Team Sledgehammer

We need help

Sledgehammer Lit was launched on a whim during the second Guernsey lockdown.

Aside from a fairly nebulous vision of creating an inclusive space to showcase exuberant poetry and flash, our founding EIC had no idea what to expect from this fledgling literary magazine. Would anyone even answer the call for submissions?

In a few short months Sledgehammer has grown beyond our wildest expectations. We received 2401 poems and 587 flash pieces during our initial 92-day reading period, returning the vast majority of decisions within seven days.

We are thrilled by the reception Sledgehammer has received from all corners of the literary community, but it's clear that running a daily journal is too much work for one person.

We are looking to recruit a small team of volunteer readers/editors/helping hands to help keep Sledgehammer going as we grow and expand our vision to include print publications as well as our daily online offerings.

The goal is to have an editorial team in place before we re-open to submissions on 20 August.

Does this sound good to you?

email us the following items:

an introductory statement. we want to know what makes you tick, why you want to be a part of Team Sledgehammer, and what you like and dislike about poetry (or your philosophy in general)
links to some of your favourite pieces, either from Sledgehammer or elsewhere around the net.
what role you are interested in
a link to your favourite GIF (optional but appreciated)
any links to your writer's website or artist portfolio, etc...
include the words GREEN M&Ms in the subject of your email, so we know you read the instructions thoroughly.

Join the Team

So what are we looking for? If you've read our submission guidelines, you'll know that's not the easiest question for us to answer, but we'll try our best.

NOW ACCEPTING STAFF APPLICATIONS

open now thru 16 July

We are looking for volunteers with a passion for exuberant poetry and flash, who are willing to dedicate some of their time to the business of keeping Sledgehammer going.

ASSISTANT EDITOR: we're looking for someone to be the Ren to my Stimpy, the Tango to my Cash, the Oates to my Garfunkel. This is a 'jack-of-all-trades' role, including reading submissions, scheduling pieces and helping with the website, social media hype work, and brainstorming new ways for Sledgehammer to engage the literary community. This person needs to be kind of a rockstar.

ARTSY-FARTSY TYPES: we're pretty handy with the GIFs here at Sledgehammer, but we could use some help creating in-house graphics to promote our fabulous contributors and create stunning covers for the Sledgehammer Chaps series.

RADICAL READERS: we're looking to take on a small squad of bespectacled bookworms (screen worms) to read and give feedback on incoming submissions. Sledgehammer is known for its quick turnaround time, and we would like to preserve that as much as we can. As we get a large volume of submissions, we are keen to spread the reading around.

GUEST EDITORS / COLLABORATIONS: do you have an idea for a themed chapbook or anthology you'd love to see happen? We're down to collaborate. Pitch us that rad idea and we can see where it goes.

BLAH BLAH BLAH: Volunteering for a literary journal can be a lot of work, but it's also super rewarding. We're pretty laid back at Sledgehammer, but we take what we do (giving a home to exuberant poetry and flash) seriously. We're looking for reliable volunteers who can commit time and energy to

Sledgehammer and we will big you up for it at every opportunity.

DIVERSITY: We value diversity, and are keen to recruit people of all backgrounds and nationalities, LGBTIA+, NB, BIPOC, neurodivergent, disabled, etc... however you identify, go ahead and apply!