The final list of summer internship offerings for English graduate students is available below. As always, if chosen, contact Chris Green at cgreen1@depaul.edu to register for credit.
FICTION & NONFICTION WRITER, DAWN TURNER
Please send statement of interest and a writing sample to Dawn Turner at dawnturnertrice@gmail.com. Dawn is searching for interns interested in the following:
- A) Black Lives Matter protesters have used #woke or #stay woke in recent years as a way to describe a racial awakening and activism in the aftermath of the police-involved shootings of black men. Although the idea of being “woke” has become ubiquitous and has extended a sort of cool to other movements, Dawn is interested in researching what “woke” means to college-educated African-Americans who grew up with a degree of privilege in majority white communities. Many of their parents came of age after the Civil Rights Movement at a time when true believers had hoped that America was entering a post-racial period. Many of them got good jobs and moved into racially diverse neighborhoods. Before Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown of Ferguson, etc., a lot of young black people were assimilating into the larger culture. After Black Lives Matter, many of them have hit the pause button. If race awakening or awareness was a one-step process that would be one thing. But what exactly is this demographic waking up to? For many, it’s the realization that their multi-cultural world has very distinct shades of black and white and their post-racial world doesn’t exist. Dawn would like to look at the history—-other periods where there have been similar racial awakenings for specific segments of the black community – hoping to get some ideas regarding where all of this can possibly lead us.
- B) Last year, In “Choosing a School for My Daughter in a Segregated City…”New York Times reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones wrote a magazine piece on school integration in Brooklyn, where gentrification is alive and kicking. Hannah-Jones and her husband, both African-American and middle-class, decided to send their daughter to a school that doesn’t have a lot of resources but has dedicated teachers. The story looks at how a group of wealthy white parents fought a redistricting effort that would have sent their children away from a more affluent school to the one Hannah-Jones’ daughter attends. It’s a sad but enduring story about how important school integration is if we want a robust public school. She ended her magazine piece this way: “This sense of helplessness in the face of such entrenched segregation is what makes so alluring the notion, embraced by liberals and conservatives, that we can address school inequality not with integration but by giving poor, segregated schools more resources and demanding of them more accountability.” Dawn would like to explore whether we can make a case for segregation, separate but equal, something akin to what (in theory) would have come out of the Plessy v. Ferguson decision that was overturned by Brown v. Board of Education.
FICTION WRITER, REBECCA MAKKAI
If you’re interested in either of the following two internships, please email your interest and a writing sample to Rebecca Makkai at rebeccamakkai@gmail.com
The Conversation:
The Conversation is a series bringing together writers, artists and thinkers for public conversations at the intersection of art and politics. Recent themes have included “Who Owns the Environment?” and “Civil Disobedience.” Launched in January of this year, the events are held monthly at Women & Children First bookstore in Andersonville; they’ve received wide publicity in The New York Times and elsewhere.
The Conversation is seeking an intern for grant writing, website content, press release and publicity work, audio transcription, building a database of past and future participants, hands-on assistance with an upcoming August event, and brainstorming future opportunities. Someone with grant writing or publicity experience would be preferred.
Rebecca Makkai will be the point-person for this internship, but interns would also be working with co-curators Aleksandar Hemon, Kim Brooks, Zoe Zolbrod, Sarah Hollenbeck, and Jana-Maria Hartmann.
Rebecca personally:
Rebecca Makkai is also seeking an intern for research and assorted other jobs related to the completion of her third novel and a future project. She has several hours of audio recordings that need careful transcription (a combination of research interviews about the AIDS crisis in Chicago in the 1980s, and family history about Hungary in the 1930s-1950s; both sets are interviews and she promises are fairly fascinating). Additionally, interns would be helping with historical fact-checking for the AIDS novel (which will be in edits by that point) — verifying referenced facts, compiling a timeline, and seeking out the answers to small but lingering questions (e.g., Did a certain bar have a jukebox? What jail would arrested protesters have been taken to in 1987?) This internship could be done remotely.
NONFICTION WRITER, EMILY MALONEY
Emily Maloney, recently picked up for publication in Best American Nonfiction, is also searching for an intern to assist with her an upcoming essay collection. Emily is looking for someone who can help for a few hours a week with research and organization of the research. The book is about healthcare in the US and treatment of patients, so any students interested in doing research about science, particularly the health industry, would be ideal, as well as help with organizing folders/PDFs in Dropbox, etc. Emily also needs to update her website and will be sending out one newsletter update to those on her mailing list.
The position is time flexible. To apply send Emily a writing sample and resume at emily.f.maloney@gmail.com.
NONFICTION WRITERS, ALEXANDRA MURPHY & KATHY GRANT
Kathryn Grant, PhD, Psychology and Alexandra Murphy, PhD, Communication Studies, are DePaul faculty member looking for an intern to support their work on a popular nonfiction book for mothers of tweenage daughters called, “Mommyology: The Science of Raising Tween Girls.” The authors are currently under contract with a nonfiction book agent and will be revising the proposal and writing a sample chapter in preparation for the agent to sell to interested publishers by early Fall. This internship would be ideal for someone interested in learning more about the nonfiction publishing process and conducting background research and interviews on the topic area. The expected work would average 10 hours/week for 10 weeks. Interested parties can contact Alexandra Murphy at amurphy1@depaul.edu.
