The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2023

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2023 79 AFSA REPORT Publications/ FSJ D uring the 2021-2023 Governing Board term, The Foreign Service Journal ( FSJ ) took on major international developments and conflicts through a diplomacy and Foreign Service lens (from the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan to the Russian invasion of Ukraine), in addition to pressing institu- tional and career issues such as diver- sity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) and Foreign Service reform. The FSJ received several awards, including a Gold TRENDY Award in the category of “Monthly Professional Soci- ety Magazine” (October 2022 edition, focus on Ukraine) , a Gold Tabbie Award for best special section (September 2021 edition, focus on 9/11 20 years later) , a Silver TRENDY Award in the category of “Monthly Professional Society Maga- zine” (September 2021) , a Bronze Tabbie Award for best single issue (May 2021 edition on Arctic diplomacy) , and a Bronze Excel Award for best single issue (again, May 2021) . The FSJ ’s reach continued to increase. One piece in particular, May 2022’s Speaking Out, “On Our Own— Diplomats Deserve Equal Access to Reproductive Health Services, ” gained national media attention and helped lead to reform at State. By highlighting this employee- led effort to solve a problem faced by Foreign Service women overseas—the lack of adequate reproductive health care—the FSJ article sparked attention and action from State Department leadership to acknowledge and alleviate the problem. Publications staff attended several conferences in 2022 to boost outreach, circulation, and advertis- ing, including the American Library Association and the National Society of High School Scholars. In 2022 promotional materials were offered on-site at additional conferences: Alliance for Peace Building’s PeaceCon, the American Camping Association, and the National Soci- ety for Historians of American Foreign Relations. In early 2023, advertising sales were trending upward, showing an increase from 2022: 23 percent across all mediums and 31 percent for the FSJ alone. The FSJ introduced a new feature called “Straight from the Source” in October 2022, with articles from State’s Board of Examiners and FSI’s Language Testing Unit. It is intended to be a space for officials to tell the community what the foreign affairs agencies are doing, what new policies are being put in place, and why. The AFSA/ FSJ style guide was finalized and announced for use in February 2023. We rolled out our adoption of the serial, or “Oxford,” comma earlier, with the October 2022 edition. The FSJ ’s online presence continues to grow and evolve through the addition of new channels as well as strategic efforts on existing ones. In July 2021, the publications team developed a “digest”-style email campaign to share articles from both the latest editions and from the archive on a weekly basis. This newsletter was rebranded in 2022 as the “ FSJ Insider” and, as of March 2023, has accumulated more than 1,500 organic subscribers. The FSJ LinkedIn account, established May 2021, has steadily climbed to more than 2,200 followers by May 2023. The third edition of Inside a U.S. Embassy (FS Books, 2011) continues to be a backlist powerhouse and went into its ninth printing in late 2022, selling hundreds of copies each quarter. The second edition of The Voice of the Foreign Service: A History of the American Foreign Service Association , authored by Harry Kopp, retired FSO and current FSJ Editorial Board member, entered into production in early 2023 for a May 2024 release for the Foreign Service and AFSA centennial. Award-winning FSJ issues include the May 2021 edition, the September 2021 edition, and the October 2022 edition. Using a hybrid system to accommodate both remote and in-person attendees, FSJ Editorial Board members meet monthly to review content for upcoming editions. Top from left: Gaïna Dávila, Jane Carpenter- Rock, Joe Tordella. Bottom from left: Ambassador (ret.) Larry Wohlers, Vivian Walker, Ambassador (ret.) Bob Beecroft, Bronwyn Llewellyn, Harry Kopp, and Chair Alexis Ludwig. Not pictured: Aileen Nandi.