Dialogue Editor Search Announcement

Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought has long served as the journal of record for the intellectual and cultural life of the Mormon people. Thanks to five decades of work by editors, authors, and the Board, Dialogue  continues to provide space for some of the faith’s most vibrant thinking on cultural, historical, theological, and social issues. To further this mission, we have recently completed a transition that has made all content freely available on our new website at the moment of publication and given us a more substantial internet presence with web-only content. Beginning in 2020, we will transition our production operations to the University of Illinois Press. With these actions, Dialogue will retain its status as a crucial voice in modern Mormonism. To continue this tradition, and in accordance with the journal’s transition to a new production model, Dialogue’s Board of Directors announces a search for a new editor to take control starting with the Summer 2020 issue.
The journal publishes four issues per annual volume, and submissions and peer review will be managed through a system provided by the University of Illinois Press. The new editor will continue to liaise with the Press to ensure the journal’s visibility, as well as with the Dialogue Board to build upon the journal’s strengths and fulfil the Dialogue Foundation’s mission. Further, the editor will be expected to be engaged in relevant scholarly and cultural organizations by representing the journal at conferences and other events.
Ideally, candidates will be experienced authors and editors with a track record of accomplishment. We appreciate a felicitous writing style and honest brokerage of the dialogue between faith and reason. Dialogue has traditionally sought to publish writing of all sorts, from fiction to poetry to peer reviewed scholarship, and an ideal editor would feel comfortable working with a wide spectrum of material. The new editor will also work with a production team—including an active Board of Directors, section  editors, and web editors—to produce both print and online content. The Board is interested in considering traditional editorial models as well as in a variety of innovative models, including an editorial team or other forms of shared workload.
Among the tasks of the editor are the following:

• Acknowledging submissions, making a preliminary assessment, locating referees, requesting their review, distributing the submissions, and following up with referees.
• Soliciting submissions when appropriate and working with authors to develop manuscripts.
• Negotiating revisions and preparing ready drafts for the copy editor.
• Preparing agreement forms and negotiating exceptions with authors.
• Keeping the editing and production team on schedule, including supervising art preparation.
• Supervising the web editor and contributing and soliciting original web content.
• Attending relevant scholarly conferences, semiannual board of directors meetings, and preparing timely reports as directed by the Board.

Compensation is moderate and negotiable, depending on the editorial and production model agreed upon between the editor(s) and Board.
Applications should be submitted by July 1, 2019, and should include the following:

1.     Curriculum vitae of editor(s) emphasizing editorial experience. In the case of co-editors, briefly outline the complementary strengths and experiences of the team.
2.     If appropriate, a statement of institutional support. For example, letters from Chairs/Deans for possibilities concerning course release, course buy-outs, or stipends from institutional administrations.
3.     A cover letter briefly outlining the editorial vision and any other appropriate information. Please address plans to continue Dialogue’s long-standing mission in the twenty-first century and among a new generation of readers.

Letters should be submitted by July 1. It is expected that the new editorial team will be in place by September. Please submit all application materials, as well as any formal expressions of interest and requests for more information, to the search committee’s co-chairs:

•    Rebecca de Schweinitz, [email protected]
•    Benjamin E. Park, [email protected]

Drs. de Schweinitz and Park will be available for discussions with potential applicants at the annual meeting for the Mormon History Association, held in Salt Lake City, June 6-9.