OUR STAFF

Our academically and culturally diverse staff members are graduate students at the department of Experimental Humanities and Social Engagement, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, New York University. 

Harry Huang

Editor-in-Chief

Harry earned his B.S. in Security and Risk Analysis at Penn State. He now works in product management and is pursuing his M.A. in Experimental Humanities & Social Engagement at NYU. His research interests involve the impact of social, political, and environmental policies on underserved communities. His short stories have been published in the Stringybark and Youth Imagination webzines. And his personal essay How Are You Doing? recently placed in the top ten of the Writer’s Digest Personal Essay Competition.

Lauren Holmes

Senior Editor – Nonfiction

Lauren earned her B.A. in English at San Diego State University. She is currently pursuing her M.A. in NYU’s XE (Experimental Humanities and Social Engagement) program. Her interests include queer theory, digital humanities, and Victorian literature. She focuses on the queer history of the 19th and 20th centuries through concurrent literature, as well as the expansion of queerness in digital spheres. On her free days, you’ll find her reading in dimly lit coffee shops, attending obscure live music shows, or playing guitar in private spaces.

Dan Merritt

Senior Editor – Poetry

Dan got a B.S. in English Literature at the University of Colorado: Boulder. He is now getting an M.A in Interdisciplinary Studies at XE at NYU. His research interest is experimental writing. He is also an aspiring DIY music artist, with a bunch of self-recorded, self-published albums on Spotify (they’re mostly punk). In his free time he likes writing music, recording music, writing poetry, playing Call of Duty, walking around and listening to music, taking pictures, etc.
Picture of Hazel Ma

Hazel Ma

Senior Editor- Art

Hazel Ma got her B.A. at St. John’s College (she’s been on both campuses in Annapolis and Santa Fe) with a degree in liberal arts. Now she is a student in the masters program at NYU‘s XE. She published a series of short stories in Chinese. Her research interests cover how traditional mysticisms (with a focus on Taoism) through the writings of Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung have implications for museum and architectural designs in historical and modern times.

Emily Kluin

Senior Editor- Fiction

Emily earned her B.A. in English at the University of South Dakota, specializing in creative writing. She now pursues an M.A. in the Experimental Humanities and Social Engagement program at NYU. She’s currently composing her master’s thesis, which takes the form of a science fantasy novel concerned with time, deification, and from a more technical standpoint, the capabilities/constraints of genre in fiction. Her research interests include storytelling, genre fiction, speculative fiction, comic studies, feminist theory, and queer theory. In her free time, she enjoys writing stories, playing tabletop role-playing games with her friends, and getting lost in the woods.

Schuyler Gardner

Digital Editor

Schuyler is a recent graduate of Columbia University with a B.A. in History. She is currently in her first year at NYU pursuing an MA in the Experimental Humanities and Social Engagement program. Her research interests include Dramatic literature, Early Modern theatre, food history, and gender studies. She focuses on what the foods mentioned within Early Modern dramatic literature reveal about the way group identities, particularly those surrounding gender, were formed. In her free time, she enjoys visiting museums, watching any and all Shakespeare adaptations, and playing the piano and autoharp.

Seon (Jamie) Shim

Social Media Editor

Seon (Jamie) Shim completed her B.A. as a national merit scholar in English Literature at Ewha Womans University in 2023. She studied Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Experimental Humanities and Social Engagement at New York University. Her work “East to West” was the grand prize winner of Ubyssey’s 2020 Science Fiction contest.

WHO WE ARE

Caustic Frolic is an interdisciplinary journal that publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, and digital and mixed media. We seek work that pushes the limits of genre, that dwells in the unexpected. We encourage all forms of creative and intellectual experimentation. 

Caustic Frolic publishes on a semiannual basis, collecting submissions from contributors around the globe. Our issues are published both online and in print. We value the potential of each form of publication; how we utilize both the digital and physical to publish work is just as important as what we publish. Each issue has a specific theme tied greater societal and cultural questions. Of course, we welcome broad interpretations of all our themes.

Caustic Frolic is a student-run, non-profit organization. We are funded and supported by New York University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences’ XE: Experimental Humanities & Social Engagement Program, formerly known as the John W. Draper Program. Caustic Frolic was predated by the interdisciplinary publication known as Anamesa, which ran from 2003 to 2016.

