITOR,
who curates our semi-regular Dabbler email newsletter.
Our irregular newsletter, The Dabbler, is itself a treasured aspect of The NT’s community, keeping readers connected in between biannual print issues.
Duties of the Dabbler editor will include:
- discovering articles, videos, book recommendations and other nuggets that fit the ethos of The NT and the Dabbler
- managing links and images
- collaborating with the editor-in-chief prior to publication
- designing campaigns in MailChimp
- creating 2-4 Dabbler emails each month
- if desired, joining bimonthly editorial meetings
Don’t worry, we’ll train you up in said “ethos,” and share our secrets of a successful Dabbler. Being a current Dabbler fan is a definite plus.
MIDWEST MADE EDITOR,
who finds, curates, and photographs a selection of locally-made goods for the Midwest Made section.
Midwest Made features a selection of regional products, including crafts, food, decorative arts, small press books or journals, outdoor goods, and more. Think: a remarkable regional gift shop.
Duties of the Midwest Made editor will include:
- discovering original work made in the Lower Midwest via online research and personal outreach
- photographing the goods individually and together
- writing captions for each maker/item
- if desired, joining bimonthly editorial meetings
We invite the editor of this section to put their own creative/artistic spin on the section and photography. This fellowship may be perfect for individuals looking for published experience in food and/or commercial photography. A perk of this job is making connections with creative people in the region and trying new products.
How to Apply
Submit a one-page cover letter describing:
- why you’re a great fit for the fellowship/section you’re applying to
- why The New Territory speaks to you
- what you hope to get out of your time volunteering with the magazine
- what you hope to contribute to The NT and respective sections
In addition, please attach a one-page resume. Although relevant experience is a plus, we will consider all candidates who are excited to contribute to our team.
Submit materials to newterritorymag@gmail.com by Friday, August 15 (deadline extended) at 11:59 p.m.