FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2022
Contact: Jessica Felix Romero | jromero@sojo.net
Sojourners Names Julie Polter New Editor of Sojourners Magazine and Betsy Shirley Editor of Sojo.net
Washington, DC - Sojourners has promoted Julie Polter to the position of editor of Sojourners magazine and Betsy Shirley to the position of editor of sojo.net. Longtime Sojourners magazine editor Jim Rice will transition to a part-time senior editor role.
Sojourners President Adam Taylor made the following statement regarding these recent moves:
“I’m thrilled to welcome Julie Polter and Betsy Shirley into these new roles. Given each of their excellence serving as editors for our print and online publications, their leadership of their staff teams, and their longstanding passion and dedication to Sojourners’ mission and vision, we could not ask for better choices to lead our publications into a new era. I also want to extend my heartfelt gratitude and deep appreciation for Jim Rice’s nearly two decades of leadership as Sojourners magazine’s editor after succeeding founding editor Jim Wallis in 2006. After his service on Sojourners staff for more than 40 years, I’m also deeply grateful that Jim has agreed to remain on the editorial team in a part-time capacity as a senior editor. I look forward to the continued award-winning excellence of our publications under Julie Polter and Betsy Shirley’s leadership, as we bring the latest reporting, commentary, and perspectives at the intersection of faith, politics, and culture to an ever-widening audience.”
Julie Polter has been on Sojourners’ editorial staff since 1990, most recently as managing editor of Sojourners magazine and editor of the magazine’s award-winning Culture section. She is a graduate of Ohio State University with a B.A. in English literature and holds two master’s degrees: A Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.) from Boston University and a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in creative nonfiction from George Mason University. Over the course of her time at Sojourners, Julie has written on topics ranging from the abortion debate to the working-class blues and coordinated in-depth coverage on topics ranging from Howard Thurman to the labor movement.
Betsy Shirley rejoined Sojourners’ editorial staff in 2015 after serving as an editorial assistant from 2010-11. Before being named editor of sojo.net, Betsy served most recently as sojo.net’s managing editor and has held editorial positions for both Sojourners’ print magazine and its online publication. She is a graduate of Butler University with a B.A. in English and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School. Betsy’s writing has appeared in a variety of publications in addition to Sojourners, including America magazine, Religion Dispatches, Religion & Politics, OnFaith, Reflections, and UTNE Reader. Betsy is president of the Religion News Association and serves on the board of the Religion News Foundation.
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Sojourners, a faith-inspired nonprofit, articulates the biblical call to social justice through its magazine and digital publication and convenes, equips and mobilizes people to put their faith into action while building alliances for effective advocacy. Sojourners envisions a future in which Christians put their faith into action in the passionate pursuit of social justice, peace, and environmental stewardship, working in partnership with people of conscience and from other faith traditions.