Editing the Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies as a Hub of Publishing in a Local Academic Community

Journals circulate the life blood of academic publishing: authors need editors to help them present their work in its finest form, while readers need editors to deliver the most welcome reading, and editors need both authors and readers for their journals to thrive. Michael Cornett reflects on his career at the center of this symbiotic relationship as managing editor of the Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies. The institutional stability afforded by Duke University Press as the publisher of JMEMS and Duke University’s Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies as the campus home for the journal has allowed Cornett to develop an active hub of publishing that integrates the journal within a local academic community, while maintaining the public-facing connection to the wider world of publishing. Editing at its best is collaborative, community-based, knowledge-building work