Chelsea Kern

The mission of the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses is to serve print and digital independent literary magazines and presses. Because independent literary publishers are mission- versus market-driven, their success is not only measured by sales, but also by the community they nurture, the social transformation they inspire, and the diverse array of voices they bring forth into the culture at large. The Leading Edge Fellow will be responsible for expanding CLMP’s membership, developing CLMP’s programs, and executing research in the literary publishing field, with a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. They will initiate outreach to new members, with a focus on publishers whose staff and writers are made up of BIPOC individuals; assist in the administration of the Constellation Award for Literary Publishers, which supports the work of Black-led presses and presses whose mission is to champion the work of BIPOC authors; produce digital resources and help coordinate fieldwide trainings on racial justice; and gather demographic information about CLMP members to determine the diversity of their workforce and the writing they publish toward improving representation and inclusion in the literary publishing field.