Our mission is to promote and publish a range of creative and intellectual work that goes beyond the limitations of genre. We seek to elevate the work of creators and thinkers who have a natural instinct for experimentation. We hope to incite conversations about social change by providing the space for our contributors to play with form, mix ideas, and dissect certain truths.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

Editor-in-Chief

The EICs’ main responsibility is overseeing both the internal and external Caustic Frolic communications and operations. The EICs manage the staff of editors and ensure the processes involved in creating and promoting each journal issue run smoothly. The EICs should be in consistent communication with both Senior Editors and Assistant Editors throughout the submission period, reading period, editing period, proofreading period, and layout design process. The EICs are the main points of contact for the journal’s faculty advisor and XE staff. The EICs are also responsible for all communication with outside individuals including but not limited to: past & current contributors, submitters, the printing facility, and NYU resources (for grant purposes, etc.). As all external communication should go through them, the EICs are responsible for sending acceptance/rejection letters, promoting the call for submissions outside of NYU, and finding/applying to grants.

A list of some of the EICs’ specific responsibilities follows: 

  • Plan each semester schedule and organize events including staff meetings, readings, etc.
  • Draft and present budget proposal to XE faculty
  • Make creative decisions regarding issue themes, social media campaigns
  • Oversee submission period, reading period, and editing period
  • Read all submissions and attend all genre decision meetings
  • Assist with editing pieces (if necessary)
  • Conduct final proofread of all pieces
  • Oversee design and layout process
  • Oversee website maintenance 
  • Conduct outreach on social media and to other programs/universities to promote submission period 
  • Manage Caustic Frolic email account 
    • Circulate call for submissions to past submitters and XE students/alumni/faculty
    • Collect incoming submissions
    • Reply to outside inquiries
    • Communicate with contributors regarding deadlines and release dates
    • Communicate announcements to XE administrator to distribute to all XE students and faculty
  • Manage Google Drive
    • Keep spreadsheets of contacts up-to-date
    • Keep record of submissions and acceptances/rejections
    • Organize Google Drive folders containing submissions
  • Send out acceptance/rejection letters to submitters 
  • Keep workflow and other administrative documents up-to-date
  • Keep archive up-to-date with library staff
  • Manage Posthaste* 

Senior Editors 

Senior Editors’ main responsibility is overseeing the communication and operations within each genre group. The Senior Editors are the main point of contact for the Assistant Editors. They should keep the EICs up-to-date regarding information such as: the editing process (who is editing which pieces, etc.), the dates/times of genre-specific meetings, and any problems as they arise. As the Senior Editors are in charge of managing their genres’ internal matters, all major communication with contributors and submitters should be run through the EICs.

A list of the Senior Editors’ specific responsibilities follows:

  • Read all pieces submitted to individual genre 
  • Schedule and coordinate meetings with genre editing staff
  • Run decision meetings
  • Assign who edits what pieces
  • Follow up consistently with assistant editors to make sure they are meeting reading, editing, and proofreading deadlines
  • Send edited pieces from assistant editors to EICs by designated date
  • Compile list of accepted pieces and take notes on specific edits needed for each piece at decision meetings
    • Send list to EICs 
  • Communicate with assistant editors regarding attendance and schedule for all Caustic Frolic meetings and events 
  • Participate in promoting call for submission period 
    • Social media posts
    • Emailing personal and professional contacts 

Assistant Editors

The Assistant Editors for each genre are responsible for helping curate and edit the content of each Caustic Frolic issue. The Assistant Editors work closely with individual contributors to edit accepted pieces. The Assistant Editors may help with layout process and website maintenance if they are interested.

A list of Assistant Editors’ responsibilities follows:

    • Read all submitted pieces for genre 
    • Attend decision meeting
    • Edit accepted pieces (to be discussed and assigned at decision meeting) 
    • Communicate with contributors throughout editing process
    • Send final drafts of edited pieces to senior editor by the designated date
    • Attend proofreading meetings
    • Assist with proofreading all finalized pieces
  • One assistant editor from each genre will assist with layout design for either print or digital 

Digital Editor

The Digital Editor is in charge of uploading new content (the new issue and Posthaste posts) as well as conducting any and all website maintenance. The Digital Editor should be familiar with WordPress. While the bulk of the Digital Editor’s work comes once the new issue is finished, if any bugs arise throughout the semester the Digital Editor should be prepared to fix the problem as soon as possible. The Digital Editor should prioritize making sure the website layout is clean and uniform across the current issue and archived pages. The Digital Editor is encouraged to refine website design, with approval from the EICs, to make sure the website evolves as the journal will in the years to come. 

Social Media Editor

The Social Media Editor is responsible for managing all Caustic Frolic social media pages (Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn). The Social Media Editor should create a social media schedule for the semester that involves creating biweekly posts (especially on Instagram). Social media posts should: advertise the call for submissions, promote past published pieces, share information for public Caustic Frolic events etc. The Social Media Editor is encouraged to work with the EICs to develop ongoing campaigns to strengthen the Caustic Frolic brand and increase outreach, such as a scheduled segment featuring contributors and editors. 

Contact Us:

19 University Pl. New York City, NY

causticfrolic@gmail.com

(949) 701 – 1109