...and all the non-geek writers. And the grammar nazis. And the people who like reading interesting stuff. And the people who can get stuff done.

The Journal of Integrated Studies needs you.

Ok, I'll explain a little bit. The Journal of Integrated Studies, if you haven't heard of it yet, is a journal produced, filled, reviewed and managed by students in the MAIS program here at Athabasca. Which means, of course, that we need students to show us what they can do by submitting content, (in the form of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and of course articles) review the submitted content, do copyediting and proofreading, and running the whole thing on the editorial board.

I've been on the JIS board for nearly two years, now, and the board and other volunteers are pretty awesome people, if I do say so myself. I've had the opportunity to meet MAIS students (and a few alumni) that I hadn't run into in my courses, and work with them to produce a really good issue. I learned a great deal about what all goes into running a journal, all the things that have to be thought about and dealt with, and all the joys and headaches of a volunteer board with volunteer workers.

In doing reviews, I have had the chance to read closely some very interesting material written by my fellow MAIS students who obviously thought and researched a great deal, and know what they are talking about - often subjects I hadn't thought about or looked at in depth before. It has increased my skill at critical analysis, and taught me (and allowed me to teach others) about giving - and taking - contructive criticism.

The whole point of the journal is not just to showcase what MAIS students can produce, content-wise, but also to teach us valuable skills for both academic and non-academic settings.

So please, especially if you are towards the beginning of your MAIS program, consider volunteering with JIS. You don't have to give us any more time than you can afford, and, IMHO, we produce something you can be proud of. You can visit the JIS site for more information at: http://jis.athabascau.ca or you can email me at the address listed in my profile.

Thank you, we will now return you to your regularly scheduled program...