Current Opportunities

Academic Publishing Internship, Fall 2024 and Spring 2025
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS seeks an undergraduate intern to help Press with all aspects of the publishing process. The successful candidate will develop the skills necessary to begin a successful and vibrant career in scholarly publishing.

The student will assist in the preparation of manuscripts for scholarly approval as well as publication; become familiar with Chicago Manual of Style through the close editing of documents; and learn about the publishing market through research for targeted marketing campaigns and interactions with scholarly journals. Specific responsibilities will be set before the start of the internship based on applicant qualifications and the needs of the Press at the time. The student will assist in selecting which manuscripts should be rejected and which pursued further towards publication; assist in the selection of potential peer reviewers and shepherding the peer-review process; work with acquisitions editors to compile dockets that are submitted to the Press's editorial committee for consideration; and work with authors to ready manuscripts for the copy editing process. As such, the successful applicant will work hands-on with the major works of field-defining intellectuals; understand more fully the process of converting a dissertation into a book manuscript; and help these important manuscripts to reach a trade audience or find success as a text for the classroom. Students who are interested in social media and marketing are also encouraged to apply to assist with managing the Press’s social media accounts, ad design, and/or catalog copy.

The Press publishes approximately 40 new books each year, primarily in theology, philosophy, and history, but candidates from any school of the university will be considered. Knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel is required. This is an unpaid internship offered for course credit and, as such, applicants must also be able to enroll in ENG 493: Research Apprenticeship for the semester of the internship. To apply, please contact Dr. Taryn Okuma for more information. This course does not count as an English major elective.

Literary Studies and Publishing Internship, Fall 2024
THE ASSOCIATION OF LITERARY CRITICS, SCHOLARS, AND WRITERS (ALSCW) seeks 2-3 undergraduate interns to assist with conference and event planning and promotion, as well as office duties for Literary Matters, the online journal of the ALSCW. Intern will also read and discuss a submission each week with Ryan Wilson (Editor-in-Chief, Literary Matters) or Ernest Suarez (Editor, “Hot Rocks: Song and Verse”) as an introduction to the work of professional editing. Specific duties will be agreed upon before the start of the internship, based on the qualifications of the applicant and the needs of the ALSCW at the time. Interns will report directly to Dr. Ernest Suarez, Executive Director of the ALSCW.

The ALSCW seeks to promote excellence in literary criticism and scholarship, and works to ensure that literature thrives in both scholarly and creative environments. We encourage the reading and writing of literature, criticism, and scholarship, as well as wide-ranging discussions among those committed to the reading and study of literary works.

Since 2016, Literary Matters has published U.S. Poets Laureate along with winners of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, The National Book Award, The National Book Critics Circle Award, The Bollingen Prize, The MacArthur “Genius” Grant, The Ruth Lilly Prize, The Poets’ Prize, and other premier national prizes, as well as promising writers early in their career and prominent writers at mid-career.

Candidates should possess strong organizational, writing, and research skills and be comfortable working with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace. Particular attention will be paid to candidates with a demonstrated interest in literature, the humanities, and creative writing. This is an unpaid internship offered for course credit and, as such, applicants must also be able to enroll in ENG 493: Research Apprenticeship for the semester of the internship. To apply, please contact Dr. Taryn Okuma. This course does not count as an English major elective.

Internships and Research Apprenticeships

Hands-on experience in the fields of creative writing, professional writing, and publishing.

The English Department supports students seeking professional experience in literary studies, writing, and publishing by seeking out and establishing unique internship opportunities for Catholic University students and by assisting students who are appying to established internship programs. Additionally, students who are interested in learning more about literary scholarship can apply to serve as a Research Apprentice to an English faculty member.

Past Internships held by English majors include:

  • Knowledge Navigators Program Intern, Library of Congress
  • Editorial Intern, Dappled Things: The Quarterly of Ideas, Art, and Faith
  • Intern, The Arlington Catholic Herald
  • Intern, Association of Literary Scholars, Critics, and Writers
  • Proposal Specialist, Tetra Tech
  • College Intern, Oakcrest School
  • Pro-Life Intern, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
  • Communications Intern, Department of Migration and Refugee Services, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
  • Summer Intern, Commonweal Magazine
  • Intern, State Highway Administration Branch, Maryland Office of the Attorney General
  • Summer Administrative Intern, Center City Public Charter Schools
  • Communications Intern, FreedomWorks
  • Intern, Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Summer Intern, Ernst & Young
  • Marketing and Publicity Intern, Regnery Publishing
  • Editorial Intern, Verily Magazine
  • Content Editing Intern, Gofobo.com
  • Communications and Marketing Intern, Our Girl Talk
  • Programs and Communications Intern, Libraries Without Borders
  • Office of Marketing & Communications Intern, Catholic University
  • Editorial Intern, HealthNow New York

Internships that require course credit may qualify for credit through enrollment in ENG 495: Internship or ENG 493: Research Apprenticeship. ENG 495 and ENG 493 do not fulfill English major or minor requirements, but do count towards the Writing minor.

For more information about internships in English, please contact Dr. Taryn Okuma (okuma@cua.edu).