Expression of Interest: New Editor for Narrative
After decades of outstanding stewardship, Jim Phelan is stepping down as editor of Narrative, the journal of the International Society for the Study of Narrative (ISSN).
The Society is now seeking a new editor, or editorial group, to maintain the standing of Narrative as one of the top-ranked journals in the field by publishing quality research at the forefront of narrative studies. The journal will continue to be published by the Ohio State University Press, an arrangement that has been mutually beneficial for the Society and the Press. But the editor will need additional institutional support, especially in the form of funding for an editorial assistant.
The appointment will be for a five-year term. A second term is possible, depending on the mutual interest of the editor and the Executive Council of the ISSN.
Interested applicants please submit an Expression of Interest and accompanying CV to Paul Dawson, President of the ISSN, at paul.dawson@unsw.edu.au by September 30, 2023.
A sub-committee of the ISSN Executive Council will meet to discuss all submissions and follow up with applicants, with a goal of having the new editor(s) selected by December 2023. The details of the transition can then be worked out between that person and Jim Phelan.
The EOI should include the following:
a brief summary (approximately 250 words) of your publication track record, scholarly expertise, and editorial experience
a brief vision statement (approximately 250 words) outlining how you would approach the role and what direction you would like to see the journal take
information about the institutional support you could provide
Please contact Paul Dawson (paul.dawson@unsw.edu.au) if you have any further questions. Jim Phelan (narrativej@gmail.com) also welcomes questions about the job from potential applicants.
Narrative
Narrative is the official journal of International Society for the Study of Narrative. Its mission is to publish essays that contribute to both narrative theory and the interpretation of individual narratives. Within those parameters, the journal is open to work on the elements, techniques, structures, and forms of narrative as well as on its relations to other modes of discourse, its history, and its powers (and limits) in cultures past and present. The journal is interested in narrative across disciplines and across media, and, thus, it welcomes submissions on the theory and interpretation of the novel, the short story, narrative poetry, history, biography, autobiography, memoir, film, television, journalism, comics and other graphic arts, music, performance, legal writing, medical case histories, and more.
Narrative appears three times a year, in January, May, and October.
History of Narrative
As a result of the close relationship between the Ohio State University and SSNL that had developed over the years, it seemed natural to approach OSU Press with a proposal for a new journal. George Perkins wrote a prospectus for Narrative, James Phelan was persuaded to assume the editorship, and the press accepted the proposal. At the 1991 MLA meeting in San Francisco, Narrative was designated as SSNL's official journal, replacing JNT. An announcement and call for contributions was issued in the SSNL Newsletter for February 1992, with the first issue to appear in 1993. George Perkins and Barbara Perkins accepted positions as Associate Editors, and the new journal began seeking scholars to form an Advisory Board.
The success of Narrative was immediate. The inaugural issue, January 1993, boasted an Advisory Board of 24 major scholars in narrative and included contributions by Robert Scholes and Nancy R. Cromley, Susan Stanford Friedman, Elaine Showalter, Ramon Saldivar, Nancy Armstrong and Leonard Tennenhouse, Seymour Chatman, Gerald Graff, Ralph W. Rader, and Michael McKeon. In a difficult time for new journals, it quickly sold out. In December 1993 the Council of Editors of Learned Journals presented Narrative with its award for best new journal. Comments from the letter of congratulations included: "First-class presentation and design. Authors and Articles are all top-drawer. This journal has it all: significant subject matter . . . fascinating articles . . . distinguished advisory board; will have a significant impact."
Over the years, Narrative has become not only the most important outlet for work in narrative studies but it has risen to be one of the most-cited journals in Googlescholar’s general category of “literature and writing,” often ranking #1 in their tracking of citation rates.