Gatekeeping and DEIA: GW Ethics in Publishing Conference
Channel: GW Publishing
Date: 2022-10-23

Gatekeeping and DEIA
GW Ethics in Publishing Conference— October 14, 2022

Taking Action to Interrupt Racism in the Scholarly Publishing Industry (C4DISC)
Alejandra Mejía, Assistant Acquisitions Editor, Duke University Press 
Martha A. Anderson, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Head of Digital Services, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville Libraries

Ethical Mentorship: Bringing Early-Career to the Table (Paths in Publishing)
Rachael Levay, Editor-in-Chief, University Press of Colorado
Allegra Martschenko, Acquisitions Editor, University Press of Colorado
Brian Halley, Executive Editor, University of Massachusetts Press

Navigating academic publishing as a racialized person, be it Black, Indigenous, or from another racialized group, can be a very challenging experience. In 2018 the Scholarly Kitchen published a series of articles that showcased brave, personal testimonies from Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) across different organizations. The Toolkits for Equity project emerged as one such mechanism to work toward a more equitable, affirming, and just industry. In the larger scope of an increasingly unequal world where racialized people suffer in many different ways, this particular toolkit, the Antiracism Toolkit for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), is a small yet specific contribution, and one that we hope will be meaningful and useful to BIPOC-identifying individuals navigating an industry that can be wonderful, but also hostile. In this panel we would like to share our experiences in creating, writing, and editing this toolkit, as well as how we intend for it to be used by our colleagues in scholarly publishing. 

Martha Anderson is the current Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Head of Digital Services at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville Libraries. Her professional and research interests include DEI, developing cohesive organizational cultures, digitization, and digital preservation. 

Alejandra Mejía (@paranoidreader) is an Assistant Editor at Duke University Press where she acquires books in Latinx history and manages the Book Acquisitions student worker program. She has been involved in various Equity and Inclusion initiatives in academic publishing, including as a contributing writer for the Antiracism Toolkit for Allies and as the co-lead of the Antiracism Toolkit for BIPOC, both hosted by C4DISC. 

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As scholarly publishing further develops its investment in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ), we broadly understand that a major challenge is an ongoing and persistent need to retain staff beyond entry-level positions. Mentorship is a crucial method of retention and advancement at all levels, but for many early-career folks in scholarly publishing, finding and developing a relationship with a mentor can be a challenge–and if one’s mentor is their supervisor, it can be even harder to get support when considering a job move. Paths in Publishing, a new free mentorship program, shares ways for those in early career positions (applying into or out of entry level work) to get feedback on cover letters, resumes, and interviewing but also engage with the ideas that are central to landing a job in this field: understanding terminology, navigating and negotiating pay, and exploring conceptual ideas about scholarly publishing via reading groups and webinars. 

Rachael Levay (she/her) is a PIP cofounder, Editor-in-Chief at the University Press of Colorado, and acquires for the Utah State University Press imprint. She’s been an acquisitions editor for nearly five years and was the Marketing and Sales Director at the University of Washington Press for 11 years. 

Allegra Martschenko (she/they) is a PIP cofounder and an acquisitions editor at the University Press of Colorado, acquiring in anthropology, archeology, and environmental justice for the Colorado imprint. They started in publishing as a Sales intern at Princeton University Press, did a brief stint in children’s trade publishing, and spent a year at Cornell University Press as a 2020-2021 Mellon Diversity Fellow before joining UPC in 2021. 

Brian Halley (he/him) started his career assisting literary agent Rachel Calder of the Sayle Agency in London before working his way up to Editor at Beacon Press. He is now Executive Editor at the University of Massachusetts Press, where he has worked since 2009. He has served on the Association of University Presses Board of Directors and currently serves on the AUP Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Committee, which he previously co-chaired.