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Maternity Cover: Editor

Paper Lanterns are hiring an interim editor for Issue 9. This position will be for 8 weeks, 30th March 2022 – 22nd May 2022, with the possibility of an extension. 

This is a paid part-time position, 7.5 hours a week at €13 an hour.

Hours are fully flexible but candidates must be available for an evening meeting one day a week.

We are working at home. Candidates must have access to a laptop and an internet connection.

Applications are invited from candidates currently residing within the island of Ireland. Paper Lanterns does not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, race, age, sexuality, class or membership within the Travelling community. All are welcome to apply, and preference will be given to those candidates who best meet the qualifications listed below.

The successful candidate will assist in:

  • Sorting, reading and selecting the submissions for the issue
  • Editing and proofreading the issue
  • Publishing content on social media platforms
  • Manage reviews section
  • Coordinate the teen summer short story competition

Experience

The successful candidate will have:

  • an awareness of the work that Paper Lanterns publishes and a keen interest and experience in promoting the voices of teenagers
  • Ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure
  • a good eye for proofreading
  • editing experience
  • strong communication skills
  • experience using Google Drive, Google Docs and Google Sheets to work collaboratively
  • the capacity to meet deadlines
  • the ability to work both independently and collaboratively
  • Experience working with a literary journal is preferred

A working knowledge of the following is preferred:

  • WordPress
  • Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
  • Marketing copywriting 

Interviews will be held on 10th March.

To apply, please send your CV and a one page covering letter to Grace, Amy and Maggie at paperlanternsjournal@gmail.com by 6 pm (GMT) on 2nd March.

Please let us know if you have any questions, or if there are any accommodations we can make.

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Hiring Interns for Issue 8 and 9

This January, we are interviewing for interns for our 8th and 9th issues:

Issue 8: January 26th – April 27th 2022

Issue 9: April 27th – August 10th 2022

Paper Lanterns hires one intern per issue. You do not have to be available for both cycles in order to apply.

Interns will get the chance to be involved in all aspects of producing a journal, from the submission and production process to editing and publicity. 

This is a paid part-time position, 7 hours a week at €11 an hour.

Hours are fully flexible but candidates must be available for an evening meeting one day a week.

We are working at home. Candidates must have access to a laptop and an internet connection.

The intern will assist in:

  • Sorting, reading and selecting the submissions for the issue
  • Proofreading the issue
  • Publishing content on the website (WordPress) and social media platforms
  • Developing the marketing database
  • Generating newsletter content in Mailchimp
  • Managing PR
  • Organising the launch

Experience:

The successful candidate must have a keen interest in YA literature.

Experience in marketing, a working knowledge of WordPress, and a keen eye for proofreading is preferred.

You must have the right to work in Ireland. Interviews will be held on January 19th.

To apply, please send your CV and covering letter to Grace, Amy and Maggie at paperlanternsjournal@gmail.com by 11 am (GMT) on 14th January.

Please let us know if you have any questions, or if there are any accommodations we can make.

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Review: Perfectly Preventable Deaths by Deirdre Sullivan

Perfectly Preventable Deaths
Deirdre Sullivan
Hot Key Books, 2019
Paperback, £7.99
ISBN 9781471408236

Perfectly Preventable Deaths hooks you from the very first pages, drawing you into a story filled with magic, witchcraft and sisterhood. The book follows Maddy and her twin Catlin, who have just moved to the secluded town of Ballyfrann in Galway with their new stepfather. Catlin is eager to meet new people and find her perfect match.

Maddy, however, has a harder time trusting anyone in Ballyfrann. She is worried for her sister. She grows suspicious when she learns of not-entirely-explainable-or-natural things going on in Ballyfrann. Soon, Maddy is fearing for a lot more than just her life. I instantly loved Maddy, and though she annoyed me on occasion, I also became attached to Catlin. The plot was slow in the beginning, mainly focusing on building the atmosphere, which definitely paid off in the end.

Though I loved many things about this book, the writing has to be my favourite. Something about the way Deirdre Sullivan has written this story makes it beautiful, eerie and utterly unique at the same time. Sullivan’s writing is reminiscent of the likes of Erin Morgenstern and Stephanie Garber. The entire layout of the book was also expertly done and you can’t help but admire the finished product. With the constant mystery and plot twists, this book is hard to put down and even harder to forget.

Sara Kwiatkowska, 13

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Review: Banshee Rising by Riley Cain

Banshee Rising
Riley Cain
Currach Books, October 2021
Paperback, £10.99
ISBN 9781782189145

We are met with Irish teen protagonist, Caitlyn McCabe, who has the unique ability to see ghosts and spirits in her everyday life. Caitlyn, a not-so ordinary girl from Dublin, doesn’t know much about why or how she has this peculiar ability, but after a school trip to Newgrange, she meets Professor Sackimum Brody. The Professor is the only one who can help Caitlyn navigate her powers, tell her more about her dead parents, and guide her to defeating an evil only Caitlyn can defeat, rising from the third immortal realm of forgotten spirits.

A story with the twistiest plot twists and a plot with the perfect amount of complexity, I found this novel perfectly balanced, with plentiful, well-developed characters. The novel is set in modern day Dublin, but as Caitlyn switches between the three realms: mortal, immortal and forgotten, we get a mix of contemporary and Ancient Irish characters and concepts, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The only major issue I found was excessive characters, which were sometimes hard to keep track of, but that issue was quickly overruled by excellent character development, especially in the main characters, Caitlyn McCabe and Professor Brody.

