Description

Founded in 2010, Sibling Rivalry Press is an independent publishing house based in Alexander, Arkansas. Our purpose is best defined by the incomparable Adrienne Rich, who said to Michael Klein in a 1999 interview:  There’s a lot of what I would call comfortable poetry around. But then there is all this other stuff going on—which is wilder, which is bristling; it’s juicier, it’s everything that you would want. And it’s not comfortable. That’s the kind of poetry that interests me—a field of energy. It’s intellectual and moral and political and sexual and sensual—all of that fermenting  together. It can speak to people who have themselves felt like monsters and say: you are not alone, this is not monstrous. It can disturb and enrapture.

Our mission, therefore, is to publish work that disturbs and enraptures.

Sibling Rivalry Press is proud to be the home of Lambda Literary Award Finalist and Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry Finalist He Do the Gay Man in Different Voices by Stephen S. Mills. We’re also home to Assaracus, the world’s only print journal of gay male poetry and one of Library Journal‘s “Best New Magazines,” and Jonathan, our journal of gay fiction. Several Sibling Rivalry Press titles have been honored by the American Library Association through its “Over the Rainbow” list of recommended LGBT reading, including Ocean Vuong’s Burnings, the Kevin Simmonds-edited Collective Brightness: LGBTIQ Poets on Faith, Religion & Spirituality, and Bryan Borland’s My Life as Adam, and now, most recently, Saeed Jones’s When the Only Light Is Fire and the Bryan Borland-edited Lady Business: A Celebration of Lesbian Poetry. While we champion our LGBTIQ authors and artists, we are an inclusive publishing house and welcome all authors, artists, and readers regardless of sexual orientation or identity.

An internship with Sibling Rivalry Press will provide an individual with a behind-the-scenes look at a successful small press/independent publishing house. A Sibling Rivalry Press intern will assist in various aspects of the company including the publishing and marketing of new titles, marketing of existing titles, fostering and promoting publisher-author relationships, scheduling and promoting literary events, and assisting in the day-to-day operations of running a small business (accounting, record keeping, etc.). In addition to assisting with day-to-day operations and projects as needed, an intern with Sibling Rivalry Press will also be given the opportunity to prepare at least one title for publication. This will include working directly with the author, layout and design work, proofreading, developing cover art (or working with a designer to do so), and developing a marketing plan for the title. Alternatively, the intern may be assigned an assistant editorship role with one of our quarterly journals: Assaracus, Adrienne, or Jonathan.

Work Schedule

Schedules for internships can be as flexible as necessary, as most of the work required can be done anywhere the intern has access to the internet; moreover, most communication can be accomplished through email. However, throughout the duration of the internship, the intern will be required to meet at least one hour each week with Bryan Borland or Seth Pennington in Little Rock to discuss current projects.

Selection and Qualifications

This internship requires a deep love and appreciation for the arts, including literature and poetry, and exceptionally strong grammar and writing skills. Five pages of written work is required in order to be considered (any content, style, form, or combination thereof will be accepted, although at least one page must be prose/non-poetry). Interested students should also be able to articulate why he or she wishes to work with Sibling Rivalry Press.

Application Process and Deadlines

Interested students will need to prepare an application package that includes:

• A cover letter
• An interest statement (one-paragraph statement explaining why you are interested in interning at Sibling Rivalry Press)
• A portfolio of work demonstrating writing abilities and creative talent

Applicants may be required to submit their application materials to Dr. Kyle Mattson, Internship Coordinator, for review.

Internship Credit

Students may earn up to three hours of elective credit for the successful completion of this internship.

To be eligible for internship credit, students must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and a 3.25 in their degree program. In addition, applicants must have completed at least nine hours of writing courses at the 3000-level.

Enrollment in WRTG 4385 requires approval by Dr. Kyle Mattson, Internship Coordinator.