Editor-in-Chief: Emily Rose Thorne, editorofcluster@gmail.com
Managing Editor: Mary Helene Hall, managingcluster@gmail.com
Digital Editor: Ian Henshaw, digitaleditorcluster@gmail.com
News Editor: Nadia Pressley, newseditorcluster@gmail.com
Arts & Culture Editor: Ivy Marie Clarke, artseditorcluster@gmail.com
Lifestyle & Opinion Editor: Chance Allen, lifestylecluster@gmail.com
Sports Editor: Micah Johnston, sportseditorcluster@gmail.com
Photography Editor: Serena Golden, photoeditorcluster@gmail.com
Layout Editor: Jen Jones, clusterdocs@gmail.com
Adviser: Alex Morrison, advisercluster@gmail.com
As a policy, The Cluster does not accept requests to insert links into its articles. Please do not contact our editors with that request. Those emails will not receive a response.
Submission Guidelines
The Cluster represents the voices of current students at Mercer University. We welcome students' submissions, pitches and queries as long as they follow our guidelines. Only on rare occasions will The Cluster publish non-student work; almost always, these exceptions will be letters to the editor from alumni or faculty/staff. Please do not contact our editors with pitches if you are not a current or former student or faculty/staff member. Those emails will not receive a response.
The best way to get involved with The Cluster, either by taking an assignment from our editors or by pitching your own idea, is to attend our editorial meetings. Meetings take place every other Monday at 5 p.m. in the Center for Collaborative Journalism, which is located in Mercer Village. Our editors are available to hear pitches and speak individually with interested students at this time. **During the COVID-19 pandemic, our meetings are now virtual. Please contact Mary Helene Hall or Emily Rose Thorne for access to our next meeting.**
If you cannot attend a meeting, you may contact the appropriate editor with your pitch. We prefer that you tell us your idea for a story rather than submit a full, unsolicited draft, so that we can decide whether your story is a fit for us — and so that you don’t put your hard work into something we don’t have room to publish! We will also want to work with you to shape your story to ensure it fits journalistic standards and meets The Cluster’s reporting guidelines.
In an email, let us know what your story is about, what sources or contacts you have for it (if applicable), why this story is timely or relevant and why you are the best person to write this story. Please also disclose any conflicts of interest you may have (for example, you cannot write about a friend, roommate, significant other or group you’re involved with).
Contact a section editor with any questions.
