Internships and Other Campus Opportunities
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An internationally distributed literary journal edited by Bradford Morrow, Conjunctions is both a weekly online magazine and a biannual e-/print collection of provocative, risk-taking fiction, poetry, and narrative nonfiction. Applications are accepted year-round from students wishing to intern in the Bard business office.
Conjunctions
An internationally distributed literary journal edited by Bradford Morrow, Conjunctions is both a weekly online magazine and a biannual e-/print collection of provocative, risk-taking fiction, poetry, and narrative nonfiction. Applications are accepted year-round from students wishing to intern in the Bard business office.
Bard interns’ responsibilities focus on marketing, subscriptions, and technology; their duties include website updates and maintenance, proofreading, research, data entry, event promotion, social media, etc. The positions are unpaid and require three hours each week. First-year students cannot be considered.
Interns need not be prospective or moderated Written Arts students, but they must have a substantial background in reading contemporary fiction and poetry and an extremely keen attention to detail. Previous experience with HTML is appreciated but not required. Applicants should email a cv of work experience and a cover letter mentioning some contemporary books or authors of recent or significant interest to conjunctions@bard.edu. -
La Voz is the only publication in Spanish for the 120,000-plus Latinos of the Hudson Valley. When student work opportunities are available, they are listed at College Central.
La Voz
La Voz is the only publication in Spanish for the 120,000-plus Latinos of the Hudson Valley. When student work opportunities are available, they are listed at College Central.
In addition, the magazine has a a weekly meeting to discuss topics of journalism and story ideas, open to anyone fluent in Spanish. Students interested in journalism, editing, publishing, design, illustration, or photography, and those hoping to get involved with Latino events and activism in the Hudson Valley should contact Mariel Fiori (fiori@bard.edu) for the date, time, and location of the weekly meeting each semester.
Bard Student Publications and Literary Groups
Bard writers can find a community, receive critiques, and get ideas from the student-run feedback group, which meets approximately three times each semester (consult the Written Arts Newsroom to discover whether upcoming meetings are scheduled), as well as through the established gatherings of Shut Up and Write! (email Associate Director of Academic Advising Dorothy Albertini at albertin@bard.edu for more information on the latter).
In addition, numerous student-run literary journals and text-in-performance groups exist on campus—some more ephemeral in nature, and others long-running. Some examples of opportunities for student editing and publication include:
Bard Watch
student.bard.edu/bardwatch/
Editor(s) for questions: Maeve Lazor, ml4955@bard.edu
Email for submissions: bardwatchmanaging@gmail.com
Reading period: All year
What to send: Bard Watch focuses on opinion, investigative articles, and student news. Cultural and entertainment submissions are accepted; no artwork or poetry, please.
Frequency of publication: Daily and weekly
ISO new editors: Bard Watch offers a wide range of opportunities for students, focusing on reporting, writing, photography, multimedia, illustration, and business. The publication welcomes new staff members but needs committed writers. Current Bard undergraduates interested in participating in the production of the newspaper should come to Wednesday pitch meetings in the library at 5:30pm. Email bardwatchmanaging@gmail.comwith any questions.
Mission/Description: Bard Watch is the independent student newspaper of Bard College, established fall of 2016. The purpose of Bard Watch is to spread awareness about events and issues pertaining to the Bard College community. For readers at Bard College, in the Tivoli and Red Hook area, and beyond, Bard Watch delivers news, opinion, investigative stories, and commentary. Above all, Bard Watch is committed to the freedom of expression and is a libel-free publication. It will not stand for intolerance or bigotry and serves to expose any instances of such behavior exhibited on campus. It prides itself in reporting the truth and facts as Bard comes closer to realizing a community of veracity through unbiased journalism.
Editor(s) for questions: Maeve Lazor, ml4955@bard.edu
Email for submissions: bardwatchmanaging@gmail.com
Reading period: All year
What to send: Bard Watch focuses on opinion, investigative articles, and student news. Cultural and entertainment submissions are accepted; no artwork or poetry, please.
Frequency of publication: Daily and weekly
ISO new editors: Bard Watch offers a wide range of opportunities for students, focusing on reporting, writing, photography, multimedia, illustration, and business. The publication welcomes new staff members but needs committed writers. Current Bard undergraduates interested in participating in the production of the newspaper should come to Wednesday pitch meetings in the library at 5:30pm. Email bardwatchmanaging@gmail.comwith any questions.
Mission/Description: Bard Watch is the independent student newspaper of Bard College, established fall of 2016. The purpose of Bard Watch is to spread awareness about events and issues pertaining to the Bard College community. For readers at Bard College, in the Tivoli and Red Hook area, and beyond, Bard Watch delivers news, opinion, investigative stories, and commentary. Above all, Bard Watch is committed to the freedom of expression and is a libel-free publication. It will not stand for intolerance or bigotry and serves to expose any instances of such behavior exhibited on campus. It prides itself in reporting the truth and facts as Bard comes closer to realizing a community of veracity through unbiased journalism.
Publishing Outside Bard
Those who are ready to begin submitting their work to non-Bard publications will be able to find hundreds of indie lit mags that accept no-fee submissions. Always be sure to read a journal’s submission guidelines carefully before submitting, in order to be aware of upcoming themed issues, reading periods, policies regarding simultaneous submissions and SASEs, etc.
