Center for the Study of Science Fiction
AboutSF Project

The Center for the Study of Science Fiction's newest project is AboutSF. A University of Kansas student employee serves as the project's Volunteer Coordinator; from 2005-2007, the Volunteer Coordinator was Thomas Seay, who also built AboutSF.com; from 2007-2010, Nathaniel Williams held the position; in spring 2010, it was Samantha Simmons; and from summer to fall 2010, Kristen Lillvis. Starting in 2011, the new Volunteer Coordinator is Benjamin Cartwright, and our new Web Developer/Designer is Patrick Flor.

These positions are funded entirely by donations to the Center, and all donations go entirely to paying the Coordinator's salary, with a small amount covering expenses such as travel to conventions where the Coordinator talks and leads workshops.

The AboutSF.com website is the project's resource center, hosting information about and collaboration on SF and education in the field. Among our projects:

• A speakers' bureau (Speculation Speakers) for futurists, science fiction and fantasy authors, and other experts on speculative thinking.
• Creating courses on teaching SF via the Center and the University of Kansas.
• Facilitating literature donations.
• Curriculum resources for Teaching SF, for using and studying science fiction at the primary, secondary, and university levels.
• Hosting a consortium of SF-friendly university programs.
• Coordinating volunteer efforts across the speculative fiction field.
• And much more to be announced as it goes live!

AboutSF is a joint project of the University of Kansas Center for the Study of Science Fiction, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and the Science Fiction Research Association, with generous support from Tor Books, the KaCSFFS ConQuest SF Convention, and several individual donors.

To read the latest news on AboutSF projects, keep an eye on the AboutSF News and Announcements Forum.

 AboutSF Volunteer Coordinator Position

Are you passionate about speculative fiction? Do you want to get involved in the heart of SF while helping keep it vital? Well, then, perhaps you’re the person we’re looking for!

Who are we? The Center for the Study of Science Fiction (described on this website) and About SF (hosted here).

We are looking for a KU student (graduate or undergraduate) to work for our growing programs. Because our first student-employee went on into a life of politics, our second employee moved into a research capacity, and our third got her PhD, you have the opportunity to shape the position to best serve our mission as you see it.

You are:

• Self-motivated, self-directed, and able to work creatively toward solutions with minimal intervention.
• Open to mentoring and direction, when needed.
• Excellent at managing your time and prioritizing projects. The tasks of this job are wide and varied, some a few minutes long and some long-term.
• Excited about meeting the movers and shakers in the SF field as well coordinating volunteers around the world. A successful AboutSF Coordinator stays in regular touch with writers, editors, publishers, donors, volunteers, and many others via phone calls, email, snail-mail, blogs, and more.
• Able to communicate clearly, concisely, and regularly via the Web, email, telephone, and in person.
• Excellent at researching on the Web and via traditional methods.
• Enthusiastic about traveling to SF conventions and other venues around the country to meet people, promote our programs, and deliver the occasional talk or workshop.
• Experienced with or have a proven passion for developing educational programs and teaching.
• Familiar with science fiction and the field. You need not be an expert, but should be able to learn quickly and speak intelligently about the subject.
• Familiar with building and maintaining websites, or able to quickly learn how to do so.
• Familiar with communicating via social networks, blogs, and video sites.
• Able to work year-round.

Preferably, you are:

• Familiar with Web-development languages including the Drupal platform tool, CSS, and HTML. Handy for working with old pages are .php, MySQL, Javascript, DHTML, XML, and Ajax.
• Comfortable with graphic-design software such as PhotoShop.
• Familiar with content-editing programs (text, presentations, and so on).
• Familiar with video-editing or film-editing software.

Job responsibilities include:

• Writing proposals for educational presentations.
• Writing grants for financial support.
• Coordinating world-wide volunteer activities in support of science fiction.
• Creating content for the AboutSF.com website, including educational materials.
• Managing the AboutSF.com website and working with volunteer Web developers.
• Writing weekly reports via our blog to the world and via email to our Board of Advisors.
• Approving and editing content provided by others to be posted to the AboutSF website.

To apply, send us a resume and letter (to Chris McKitterick at cmckit@ku.edu) describing how you fit our vision and why you're passionate about science fiction. Tell us how you understand the AboutSF mission and how you feel you can extend our reach. Applications must arrive by 4:00pm on Monday, August 30, at the very latest. Sooner is better!

This is a part-time, student-hourly position funded entirely by donations (fully funded for the coming school year), with contract re-appointment reviewed by the Board of Directors each semester. Beyond a paycheck, the benefits of working inside science fiction are immeasurable!