Southeast Review accepting applications for Fall 2023 internship

By Sydney Richner

Student interns who work with Southeast Review get hands-on experiences that foreground the publishing world. The national literary magazine is currently accepting applications for the position.

This internship provides interns with “valuable insights into the editorial and production process,” says Laura Biagi, who has been SER’s editor in chief since the summer of 2021. The deadline to apply is August 11, at 5 p.m.

The SER masthead is primarily composed of Florida State University graduate students and recent alumni. During the Spring 2023 semester, “interns were able to chip in by developing different design elements and promotional material, which was really fun,” says Biagi, who also has been SER’s intern supervisor. “They were very bright, excited, and interested and…had a lot of great questions about publishing.”

The internship tasks include a wide range of responsibilities: maintaining SER’s social media presence; promoting past publications/authors; reviewing new submissions; and drafting prompts for their annual Writer’s Regimen, a series of writing workshops that SER offers in late spring.

Former interns characterize their times working with Biagi and the rest of the team as a period of personal growth and enlightenment. Ashley Bordeaux is an undergraduate English-Creative Writing major who interned in Spring 2023, and she encourages future interns to ask those questions about publishing and to “trust themselves with the work that they’re assigned.”

“A lot of the tasks were completely new for me, and I definitely struggled with feeling qualified for some of my assignments,” she says. “However, as the internship went on, I realized that I merely needed to trust that I not only could ask for help when needed, but also how much of the work becomes natural through practice and dedication. Worrying about feeling qualified or having the expertise only inhibits your ability to grow in these capacities.”

Students who approach SER with an open mind, as Bordeaux recommends, find a strong sense of self.

“It was empowering to be entrusted with someone's writing and given the opportunity to pass literary judgment on it,” says Havilah Sciabbarrasi, a senior undergraduate English-Editing, Writing, and Media major. “The SER internship helped me hone my editorial skills and understand what literary publications look for in writing, and I grew more confident in my ability to find the good stories as a result.”

Oliver Brooks, who was with the magazine in Spring 2023, says a highlight of the experience was to observe one of the organization’s masthead meetings.

The SER internship helped me hone my editorial skills and understand what literary publications look for in writing, and I grew more confident in my ability to find the good stories as a result.

— Havilah Sciabbarrasi

“It was incredibly eye-opening to discover what concerns are par for the course in the literary magazine industry, the sorts of decisions that are being made on a regular basis,” he says, “and just how much dedicated time and effort happens behind the scenes to get each issue off the ground.”

SER’s internship creates a learning atmosphere for interns and mentors alike.

“I have learned a lot from [our interns],” Biagi says. “I learn a ton about design, how to connect with an online audience, and the possibilities and directions that interns suggest for their personal or SER’s future.”

Biagi is in her fourth year of her doctoral studies in Creative Writing-Fiction at FSU. While she will be stepping down as editor in chief to focus on her studies, the internship will continue to provide learning opportunities for undergraduates. Natalie Tombasco, an FSU doctoral candidate in English-Creative Writing, becomes the magazine’s editor in chief at the beginning of the Fall 2023 semester.

“SER is built off of people who are innovative,” Sciabbarrasi says, and Boudreaux adds that for those interested in contributing to this atmosphere, the internship is “incredibly worthwhile.”

To apply for the internship, send a resume and a cover letter to the magazine’s assistant editor Emilio Carrero, at aesoutheastreview@gmail.com, by Friday, August 11, at 5 p.m.

Sydney Richner is an English major in the Literature, Media, and Culture Program with a minor in sociology.

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