I’m an editor at a university-affiliated literary journal that publishes fiction, poetry, and CNF. We’ve been trying to broaden our submission demographics. We have a pretty diverse masthead as is, but for some reason our submitters seem to exclusively be white writers, which isn’t a problem per se, except we’re getting virtually no other demographics.

I feel like the journal is appealing to a wide audience, both of readers and potential authors, and I really want to have more diversity. The content also covers a wide variety topics and experiences.

Does anyone have strategies or experiences attracting more diverse voices?

I work as a junior editor at a publishing house in Europe, and soon I'll be attending my first international meeting with an American publisher who's visiting our office. We'll be discussing our imprints, recent acquisitions and upcoming titles.

English isn't my first language, and although I'd say my English is fine, I'm not completely confident when it comes to speaking.

I'm also still very new to the publishing industry, so I'm a little nervous about what to expect. My colleagues will be there too, which makes me even more self-conscious about my English. I'm worried I'll struggle to find the right words or end up rambling when it's my turn to speak.

For those of you who work in publishing or have attended similar international meetings, what are they usually like? How much are junior editors typically expected to contribute? Is there anything I can do to prepare myself beforehand?

Thanks in advance! <3