Jess Jelsma Masterton

Jess Jelsma Masterton serves as Assistant Professor of Publishing and Media Entrepreneurship at Susquehanna University with dual appointments spanning the English Department and Sigmund Weis School of Business. She concurrently directs SU Press and leads FUSE: Society for Student Editors nationally, creating integrated pathways between literary creation and publishing entrepreneurship. Her professional journey includes nine years of teaching at Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth and Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference, plus editorial roles at Ruminate Magazine and Cincinnati Review.

Her academic foundation includes:

• BA in Anthropology and Psychology from Cornell University
• MFA in Prose from University of Alabama
• PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from University of Cincinnati

Jess's scholarly identity merges creative practice with publishing innovation. Her research interrogates sustainable models for small university presses—exemplified by her Chronicle of Higher Education essay "Can We Save the Small University Press?"—while her creative fiction explores memory and human fragility in venues like The Southern Review and Gettysburg Review. This duality fuels her interdisciplinary teaching, where students experience publishing as both art and business through SU Press operations and FUSE's national student editor network. Her "radical transparency" philosophy bridges academic theory and industry practice.

Her accolades demonstrate significant impact:

• Don Hendrie Jr. Memorial Fiction Prize winner
• Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee
• Featured in "40 Under 40" by Inside PA Lifestyle Magazine
• Truman Capote Literary Trust fellowship recipient

Jess cultivates next-generation publishing talent through immersive experiences: SU Press book productions (including her 2024 collections "Practice for Becoming a Ghost" and "of the throat"), FUSE's 200+ campus partnerships, and business-English hybrid courses. Her grant history with Sewanee Writers’ Conference and Oregon State University's Spring Creek Project informs current SU Press initiatives, while her ACES Conference presentations on ethical storytelling shape contemporary editorial standards. This ecosystem prepares students for publishing careers through applied learning rather than theoretical study alone.

Through SU Press and FUSE, Jess has built a nationally recognized student publishing incubator. SU Press operates as both academic department and functioning press, producing award-caliber literature while training students in every publishing facet. FUSE extends this impact across 40+ states, connecting student editors to professional development resources and national conferences. Her Wild Burro design studio further integrates visual storytelling, creating a holistic environment where students develop entrepreneurial skills alongside literary craft.