WITS Publishing Internship
Title: WITS Summer Publishing Intern
Reports to: Youth Programs Manager
Job Type: Internship, 16 hours per week for 6 weeks
Mission:
Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) cultivates transformative experiences through story and language with readers and writers of all generations.
We invite you to join our fun, book-loving team of 15 to fulfill the mission of SAL as a WITS (Writers in the Schools) Summer Publishing Intern. SAL offers thoughtfully curated experiences through programs that are intergenerational in nature, bolstering both emerging and established literary artists, and inviting change and new perspectives in our audience. We believe these activities are essential to continuously and courageously revitalize equity, justice, and belonging. Our work both internally and externally is guided by our core values: joy, equity, curiosity, community and accessibility.
SAL Program Overview:
SAL fulfills its mission through educational, public, and community programming, in-person and online. Our public literary events bring the most talented and thought-provoking writers of our times to speak about and read their work. Our free Summer Book Bingo program (co-presented with The Seattle Public Library and the King County Library System) inspires our community to reconnect with the joy of reading through a series of fun challenges. Our youth programs include Writers in the Schools (WITS) and the Seattle Youth Poetry Fellowship (YPF) program. WITS places local, professional writers in public school classroom residencies to inspire K-12 students to tell their stories as they develop lifelong writing skills. YPF elevates the powerful voices of local youth poets committed to community engagement, education, and equity in our region.
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Access:
All staff actively participate in SAL’s ongoing efforts to become an anti-racist organization and embody an organizational culture that supports and reinforces our inclusion, diversity, equity & access goals. Our 2025 Strategic Plan and SAL’s Equity Accountability Reports are available on the SAL website under “About.” This commitment and understanding should be demonstrated throughout the performance of the WITS Publishing Intern responsibilities and staff activities.
Position Overview:
SAL is seeking two WITS Summer Publishing Interns from mid-June to late July 2026. The interns will be working with the Writers in the Schools (WITS) program, a literary arts education program of Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) that places professional local writers in 40 public schools across eight school districts, as well as Seattle Children’s Hospital during the school year. WITS aims to elevate the self-expression of students as they discover and develop their authentic writing and performance voices. Through WITS, students become authors of their own lives.
The interns will collaborate with SAL staff members, a graphic designer, and each other to create the annual WITS year-end anthology that celebrates the powerfully distinct voices of students in WITS classrooms. As the intent of this internship is to provide people who may have desired to participate in the literary arts or educational worlds but have not had the access necessary to do so, this position will involve the interns gaining experience in multiple parts of the publishing process and will allow them a chance to build and implement their own editorial vision, all within the framework of youth arts education.
Responsibilities:
The publishing intern will work on a wide variety of tasks and projects including:
- Assisting with editorial efforts for the publication of the yearly WITS anthology
- compiling and ordering student work
- copy editing drafts/proofreading
- co-authoring an introduction
- determining chapter titles
- laying out the content of the anthology in software including InCopy and InDesign
- Designing WITS promotional materials to be used throughout the 26-27 school year.
- Preparing materials for anthology distribution.
- Collaborating with staff and other volunteers.
- Communicating with staff openly. Your ideas, comments and feedback are welcome!
- Communicating with young authors and their families.
- Contributing to SAL community-wide events.
Diverse Workforce Statement:
SAL values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture in all areas of our work and culture. SAL is an equal opportunity employer. We recognize that opportunities in the arts have historically excluded and continue to disproportionately exclude Black and Indigenous people, people of color, people from working class backgrounds, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ people. We strongly encourage individuals with these identities to apply. Strong candidates will bring a diverse set of skills, characteristics, and experiences, both professional and lived. SAL focuses on a holistic view of potential candidates and understanding that no single candidate will offer every desired skill and characteristic. The following offers an aspirational view of the ideal candidate profile, and we encourage applications from candidates with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds.
Minimum Qualifications:
- An interest in literary arts and education.
- A positive attitude and be flexible, friendly, and courteous with guests and among peers.
- A team player with a collaborative mindset but also be able to work independently on projects.
- Reliability and the ability to be on time (including the ability to work to a deadline).
- Good computer skills (specific software used will be taught as part of the internship).
- Ability to work in an open plan office environment.
- Good communication skills, both written and aloud, and strong attention to detail.
Desired Qualifications (nice to have, but not necessary):
- Previous volunteer experience, or any other applicable experience, that demonstrates dedication to the literary arts and/or education.
- Previous experience using Mac computers.
Additional Considerations:
- This position will require a commitment from June 16 – July 23. This position will be 16 hours per week on a regular schedule (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8 hours per day).
- Intern credit is available with collaboration with university faculty.
- Compensation for this position is $25/hour. With 16 hours/week for 6 weeks, this position would be up to 96 hours over the course of the summer.
- This internship will take place primarily in person at the SAL office on Capitol Hill.
Application Instructions:
- Send a resume and cover letter that tells us why this position is a good fit for you and what you hope to gain from the experience.
- In your cover letter, please also confirm your availability for the dates and times of the internship (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm).
- Submit applications electronically in one PDF document to salhr@lectures.org. The email subject line should be “WITS Summer Publishing Intern.”
- Open until filled. For best consideration, please submit no later than March 2, 2026.
- Please Note: Resumes submitted without a cover letter will not be considered.
Hiring Process and timeline:
- We will hold interviews in mid- to late-March, with the intent to have candidates finalized by early April.
- Contact Information for inquiries related to this position (email preferred):
- Hendri Wa,
- Administrative Associate
- salhr@lectures.org
- (206)621-2230 ext. 26
