This is my weekly editor’s letter, an introduction to our Top 10 blogs of the week email newsletter—a great way to follow elephant without getting overwhelmed (as opposed to, say, twitter or Facebook, where we’re verrry active). ~ ed.

We’re hiring an editor.

Our mission isn’t just to publish “Naked Yoga: Try this (only) at home” or “Naked Branson” kind of articles. Our mission isn’t just to be popular. It’s to offer quality news, information and entertainment that connects directly to our mission…

…to bring together those working (and playing) to create enlightened society. To be of benefit to a world full of suffering.

So it’s with some excitement that I announce that we’re looking for an editor. Now, over the last year, we haven’t had any money. So we haven’t had any staff. Colin Wiseman has donated his time designing the front and back end of our site…and I’ve never met him, he lives in Scotland. Bob Weisenberg donates his time as elephant’s Yoga Editor, which has instantly made our yoga editorial the strongest area of elephant’s diverse coverage. Tall Benjamin Riggs has headed up our Buddhist and meditation section from down South, again all-dana/seva. We have an amazing part-time accountant (whom I wish we kept busier). Only one staffer, Lindsey, has survived since our days as a magazine, and she’s half-time. In June, she’s moving to LA, though fortunately for you (!) she’ll keep working with me and elephant.

So I need to hire a new intern “dad” or “mom,” someone to lead and train them, and someone who can work with our various volunteer editors (if you’d like to volunteer as “green” or “family” or “arts” or “politics” or “adventure” or “bicycle” or “spirituality” or “animal rights” etc…editor, we ask for 10-20 hours a week and offer little but inspiration, training and community in return!).

Maxwell Perkins, in rare moment without hat, those eyes, that weird genius, one of the idols of my youth. The editor behind Fitzgerald, Hemingway, other greats. ~ W.

We’re hiring on a PT editor (we can’t afford FT). If you or someone is interested, let us know (include resume, cover letter, embarrassing facebook photos we’ll find online anyway). The complete job description is here.

I wish…anyone want to sponsor us to beseech/besiege my-idol-Linda Sparrowe to come on as elephant’s editor?

A bit about the job. We just can’t hire anyone without formal journalism training (four years undergrad is a good start) and in-the-field-editorial experience. Social media / new media experience is a bonus. We’re definitely not hiring any of our chummy friends. This job comes with a 1.5 – 2 year commitment minimum, after a brief trial period, and the ideal candidate would also want to move up to full-time as we continue to figure out how to make our 443,000 unique visitors/month (Google Analytics, growing 20% a month) platform for “the mindful life” into a real, live, sustainable, viable business.

Yours in aiming to bring old school journalistic integrity to the wild west of New Media,

Waylon Lewis
editor-in-chief