The best way to know whether a given lit mag will make a good home for your work is to read it. Many journals publish work on their websites; in addition, the Shafer House and Stevenson libraries make a number of literary periodicals available for students to browse. You can also read annual anthologies such as the Best American or Pushcart Prize series to find prize-winning selections from current journals. And Twitter is an easy way to discover lit mags—you can search for literary journals, then follow a few, and Twitter will recommend more for you to discover.
Here are a few sample sites that can help student writers begin to get a sense of what journals are out there:
Here are a few sample sites that can help student writers begin to get a sense of what journals are out there:
Duotrope (after the free trial month, membership is $5)
Every Writer
New Pages
The Poets & Writers Literary Magazine Database
Every Writer
New Pages
The Poets & Writers Literary Magazine Database
Resources for Life after Bard
Graduates of the Written Arts Program go on to pursue many different paths, including careers in publishing, journalism, teaching, marketing, the nonprofit sector, and the library sciences. The Career Development Office is a tremendous resource for those preparing for the job market, and the Written Arts Senior Colloquium (required for all written arts majors in their senior year) brings in guests, including faculty, alumni/ae, and outside speakers, to discuss with students the range of internships and careers available to the writer.
Graduate Study in the Written Arts
Many written arts students consider pursuing their creative work at the graduate level by obtaining an MFA or PhD (although the Program strongly advises waiting at least a few years after graduation to do so). Both AWP and Poets & Writers provide online databases of colleges and universities that offer such degrees; you can search by criteria including degree type, level of residency, funding, location, etc. Bard itself has a summer MFA program offering a masters of fine arts in various disciplines, including writing.
A few of the many Written Arts graduates who have gone on to pursue MFA degrees over the past several years include Molly Anders (Syracuse University), Joy Baglio (The New School), Jedediah Berry (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Liza Birnbaum (University of Massachusetts-Amherst), Moira Donegan (NYU), Sarah Goffman (Hunter College), Christina Kaminski (Iowa Writers' Workshop), Zachary King (UMass-Amherst), Gracie Leavitt (Brooklyn College), J. W. McCormack (Columbia University), Grayson Morley (Iowa Writers' Workshop), Sophie Rosenblum (University of Houston), Christian TeBordo (Syracuse University), Emma Smith-Stevens (University of Florida-Gainesville), Joe Vallese (NYU), and Mary Wilson (Brown). Others have pursued PhDs, including Len Gutkin (Yale), Wendy Lotterman (NYU), Ethan Porter (University of Chicago), and many others.
Graduate Study in the Written Arts
Many written arts students consider pursuing their creative work at the graduate level by obtaining an MFA or PhD (although the Program strongly advises waiting at least a few years after graduation to do so). Both AWP and Poets & Writers provide online databases of colleges and universities that offer such degrees; you can search by criteria including degree type, level of residency, funding, location, etc. Bard itself has a summer MFA program offering a masters of fine arts in various disciplines, including writing.
A few of the many Written Arts graduates who have gone on to pursue MFA degrees over the past several years include Molly Anders (Syracuse University), Joy Baglio (The New School), Jedediah Berry (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Liza Birnbaum (University of Massachusetts-Amherst), Moira Donegan (NYU), Sarah Goffman (Hunter College), Christina Kaminski (Iowa Writers' Workshop), Zachary King (UMass-Amherst), Gracie Leavitt (Brooklyn College), J. W. McCormack (Columbia University), Grayson Morley (Iowa Writers' Workshop), Sophie Rosenblum (University of Houston), Christian TeBordo (Syracuse University), Emma Smith-Stevens (University of Florida-Gainesville), Joe Vallese (NYU), and Mary Wilson (Brown). Others have pursued PhDs, including Len Gutkin (Yale), Wendy Lotterman (NYU), Ethan Porter (University of Chicago), and many others.
Residencies, Fellowships, Grants, and Contests
Once writers have a published body of work, they may look for residencies that will allow them time and space to work. Yaddo, MacDowell, the Provincetown Fine Arts Center, and the Vermont Studio Center are among the best-known of these. Poets & Writers has a searchable online database. Funds for Writers also provides a list of fellowships and residencies.
Some organizations provide financial grants to writers; Write Life is one of various websites to list some available grants. The Poets & Writers database for grant-giving organizations that accept applications also includes a number of writing contests.
Be aware that many writing contests require a submission fee (these contests often generate revenue for the sponsoring publisher), and that the award is not always financial: Sometimes the winner is simply honored with publication of his or her work. It can be advisable to familiarize yourself with the work of the contest judge(s) before submitting, in order to gauge whether the styles and forms of your own writing are likely to appeal. The Written Arts Program frequently uses the wanews@bard.edu listserv to advise students of current writing contests; to join the listserv and receive those announcements, email us at writtenarts@bard.edu.
CDO Career Guide for the Arts
How to Start and Sustain an Art Career
Career Guide for the Arts is designed to provide creative students with a fundamental understanding of how to get started as serious young artists following graduation. Written by the Career Development Office (CDO) in collaboration with the faculty of the Bard Conservatory of Music, Arts Division, and Written Arts Program, the guide offers suggestions on how to start and sustain a career in the arts.