what is an undergraduate literary journal?

An literary journal is a collection of writings composed by various writers. As an undergraduate literary journal, we largely accept work from the undergraduates at UCI to compile into our annual collections. From research essays to short stories, photography to poetry…a multitude of stories told through various forms of creative expression all held within the bounds of a book. That’s the undergraduate literary journal Echolalia is striving to publish.

who can apply to be an editor?

Applications are open to all undergraduate students of any year, faculty, and degree currently enrolled at the University of California, Irvine. No prior editing experience is necessary, and we have worked with many different levels of experience and styles of editing.

In general, we are looking for Editors who are communicative, thoughtful, and eager to work with a Contributor on their piece—many pieces submitted to Echolalia are very personal and important to our Contributors, and we want Editors who recognise and work with that.

application requirements

When applications are open, we ask prospective Editors questions about their interest, any relevant experience, and what kind of work they are most comfortable editing. It is a relatively casual application, and there is no interview process that follows. They are not reviewed anonymously, and we hope to receive open and honest answers.

peer-editing process

Over the course of a quarter (Fall or Winter), Editors and Contributors will meet to discuss and workshop the Contributor’s piece. This can be done during Editor-Contributor Meetings or, if scheduling does not work out, on the pair’s own time.

At the beginning of the quarter, Echolalia aims to have an open Editor Meeting where new Editors can receive more thorough information about and guidance to the process, as well as have the opportunity to ask questions. Throughout the editing process, Editors are welcome to focus on whatever they are personally comfortable with, whether that is grammar, structure, or overarching themes in a Contributor’s piece. Largely, Contributors have the final say on their piece, but any feedback that feels applicable should be given openly and respectfully.

Generally, we will try to pair up Editors and Contributors who seem compatible based on writing/editing style. We cannot guarantee that this will work on a workshop or personal level. Any Editor or Contributor having issues is highly encouraged to reach out to a Board member, particularly their Managing Editor, with their concerns: we will do our best to make the editing process as comfortable as possible, whether that means giving advice, acting as a temporary mediating party, or reassigning the pair.

additional questions

If you have questions about the editing process, check if the FAQ page can provide answers.

Otherwise, email echolalia.journal@gmail.com and we will do our best to clarify.