Considering doing an internship in the fall? As the spring semester winds down it can difficult to think about anything but finishing up course work, completing finals, and the promise of summer break. Even so, students may find themselves considering internships for the fall semester. The Center for Literary Publishing (CLP) Internship Program is one option for graduate students. CLP interns serve as first and second readers for the nearly nine thousand manuscripts of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction that Colorado Review receives every year. Interns also have opportunities to copyedit, proofread, and typeset; learn about book & magazine design, production, and management; gain proficiency in current industry software (InDesign, PhotoShop, Illustrator, FileMaker, WordPress, and Submittable); participate in social media campaigns; and assist in grantwriting.
CLP Director Stephanie G’Schwind recently answered a few questions for us about the CLP internship. Established in 1992 and housed in the English Department at Colorado State University, home of Colorado Review, the Colorado Prize for Poetry, the Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction, the Series in Contemporary Fiction, and Bonfire Press, the Center for Literary Publishing’s mission is two-fold: to publish contemporary short fiction, poetry, and nonfiction and to offer graduate students opportunities to learn about and participate in literary publishing through a professional internship.
How does one apply for an internship at the CLP? The internship is available to graduate students in any concentration in the English Department. [Learn more in this Center for Literary Publishing Internship Program brochure (PDF)].
What are the benefits of this internship? Interns will learn the basics of how publishing works: from selecting to editing, producing, and making content available in book/magazine/digital form. These skills are critical for anyone who hopes to work in the publishing field, but they are also transferrable to a number of other professions as well—particularly as workers are expected to wear multiple hats (for example, the nonprofit membership director who is also responsible for producing a digital newsletter). Interns learn to use current industry-standard software (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, FileMaker, Submittable, and WordPress) and have the opportunity to practice their application. Writers will get behind-the-scenes experience at a literary magazine and small press; they’ll learn what makes a successful submission and, I hope, gain confidence in sending out their own work.
What can one expect from this internship? Interns can expect to read a LOT of submissions (fiction, poetry, nonfiction), to engage in discussions about writing and publishing as real issues arise in the office, to learn to love The Chicago Manual of Style, to distinguish an en dash from an em dash, to collaborate with others as they edit and design a book, to search for fresh art for the cover of the next issue of Colorado Review, to write a blog post for our website, to edit a book review, to read the latest issue of Poets & Writers, to come to understand Colorado Review’s place in the larger literary landscape.
What advice do you have for a graduate student wanting to apply, wanting to do an internship with the CLP? Spend some time on our website, read some of the content we’ve posted online, and get a sense of what we’re about, then get in touch with me if you want to be part of what we’re doing.
Coming next week: We’ll hear more about this internship and the CLP from some of the current CLP interns and Colorado Review Managing Editor Drew Webster.