Internships & Volunteer Opportunites

The Opportunity

Interested in how a poetry manuscript becomes a book? Apply for a remote Poetry Publishing Internship with Copper Canyon Press!

Hands-on, independent, and collaborative projects will give you professional experience in marketing, fundraising, production, acquisitions, reader engagement, and publicity. You’ll also be giving back to the literary arts community by supporting Copper Canyon’s nonprofit mission: to engage the imaginations and intellects of readers with extraordinary poetry from around the world.

All interns experience the full scope of operations within a nonprofit press, including fundraising, marketing, book production, editing, publicity, and reader engagement. Internship responsibilities depend on current needs at the Press. General administrative support is shared among all interns.

Interns will use a variety of online tools—videoconferencing, email,  and telephone—to participate in Press operations from home.

Qualifications

Applicants must be high school graduates who are passionate about poetry or literature, have strong writing and proofreading skills, have experience doing independent research, be comfortable working on solo and collaborative projects, and have coursework or experience working with language in various voices. Prior experience preparing a manuscript for publication or working with campus literary journals or other publications is a plus.

The business hours of Copper Canyon Press are from 9AM to 5PM Pacific Time. Although the internship will be conducted remotely and hours will be flexible, during the course of the internship, candidates must reside within North American time zones.

Applicants must have access to reliable internet and a personal computer.

Compensation

Copper Canyon Press offers interns a $500 per month stipend, a generous sampling of books as well as potential participation in special events and author readings.

Duration

We offer two internship sessions per year. One beginning in early January and lasting to the end of June, and the second one beginning in July and lasting to the third week of December. End dates are flexible. Interns will work between 24-32 hours a week; schedules are flexible and will be determined together with the Internship Program Manager after orientation.

To Apply

In order to apply, please send a cover letter, a resume (not a CV), and contact information for three references to janeen@coppercanyonpress.org. Please do not send writing samples or other additional materials. Your application must be received within the dates indicated below. Applications are due by 5PM Pacific time on the final date.

First Session, January – June: Apply between October 1 – November 1
Second Session, July – December: Apply between March 15 – April 15

Where Do Interns Work Within the Press?

Interns gain experience in all departments at Copper Canyon.
Some examples of intern projects are in the areas below.

• Publicity and Marketing: researching author information for forthcoming titles, copyediting and proofreading promotional materials, social media, and website updates, and preparing book catalog drafts.
• Acquisitions: researching and seeking permissions, reading manuscript submissions, and assisting the editors in research.
• Production: preparing manuscripts for design, entering corrections, reviewing galleys, and archiving.
• Development: drafting and producing print and digital materials for crowdfunding campaigns and donor appeals, assisting in the preparation of grant reports, logistical support for events, and maintaining contact records.
• Finance: compiling materials for the annual audit, maintaining contract and royalty records, and managing inventory.
• Community Engagement: assisting with event planning and outreach, and communicating with poetry readers.

Do Internships Lead to Jobs at Copper Canyon?

Rarely. Over the past five years, three former interns have been hired by Copper Canyon and a few interns have been hired on a project basis. Past interns have gone on to work with other presses and literary nonprofits, including the University of Arizona Press, Milkweed Editions, Graywolf Press, Feminist Press, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Mountaineers Books, Bepress, BOA Editions, and Poets & Writers.

Other past interns now write, teach English and creative writing, work in grant writing and fundraising for nonprofits, manage (and own!) independent bookstores, and work for a variety of print and online publications as writers, editors, and copyeditors.

I’m a Writer…

Internships at publishing houses offer excellent exposure for writers. You will learn firsthand how a manuscript transforms from an idea into a published book, which then seeks a larger place in the marketplace.

I’m a Student…

Many of our past interns have been in their junior and senior years of their undergraduate education or are pursuing a graduate degree. If you are still in high school, please wait until you graduate to apply. Some colleges provide stipends or credit for internships. Check with your college or departmental internship adviser.