This novel is written from a third person point of view, but this doesn’t at all limit the reader’s connection with and understanding of the characters. Cain blends paranormality with an Irish teenager’s life to create an enjoyable novel, especially for those who enjoy folklore, mythology and Ancient Irish history. A story well worth a read!

Maheen Cheema, 13

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Review: The Wanderer by Josie Williams

The Wanderer
Josie Williams
Firefly Press, October 2021
Paperback, £8.99
ISBN 9781913102661

Seventeen-year-old Ryder Edmonds died five years ago. Stuck on Earth, he spends his afterlife with his best friend Jade wandering amongst the living as a ghost. When Ryder encounters fifteen-year-old Maggie Nichols, a shy redhead
who enjoys listening to Queen and reading fantasy novels, he falls head over heels in love. After saving Maggie from a dangerous situation, Ryder realises that he will do anything to spend more time with her — including possessing one of her schoolmates.

Josie Williams’ debut presents a nuanced love story that deals with difficult issues such as death and bereavement while also enthralling the reader with a light-hearted teen romance. Despite Ryder’s mistakes, the reader cannot help but sympathise with him and Maggie as they seek out happiness and companionship in a lonely, cruel world.

The Wanderer is a poignant narrative that tackles the impact of death and loss while depicting a moving account of the joy and warmth of first love. Williams presents the reader with a vividly realised setting and a cast of colourful characters as the story of Maggie and Ryder’s growing love for each other unfolds.

A beautiful novel about finding the positives during times of difficulty, this book discusses death and grief with gravitas and sensitivity, while also reminding the reader to enjoy the little things in life.

Joanna Geoghegan

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Review: So, This Is Christmas by Tracy Andreen

So, This Is Christmas
Tracy Andreen
Viking Books, October 2021
Hardback, £18.99
ISBN 9780593353127

When Finley Brown decides to leave her fancy boarding school for Christmas and go to her hometown of Christmas, Oklahoma, she expected everything to be just as she left it. Finley could never have been prepared for what met her — separated parents, her best friend with her ex-boyfriend and worst of all, her classmate Arthur Chakrabarti Watercress and his aunt staying at her grandmother Jo’s inn. To add to the confusion, Finley’s hometown has some expectations to live up to after she embellished their website to win over her snooty classmates. This means that the irritating Arthur and his aunt are expecting a perfect American Christmas! However, through their festive activities and not so festive escapades, Finley discovers Arthur may not be as annoying as she first thought…

Tracy Andreen perfectly appeals to teenagers today with her understanding of the frenemy dynamic. Everyone can relate to the frustration Finley experiences throughout the novel, for example, when she knows someone isn’t telling her everything. I think it helped that Andreen had previously written nine Hallmark movies, as she has written the perfect holiday romance — you might cringe at times but oh-so worth it to watch the characters fall in love. I would recommend So, This Is Christmas to anyone seeking a cosy tale of unexpected affection with exciting plot twists.

Aoibhe Toft, 15

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Review: Not Here To Be Liked by Michelle Quach

Not Here To Be Liked
Michelle Quach
Usborne Publishing Ltd, September 2021
Paperback, £6.99
ISBN 9781474989732

Not Here To Be Liked is a novel that brought me so much joy and lifted me out of a reading slump. It is about a feminist called Eliza Quan who is running for editor-in-chief of her school newspaper which she has a great chance of winning, until out of the blue, ex-baseball player and jock Len DiMartile decides to run against her.

Of course Len wins, and to quote the book, “When Eliza’s frustration spills out in a viral essay, she finds herself inspiring a feminist movement she never meant to start, caught between those who believe she’s a gender equality champion and others who think she’s simply crying misogyny.”

I was surprised by how much I loved the feminist aspect of the book and despite being a feminist myself, I was worried it would be too “in your face”. However, it is a topic that fits perfectly into the story without overpowering it.

I love the relationships between the characters, especially Winona and Eliza whose differences really balanced each other out. The relationship between Len and Eliza really kept me on my toes, I didn’t know what was going to happen next. I think that was an excellent representation of the author’s style of writing. I would recommend it to anyone but especially for fans of Jenny Han, Mary H.K. Choi and Emiko Jean.

Medb O’Gorman

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Review: Too Dark to See by Chloë Heuch

Too Dark to See
Chloë Heuch
Firefly Press, 2020
Paperback £7.99
ISBN 9781913102166

Too Dark to See is not just another story about a teenage girl grieving her mother, although it is that too. At its core, this is a story about love and all the different kinds of love; familial love, romantic love, as well as the love that comes from our friends.

The novel follows our protagonist, Kay, as she tries to navigate the world after the tragic death of her mother. It encompasses a whole range of firsts for Kay, as she has to move to a new town, navigate teenage friendships, and grow up a lot faster than she perhaps would have otherwise. Whilst reading, it was often difficult to remind myself that Kay was only fifteen and sixteen years old throughout the span of the story. This is what makes Too Dark to See unique when there are so many contemporary YA stories out there that contain similar themes of grief. Heuch has masterfully written how grief can affect a person in a way that they cannot even see it, making this a book well worth reading.

This book’s writing style has a mythical, fairy tale-like quality to it. The reader feels almost detached from the story yet connected to it all at once. It is an odd feeling, but one that I think makes sense when you read the book. It is just another way that the author conveys the grief-filled emotions of Kay to readers.

I particularly loved when Kay meets and forms a bond with Siôn, for he is like a kindred spirit to her. He has also been through a lot, but he shares the peace that he has found in nature with Kay. She then discovers hope and purpose in the wildlife of the world that has taken so much from her in a really beautiful way.

This book is at times hard to read, but all-in-all, it is a special read that I highly recommend.

Niamh O’Donnell