Your Guide to Writing Internships: Internal, External, and Beyond--Marissa Stanko

No matter where you are on your career path, an internship (or several) is an invaluable source of experience, connections, and new skills. As a Writing Arts major or minor, you have unique opportunities provided to you by the department: internal and external internships, as well as guidance to help you find internships and job positions on your own. 
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The first options available to you as a Writing Arts student are internal internships. You can work with the department, Singularity Press, or Glassworks magazine--or more than one!

Each of these offers specific opportunities for students to get a taste of the different possibilities a writing career offers. 

Interested in publishing? Singularity Press is a publishing startup run by Writing Arts professor Megan Atwood. 

Want to learn the ins and outs of producing a literary journal? Glassworks Magazine is run by the Rowan Master’s in Writing Program, currently headed by WA professor Katie Budris. 
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Looking to acquire general professional skills or develop your repertoire of writing? The internal department internship, currently headed by professor Amanda Haruch, is a great fit. 

As an intern for Singularity Press, you can immerse yourself in the world of publishing, working with authors, manuscripts, and administration within a press. You’ll review manuscripts, learning invaluable editing skills and balancing your opinions on a piece with an author’s vision for it. Behind the scenes, you can also get an idea of what it’s like to work with a startup, how to be enterprising and professionally creative. Responsibilities include soliciting pieces, doing grant research, planning events and outreach, and assisting with public relations and social media management.

This internship is available in the spring and fall semesters, and is designed for higher-level undergrad students with drive and an interest in publishing. 

If you’re a senior or entering into the graduate program, the Glassworks Magazine internship is an experience unique to Writing Arts. You’ll have the opportunity to work with an independent Rowan publication, learning the ins and outs of creating a literary magazine and maintaining its presence on social media and beyond. Your experience in this internship will vary slightly based on the semester you are accepted for. Spring interns help finish the current issue-in-progress, weighing in on what to include, and the layout of the magazine. They maintain the magazine’s social media accounts, contribute to event planning, and attend the AWP Conference to represent the magazine. Summer interns have similar responsibilities, with the possible chance to work on independent projects if time allows. In the fall semesters, Glassworks takes on one intern who works directly with the Editor in Chief to get started on the next issue and to help students in Editing the Literary Journal, a graduate course connected to Glassworks. The fall intern becomes the associate editor for that issue, and is also in charge of social media and reviewing content created by the assistant editors.

The Writing Arts Department internal internship connects you to students and professors while providing an opportunity to tailor your internship experience so you can choose specific skills to learn and engineer projects. It’s a great introductory internship, but it has benefits for more experienced students as well. There’s a whole host of things you can choose to learn about, from video and podcast editing to event planning to interviewing to writing reports. You can take this course for one semester or two, in the fall, spring, or even the summer. If you continue for a second semester and are interested in taking on a leadership position that is possibly paid, you can apply to become the head intern. Head interns oversee the other interns, run meetings, create yearly reports, and work directly with the intern supervisor. 

The WA department can help you find external internships that can also count for course credit. Dr. Gracemarie Fillenwarth oversees these internships, helping students find and apply for internships outside of Rowan. These internships can help you develop your hard and soft skills, expand your network, and even point you towards a potential career path. They provide valuable experiences that function as an alternative to coursework. 

You can take an external internship in any semester, although tuition rates will vary, and they are available to both undergraduate and graduate students. You can learn more about the job searching process when looking for internships, which can be found on ProfJobs, Indeed, Glassdoor, Chegg Internships, or through your own connections. Dr. Fillenwarth is available to help you craft individualized resumes and cover letters for each position you apply for. 

Once you are accepted for an external internship, you’ll keep track of your hours and the work that you complete. You’ll use these records to create a reflective paper at the end of the course, allowing you to see just how you evolved throughout your experience. 

Finally, here are some key things to keep in mind for any internship. You may be hesitant about applying for them because you think you’re not qualified enough or you don’t have enough experience. Apply anyway! You can tailor your searches to fit the skills you already have, and many internships are designed as entry-level so you can gain experience. If you are a motivated, independent go-getter, you’ll be more successful in finding internships, and no matter what, the WA department is there to help you achieve your goals. 

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