DENNE MICHELE NORRIS
New York
Summary
Ambitious and dynamic editor and non-profit leader with ten years experience leading major literary publications and nine years working in the non-profit sector. Skilled in all editorial matters as well as team building, management, and collaborative work to drive the visibility and relevance of public facing literary organizations.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Editor-in-Chief
Electric Literature
08.2021 - Current
- Collaborate with Executive Director to drive the editorial vision of the site and manage overall editorial operations for digital publication with more than 3 million readers annually.
- Acquire and edit essays, assign articles to interns and contributing writers, and review pitches and submissions.
- Increase readership and online presence through strategic content planning, audience engagement, and implementing SEO best practices.
- Collaborate with Executive Director and grants writer on fundraising campaigns and all budgetary matters.
- Manage a staff of interns, editors, and regular contributing writers.
SENIOR FICTION EDITOR
The Rumpus
01.2017 - Current
- Company Overview: A prominent digital publication that sees 300k visitors monthly and maintains a large social media reach.
- Select, edit, and publish award-winning short fiction.
- Publish two Original Fiction pieces every month for The Rumpus.
- Manage team of fifteen readers through 2 submissions periods annually in which we regularly read and assess some 3500 entries for 24 publication slots.
- Have personally selected, edited, and published multiple PEN/Robert J. Dau Award for Emerging Writers winners since 2017.
- A prominent digital publication that sees 300k visitors monthly and maintains a large social media reach.
CO-HOST/CREATOR/WRITER
Food 4 Thot Podcast
01.2016 - 07.2023
- Company Overview: A QPOC podcast that averages 40,000 downloads per episode.
- Work collaboratively to create content for over 75 live and recorded episodes examining literature, pop culture, and sexuality.
- Continue to grow global listenership.
- Cultivate and maintain a strong social media brand.
- Coordinate complex writing, recording, editing, advertising, and production schedules for all recorded episodes.
- Coordinated collective travel arrangements for recent five-city cross-country tour accommodating all four hosts and the producer.
- Regularly create new segments and write content for existing segments on a weekly basis.
- Write and edit all digital copy for all digital listening platforms.
- Plan and execute live episodes and promotional appearances.
FICTION EDITOR
Apogee Journal
01.2016 - 01.2019
- Company Overview: A journal that publishes writers from marginalized identities.
- Lead a team of readers in evaluating over 600 fiction submissions annually.
- Edited all accepted fiction submissions for publication in two print publications annually and ongoing digital publication.
- Supported Managing Editor in grant applications, event planning, organizing craft and literary activism workshops, further global community outreach and expanding Apogee's global readership.
- Mentored fiction readers in developing confidence in editorial skills.
MANAGER OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Figure Skating in Harlem
01.2015 - 01.2019
- Increased the number of students who gain acceptance to selective elementary, middle, high schools, and colleges over four application cycles.
- Hosted and facilitated educational access workshops.
- Designed and implemented career development programming.
- Tracked and reported admissions data to funders.
- Planned and executed 20+ events per season.
- Provided sustained and personally relevant college guidance to high school juniors and seniors.
- Created and maintained complex admissions calendar for 35-45 children of all ages applying to elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as college.
- Organized admissions timeline taking into account application deadlines, test-taking preparation and deadlines, interview deadlines, and financial aid deadlines.
- Supported Director of Education in running daily after-school educational programming for 50 girls ages 6-18.
- Extensive curriculum development and event planning.
- Worked closely with all graduating seniors on personal statements for college applications, and support alumnae in career development.
- Planned and executed Career Week: a weeklong series of field trips and presentations delivered by various New York City professionals.
- Coordinated detailed travel itineraries, interfaced with Career Week partners and Board Members to design agendas and execute fun-filled, engaging learning experiences.
- Frequent data tracking, entry, analysis, and grant-writing on educational and admissions benchmarks.
- Conducted media and public speaking training for students for frequent public engagement, particularly during the 2018 Olympic season.
CURRICULUM COORDINATOR
Harlem Children's Zone
01.2013 - 08.2015
- Supervised the design and implementation of numerous project-based semester-long curriculum integrating literacy, writing, and various art forms across an agency comprised of over 15 sites for middle and high school students.
- Managed small staff of teaching artists facilitating weekly writing classes, designing pre and post-assessments, and aligning curriculum to NYS Common Core standards.
- Lead staff of 25 teaching artists in designing and facilitating regular positive youth development, arts pedagogy, literacy, and cultural competency workshops.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
The Juilliard School
01.2012 - 01.2013
- Provided general office support for high-level administrators.
- Supervised student employees in a fast-paced atmosphere.
- Answered phones, ingoing and outgoing mail correspondence, internal and external departmental communications, departmental calendar.
- Planned and executed school-wide, public facing events, run errands, coordinate travel.
- Developed, mentored, and supported student leadership initiatives.
Education
M.F.A. - FICTION
Sarah Lawrence College
01.2012
B.A. - ENGLISH
Haverford College
01.2008
Skills
- Microsoft Office
- Google Drive
- SquareSpace
- Wix
- AirTable
- Wordpress
- Submittable
- Canva
- Mailchimp
Websites
Accomplishments
My debut novel, When the Harvest Comes, will be published by Random House on April 15th, 2025. As an editor, my anthology, Both/And: Essays by Trans and Gender Nonconforming Writers of Color, inspired by the Electric Literature series of the same name, is forthcoming from HarperOne.
Community Engagement
- Advisory Board Member, Freya Project, 01/01/20, Present
- Board Member, Open Source Gallery, 01/01/20—04/14/2022
Accolades
- MacDowell Colony Fellow, 2017
- 2x Pushcart Prize Nominee, 2017
References
- Darline Lalanne, Director, Education and Family Programs, New York Cares, 646.220.7733, darline.lalanne@gmail.com
- Serena Aquino, Director of Education, Figure Skating in Harlem, 323.788.0023, serena.j.aquino@gmail.com
- Alexandra Watson, Managing Editor, Apogee Journal, 315.559.7432, alexandra@apogeejournal.org
- Marisa Siegel, Editor-in-Chief, The Rumpus, 123.456.7890, marisa@therumpus.net
Hobbies and Interests
- Figure Skating
- Yoga
- Podcasts
Timeline
Editor-in-Chief
Electric Literature
08.2021 - Current
SENIOR FICTION EDITOR
The Rumpus
01.2017 - Current
CO-HOST/CREATOR/WRITER
Food 4 Thot Podcast
01.2016 - 07.2023
FICTION EDITOR
Apogee Journal
01.2016 - 01.2019
MANAGER OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Figure Skating in Harlem
01.2015 - 01.2019
CURRICULUM COORDINATOR
Harlem Children's Zone
01.2013 - 08.2015
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
The Juilliard School
01.2012 - 01.2013
M.F.A. - FICTION
Sarah Lawrence College
B.A. - ENGLISH
Haverford College
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