Being\u00a0the\u00a0editor\u00a0of a publication\u00a0is\u00a0hard work.<\/p>\n
Beyond mapping out the content, proofreading\u00a0it\u00a0and laying it out on the page, there are countless editorial decisions and editor-to-writer interactions that\u00a0determine\u00a0what is\u00a0ultimately presented\u00a0to readers.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s\u00a0a full-time job \u2014\u00a0in\u00a0most\u00a0instances.<\/p>\n
However, in the case of academic journals, which engage scholarly subject matter authorities from around the world and serve small but deeply influential audiences, the herculean tasks at the top are often carried out by faculty\u00a0who already have a full-time gig.<\/p>\n
Such is the case for Hank Willenbrink, Ph.D., professor of English and\u00a0theater at The University of Scranton, who recently put the\u00a0finishing touches\u00a0on his first issue as editor-in-chief of \u201cEcumenica: Performance and Religion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe major thing I feel is \u2014 well, it\u2019s a few things,\u201d Dr. Willenbrink said. \u201cOne, I feel immense gratitude to the people who gave up their time to contribute to it, everyone from the editors to the contributors and the peer reviewers.\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0a lot of work that\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0get seen\u00a0and I really feel gratitude to everyone, including David Mason, who was the editor before me and\u00a0kind of held\u00a0my hand through so much of this.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe second thing I feel is:\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0just\u00a0damn\u00a0good scholarship. People are really bringing out their A-game. There are a lot of things in it that I find so fascinating. The different pieces speak to each other without knowing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The\u00a0122-page\u00a0special edition, filled with book and performance reviews, essays and roundtable conversations,\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0come together overnight.<\/p>\n
In some ways, it began in 2021, when Dr. Willenbrink\u2019s first contribution was published in \u201cEcumenica.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Ecumenica\u2019 was kind enough to work with me on that and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0really from there that we began a deeper connection,\u201d he said. \u201cAbout a year ago, they wrote to me and asked if I would be interested in taking on the editor-in-chief role. I said, \u2018Yeah. Absolutely.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Contributors in the new issue are currently employed at colleges on the West Coast, in the Ivy League and even across the border in Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe runway for issues like this can be up to two years,\u201d Dr. Willenbrink said. \u201cIn this\u00a0particular case, it was a bit more condensed, partially because of the editorial transition. We were really grinding on this\u00a0about a year or less than a year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Willenbrink describes \u201cEcumenica\u201d as existing to probe the intersection between all kinds of performance and religion, two broad categories that open\u00a0numerous\u00a0possibilities he hopes to explore\u00a0further\u00a0in future issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re always accepting people to pitch ideas for contributions or academic essays,\u201d he said. \u201cYou know what they say about Motel 6: \u2018We\u2019ll leave the light on for you.\u2019\u00a0We\u2019ve\u00a0always got the light on for folks that are interested in writing.\u201d<\/p>\n