FILM DIRECTOR, RITA COBURN WHACK
Director Rita Coburn Whack, most recent production Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, is seeking interns to fill two roles.
The first is research production intern for a new biopic film on the life and career of Paul Robeson. When the famous left-wing African-American singer, actor and international civil rights activist, Paul Robeson, visits New Zealand in 1960, he becomes immersed in a simmering cauldron of racial, industrial and social issues that he’s been involved with all his life in America and elsewhere. Little does Paul know he’s being surveilled by NZ’s intelligence service and there’s a Soviet spy reporting on Paul’s activities Down Under. The project would entail, compiling notes, organizing files on google drive working on collecting assets from the web, discussing the project and building both physical and internet files.
The second is a research production intern for a new documentary on the life and career of performer Diahann Carroll. Ms. Carroll’s remarkable journey – from Bronx-born, Depression era-dreamer to Tony Award/Golden Globe-winning National Living Treasure – tell a quintessential American success story. From “colored” drinking fountains to a champagne lifestyle, she has experienced the worst – and best – of what this country has to offer. Her stories of navigating the gender and race politics of the civil rights era and the ‘sexual revolution’ form a unique first person historical document – all the more rare because it is history seen from a woman’s point of view. The project would entail, transcribing music, making CD’s organizing files on google drive working on collecting assets from the web, discussing the project and building both physical and internet files.
If interested in one of the following film internships, contact Director, Rita Coburn Whack at ritacoburnwhack@gmail.com.
CHICAGO GALLERY NEWS
Chicago Gallery News is still open for two summer internships, one editorial and one administrative. More information on the PDF’s here: administrative internship, editorial internship. Contact Chris Green at cgreen1@depaul.edu for more information and to register for internship course credit.
RHINO LITERARY MAGAZINE
Please see below for three internship opportunities at RHINO Literary Magazine. RHINO is a national poetry journal out of Evanston with very nice editor and offers a great opportunity for any aspiring poet or editor. If interested, please contact Ralph Hamilton at rhamilto9@aol.com.
1) One to do paperwork tasks at the table at meetings, web searches and some data entry
2) One to put together a RHINO manual. He/she would interview each editor to learn what administrative tasks they perform and how they perform them. He/she would then write those up and share them with the editor. The total of those interviews would form the basis for an operating manual. The intern would be guided by me but would need to be able to work independently.
3) One to work on social media posts, particularly twitter and our blogs.
INCARCERATED VOICES
Incarcerated Voices is offering a paid remote internship through their Freeform Radio Initiative. Incarcerated voices is an exploration into the circumstances and conditions of incarceration through the eyes, ears, and hearts of prisoners. The internship primarily will focus on prisoner contributions to the project. Find full details and application instructions here. (Note: ignore the old date.)
ODD TALE STUDIOS
Odd Tale Studios (www.oddtalestudios.
Odd Tale is looking for interns who want to work REMOTELY with experience and know-how of working as a video game journalist. Though small, Odd Tale offers a chance to learn the basics of SMM as well as start to building up press contacts and rapport.
Responsibilities:
- Assist with editorial projects and provide support to the Communications Editor.
- Proofreading both hard and electronic files, basic copyediting, and writing of proposals and reports
- Marketing your articles via social media
- Making and maintaining PR contacts
- Work on special projects, as needed
Requirements:
- Working towards a Bachelor’s degree in journalism, public relations, English, business communications, or communication arts.
- Strong organizational and communication skills with keen attention to detail and problem solving skills
- Knowledge of MS Office applications, especially Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- Familiarity with Adobe In Design and Adobe Acrobat is a plus
Skills:
- Required – English, Microsoft Word, Writing
- Preferred – WordPress
If interested, apply to Elija Lee at elijah@oddtalestudios.com.
AGATE PUBLISHING (GRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY)
Agate Publishing is still open for to applications for their large internship program for the July-December period. Candidates are required to have at least a BA and need to make a six month, 30 hour/week commitment. This internship is one of the top programs for students interested in publishing – two former DePaul students have been hired to Agate’s staff via this program. Interested candidates can find out more online.
DZANC BOOKS
Dzanc Books, a publisher of award-winning literary fiction dedicated to promoting literary readership and advocacy of creative writing workshops, is also searching for a summer intern. To apply, email a resume and writing sample to Senior Editor, Michelle Dotter at michelle.dotter@gmail.com.
PRIME PUBLISHING
Prime Publising, a leading internet media company run out of Northbrook, IL is seeking editorial interns for this summer as well. See the release here, for more details. Note, the release states they are searching for fall interns, but this also is applicable for this summer.