PEN American Center, the 3,400-strong association of writers working to advance literature, defend free expression, and foster international literary fellowship, will offer several internship openings in Summer 2008. Applicants must have an interest in and knowledge of literature, and an appreciation for humanitarian and international issues to which PEN committed.

Interns will have the opportunity to learn about the breadth of PEN’s literary programs and events, as well as the essentials of daily work in a non-profit organization. They will assist office staff with administrative details, research, press and publicity, and other activities. Some previous office experience, as well as strong communication, writing and organizational skills are required. A minimum commitment of 15 or more hours a week is strongly preferred. Interns committing to 15+ hours a week may apply for a local travel stipend. PEN internships are unpaid and eligible for college credit.

Call for Festival Volunteers and Interns

PEN World Voices is the largest festival of international literature ever produced in the United States.  Each year it brings over 100 authors to New York for dozens of events around the city in an effort to promote international literature and to address American cultural insularity. Chaired by Salman Rushdie, past participants of the festival have included Chris Abani, Chimmanda Adichie, Martin Amis, Margaret Atwood, Paul Auster, Breyten Breytenbach, Kiran Desai, Dave Eggers, Nuruddin Farah, Jonathan Franzen, Neil Gaiman, Nadine Gordimer, David Grossman, A.M. Homes, Pico Iyer, Jhumpa Lahiri, Toni Morrison, Orhan Pamuk, Marilynne Robinson, Zadie Smith, and many, many others

PEN American Center needs volunteers to work front of house, back of house, and other festival-related functions (hospitality suite, receptions, etc.).  Volunteers are asked to spend one full day (approximately 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.) with PEN, working multiple events and helping out in various ways.

The volunteer team is made up of over 100 passionate young people who primarily are drawn from local universities and the New York publishing community. The Festival is a chance to meet and work with like-minded individuals, learn how world-class public programs are put together, and support the PEN’s mission to promote substantive cross-cultural dialogue at a time when America is estranged from much of the world.

If you are interested, please e-mail Andrew Proctor at aproctor@pen.org or Lara Tobin at lara@pen.org as soon as possible and list the following:

the day(s) of the festival (April 28- May 4) you are available; 

• complete contact information (e-mail & postal address, and phone numbers);
• any foreign languages you may speak (not a requirement).

Deadline for responses: April 14, 2008

Please note you should plan on attending one of the following volunteer orientation meetings: Tuesday April 22, at 6:30 p.m. or Wednesday April 23 at 6:30 PM

These meetings will be held in the offices of PEN American Center in Manhattan. 

The PEN Writers' Fund is a domestic emergency fund for professional writers in acute emergency crisis: www.pen.org/writersfund.  Because the Fund is modest in size, it cannot  help all the eligible applicants that apply.  In an effort to further assist writers the fund cannot help with financial grants, the Writers' Fund Committee created an online directory of emergency resources for writers in crisis: www.pen.org/emergencyresouces.

The Writer's Fund Research Intern will embark on a summer long independent research project to deepen and expand this directory. The Intern will need to be able to work independently, be very resourceful, be very detailed (including extensive fact checking), and be passionate about the mission of PEN and the Writers Fund. Excellent writing, computer, and research skills are crucial.

A commitment of 7 to 15 hours per week, within normal business hours, is required. This internship begins in the first week of June and runs until the end August. This is an unpaid position, though a stipend for local travel is available.

E-mail a cover letter and resume to aproctor@pen.org to apply.

The Public Programs intern will assist the Public Programs Manager with all aspects of research and planning for PEN events in the busy fall season. The duties will include conducting internet research and maintaining files pertaining to the PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature, and major fall events; assisting with the logistics of event preparation; helping promote and publicize the events; and various other tasks. Excellent communication and computer skills are necessary (MS Word, Excel, Internet savvy).

E-mail a cover letter and resume to elizabeth@pen.org to apply.


Prison Writing Program Intern

The Prison Writing Program intern will assist in three spheres: web development, management of inmates’ letters and maintenance of files for our annual Prison Writing Contest. The web development will involve typing and checking manuscripts from past contests in order to organize our archives. Inmate correspondence will be read and responded to accordingly. Contest entries need to be sorted into appropriate categories and authors’ information entered into a database. Tasks will alternate between these three areas. We are seeking someone attentive to detail and thoughtful regarding writing in a prison setting.

E-mail a cover letter and resume to prisonwriting@pen.org to apply.


World Voices Festival Intern

The World Voices intern will assist the Festival Director with aspects of the planning and organization for PEN World Voices: The New York Festival of International Literature. Duties will include conducting internet research, sponsorship outreach, editorial duties, event promotion and marketing, accessing and maintaining files, and various other tasks. Excellent communication and computer skills are necessary (MS Word, Excel, Internet savvy), and experience with events is a bonus. Enthusiasm, a can-do attitude, and attention to detail are a must.

E-mail a cover letter and resume to elizabeth@pen.org to apply.


Executive Office Intern

The Executive Office intern will assist the Executive Assistant with miscellaneous administrative duties in the PEN office and with the preparation of office meetings and events. Also, the intern will aid in the work of the Executive office: travel and meeting scheduling, general filing, updating press files, and the organization of PEN Board of Trustees activities. Attention to detail, ability to handle multiple tasks and excellent computer skills (MS Word, Excel) required; previous office experience preferred.

E-mail a cover letter and resume to anabb@pen.org to apply.