Electric Literature Is Seeking Editorial Interns for Fall 2016

Do you love literature and writing? Are you looking for an entry into the New York literary world? Consider joining the Electric Literature team! Electric Literature’s volunteer internships introduce undergraduate and graduate students and emerging writers to digital publishing and the New York literary scene. Because we are a small, not-for-profit publisher, we provide unique opportunities for professional development and resume-building. All volunteer interns are paid for writing published on electricliterature.com, usually one to three pieces per week.

As an Electric Literature volunteer, you are encouraged to become involved in any aspect of our work that interests you. Sure, you’ll go to the post-office, but you’ll also do things like contribute to editorial decisions, interview authors, write articles, and attend literary events.

Responsibilities:

• Read submissions and participate in editorial discussions
• Comb the web and social media for breaking literary news
• Copy edit and proof read
• Contribute content to electricliterature.com
• Interview Recommended Reading authors
• Staff events
• Select images to pair with articles
• Transcribe interviews
• Maintain book reviews database and other databases as needed
• Manage order fulfillment from online store
• Other administrative duties as needed

Skills:

• Knowledge of Twitter, Tumblr, Medium, and social media platforms
• Basic understanding of Photoshop
• Firm grasp of grammar and spelling, with a sharp attention to detail

The ideal candidate:

• Has an educational background in literature or creative writing
• Writes clearly and with personality
• Participates in the contemporary literary scene
• Regularly reads literary magazines and literary websites (including but not limited to Recommended Reading, Okey-Panky, and electricliterature.com)
• Believes strongly in the Electric Literature mission: To amplify the power of storytelling through digital innovation
• Is hard working, pays great attention to detail, and can work independently

This is a volunteer position (10–20 hours/week) located in the Flatiron district of Manhattan. Candidates must be able to come to the offices at least 2 days a week. Although this is an unpaid volunteer internship, interns will be paid for writing content for electricliterature.com, which they will have the opportunity to do regularly. We are happy to work with universities and MFA programs to provide course credit, though you do not need to be a student to apply. This 3 month position start at the end of August (exact dates are flexible).

Since writing for the website is an integral part of the internship, please include a sample “scuttlebutt” post (150 to 300 words) about a recent literary topic with your application. Feel free to put your personality into the post. You can see examples of recent scuttlebutts here. Please also include 3 sample 140-character tweets for three different stories or articles published on our site (9 tweets total).

To apply, please send the sample post, cover letter, and resume to editors@electricliterature.com by August 12th.