Literary Awards Internship
Internship opportunity with PEN America
This paid internship is funded by the Serving the City program and is only available to students at Fordham College at Lincoln Center and Fordham College at Rose Hill.
Literary Awards Internship
Literary Programs
15-20 hours per week
Hybrid (in-person and virtual): commitment to at least two days in-office
Start Date: Week of June 12, 2023
End Date: Week of August 14, 2023
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.
Literary awards interns will assist the literary awards program director and assistant in preparing for our annual awards ceremony, particularly by assisting during the submissions period with the vetting process, collecting necessary data, and collaborating with our team to devise social media strategies with the end goal of bringing our event to fruition.
Interns who work on our literary awards program will gain exposure to the country’s vibrant cultural landscape through program development and regular communication with PEN America’s literary affiliates. They will receive hands-on administrative experience and learn the operational details of executing a literary awards program, from book submissions to judge and industry communications to ceremony production. Additionally, interns are encouraged to attend and volunteer for PEN America’s public programs and events.
There will be opportunities throughout the internship to provide support on grant reporting and analysis as well, an invaluable skill in the nonprofit sector.
RESPONSIBILITIES
This intern will:
- Assist team with providing research for the curation and production of 2024 programs
- Devise systems for analyzing and archiving data around past award winners, ticket buyers, participant demographics, and events
- Provide essential administrative support during the submissions period. This includes assistance with filing documents digitally, maintaining spreadsheets, and updating copy for the website as needed
- Cross reference submissions against our eligibility criteria to ensure titles are able to clear the next round of the judging process
- Communicate with publisher representatives to resolve questions during the vetting process
- Monitor the Awards email account and help respond to general queries
- Contribute to the department’s online presence on social media, including drafting social media text and graphics for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
- Design marketing collateral, such as postcards, flyers, and social media assets
- The successful applicant may also have the opportunity to support other projects in the literary programs department on an ad hoc basis
QUALIFICATIONS
- Must be able to provide proof of authorization to intern in the United States
- Strong attention to detail, organization, and accuracy of research
- Efficacious communication skills across multiple platforms (email, phone, etc.)
- Ability to multitask and organize multiple projects at once
- A creative, open mind, eager to solve problems and discover new alternatives
- Concrete experience in strategizing social media to promote events and outreach
- Meaningful exposure to the G Suite, especially Docs, Sheets, and Forms, though skill-building will be part of the program
- Passion for inspiring and building communities around a shared love of literature—and a conviction in fostering cross-cultural competence through books—are essential
- Experience in graphic design and using content management systems (e.g., Canva, WordPress, and Adobe Suite) preferred but not required
- Experience with audio and video editing preferred but not required
TO APPLY
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to dbettanin@pen.org. Writing samples include but are not limited to college papers, original essays, stories, and articles that may have been previously published, as long as they have been subject to no more than minimal editing by someone other than yourself. Please include the cycle you’re applying for, and your name as the subject of your email (for example, “Summer Fordham Internship Program – Jane Doe”).
The deadline for applications is April 28, 2023.