PEN/Faulkner is seeking candidates to join our Education Programs team for a hands-on paid internship beginning in September 2021 for a 10-month term ending in June 2022. Spanish-speaking candidates are especially encouraged to apply.
The Literary Education Programs Assistant is an important part of PEN/Faulkner’s K-12 education outreach team. Our interns work in close collaboration with PEN/Faulkner’s Education Programs team and will receive direct professional experience in arts administration, arts education, and literary outreach.
PEN/Faulkner is a nonprofit literary organization based in Washington, DC. We give out the annual PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story. Our Literary Conversations series brings together highly-acclaimed writers from all over the country to engage in thrilling, thought-provoking conversations. Our Education Programs empower the next generation of readers and writers through donations of culturally relevant books, conversations with diverse authors, and writing instruction led by published writers.
Responsibilities:
- Assist with author visit event coordination and attend author visits; where needed, support writing workshops.
- Research contemporary authors and books.
- Write and edit book synopses and author bios for outreach purposes.
- Write compelling narratives for PEN/Faulkner’s blog about author visits, writing workshops, and the importance of culturally responsive literacy and books.
- Assist with data entry of programming surveys.
- Assist with management of book lists, author and book database, educator/community outreach, and book ordering.
- Support general administrative tasks and additional responsibilities as required.
The ideal candidate will possess the following:
- Excellent organization and time management skills.
- Superb attention to detail.
- Ability and drive to work independently and as part of a team, as well as comfort with remote work.
- Experience working with youth and/or other community work, preferably with Black, Latinx, and/or low-income populations; fluency in Spanish is a HUGE plus.
- Excitement to pitch in on all assignments.
- Demonstrated flexibility to accommodate changing educator/school needs.
- Willingness to task risks, accept feedback, and grow.
- Able to travel to schools in neighborhoods throughout Washington, DC for school-based, in-person programming.
- Able to navigate online virtual learning platforms (Microsoft Teams, Zoom) for virtual programming.
- Reliable wifi and technology access with audio and video capabilities. High level of proficiency with the GSuite Platform (Gmail, GDocs, etc.).
- Can commit to a ten-month contract of approx. 28-32 hours weekly from September 2021 through June 2022. Work schedule is Tuesday-Friday during school hours.
Candidates must be able to pass a state-mandated background check and a drug/alcohol test, as required by our partner schools, and must be able to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
During the ten months, the intern receives:
- An opportunity to help young people across multiple grade levels develop writing skills and a love for literature.
- Direct experience with the ins-and-outs of program administration at a renowned literary nonprofit.
- A supportive environment in which to learn and grow.
- Free tickets to PEN/Faulkner’s Literary Conversations.
- An hourly rate of $15.20 paid weekly.
How to apply:
Submit a written statement, resume (demonstrating your experience with young people/community populations), and contact information for three references to [email protected]enfaulkner.org with “Literary Education Programs Assistant” in the subject line.
Your written statement should connect your experiences and passions directly to this opportunity. We receive many applications that describe a passion for reading since childhood or a personal love of writing. Tell us how you see your interests and passions specifically contribute to our education work, and how your experience can help PEN/Faulkner’s Education Programs achieve our goals.
Applications will be accepted from June 7 – July 5, 2021 with interviews beginning in mid-July.