Introducing Our New Writers
by Kalila Kingsford Smith
tD is thrilled to welcome nine new writers to our roster. Joining the writing team are:
and Lauren Putty White.
They’ve already gotten to work, with performance and book reviews. Stay tuned as they continue to write their first pieces in the coming months!
Inside Our Hiring Process
This new writer hiring process took place over a six month period as tD leadership worked together to democratically welcome new writers. We received a record number of applications and accepted less than a quarter of the applicants. The following tD writers and editors served as the volunteer panel of readers: Leslie Bush, Emma Cohen, Miryam Coppersmith, Ani Gavino, Darcy Grabenstein, Maddie Hopfield, Gregory King, Kalila Kingsford Smith, L. Graciella Maiolatesi, Leila Mire, Rhonda Moore, Mira Treatman, Whitney Weinstein, and Kristi Yeung.
The reading process occurred in two phases. In phase one, each reader closely read five to seven applications, answering questions in a google form about each applicant’s approach to writing and their potential for engagement with our mission. The readers also skimmed all applications to get a complete sense of the applicant pool. This initial data was collected and the strongest candidates were placed in a finalist category. In phase two, each reader selected eight of these finalists that would best fit in with our organization. The top applicants with the most votes were invited into our roster, and the remainder of the finalists have been placed on a waitlist in case we are able to invite in more writers at a later time. The process of skimming all of the applications and phasing the decision-making allowed the panel to identify and address their initial biases and then make a final selection based on a holistic consideration of how each applicant could best work within our team.
By Kalila Kingsford Smith
April 19, 2021
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