Frequently Asked Questions
What is FUSE?
The Forum for Undergraduate Student Editors is an organization run by students and their faculty advisers that strives to cultivate a diverse and ever growing community of undergraduate students, faculty, and university partners for the purpose of collaboration, conversation, and education. Through conferences, caucuses, reviews and interviews, the Forum for Undergraduate Student Editors hopes to create a collective of voices and a rich rhetoric among undergraduate literary journals. In other words, we seek to be a support system for undergraduate literary writing and are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to serve our constituents.
How do we become a member and why should we?
It's easy to become a member! Simply send us an email through our "contact us" button at the bottom of any page stating that you would like to become a member, and we will get in contact with you about your next steps and assist in the creation of you chapter. Membership is a paid, annual subscription that gives two students free admission to that year's conference (if held in person), or open admission to all students and faculty to digital events, and the opportunity to run for national officer positions and write reviews and interviews for the FUSE website.
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Some more basic information on starting a FUSE chapter at your college or university can be found here.
FUSE Constitution
What is the FUSE Conference and how does it work?
The FUSE Conference is an annual undergraduate conference hosted by a member institution. Past locations include Bennington College, Bowling Green State University, Davidson College, Widener University, Cabrini University, and Susquehanna University. While the conference is frequently held on the east coast, we would love to see the conference hosted anywhere and everywhere that students make undergraduate journals.
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Each conference features one or more professional speakers and workshops as well as student-run panels on different questions and subjects surrounding the publishing world and students' work as writers and editors. Past speakers include Nimisha Ladva, Martin Espada, and Cheryl E. Ball. Each conference is different, but each is designed with this question in mind: "How can we make sure students get the most that they can out of this experience?"
Can FUSE alumni continue to be involved?
There is currently no official way for alumni to stay involved with FUSE since it is designed for undergraduate students, but there are a few ways that alumni can help to grow FUSE for current undergraduates. Are you now working for a publishing house? You could reach out as a willing interview participant, giving a writing opportunity to a FUSE member. Similarly, you could offer an internship opportunity to FUSE members, increasing their professional understanding. Maybe we could schedule a group job shadowing opportunity for FUSE members.
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Maybe you are in an MFA program now. If so, see if your university's undergraduate writing program is currently a FUSE affiliated member who sends students to the FUSE conference. If not, perhaps spearhead the creation of a FUSE chapter on your university's campus to be enjoyed by undergraduate students and give them professional opportunities they may not have otherwise.