The Mary Sue Wants You: To Be Our Summer Intern
The Mary Sue
It’s that time again! The Mary Sue is seeking a kick-ass editorial intern for the summer. This is no coffee-and-errands internship: our interns spend 90% of their time writing, and most definitely receive bylines for all of their stories.
“Hold on,” you say, darting your eyes about confusedly. “What’s ‘The Mary Sue?’”
First of all… really?
Second of all, The Mary Sue is the geeky woman arm (I dunno, maybe it’s got a TARDIS tattoo?) of the shadowy, all-powerful Abrams Media collective. We’re six sites reaching over 10 million people a month. We’re less than three years old. We’ve got big things ahead of us.
“But what will I do as an intern?” you ask, wringing your hands in anticipation, or possibly consternation.
You’ll join us in our offices (yeah, a loft in SoHo, exposed brick, no big thing), write, look at Google Reader, write, write some more, learn to be a Real Live Blogger, etc.
“How can I get this wondrous gig?” you ululate, collapsing to the floor in paroxysms of excitement, perhaps foaming at the mouth a bit for effect.
It’s pretty simple.
What we’re looking for
The ideal candidate is a current college student looking for hands-on writing experience at a news startup. Internships run from June-August; start and end dates are flexible. Yes, you must be available to work in our office in NYC. No, this is NOT a paid internship (I previously indicated this internship would be paid, I was operating under ignorance. Sorry!) Yes, we can give you credit.
Here are the two biggest things we’re looking for in applicants:
- The primary qualification for this job is an encyclopedic knowledge of and obsessive enthusiasm for multiple aspects of geek culture. If you are knowledgeable about weird, obscure anime or manga, television and movie casting news, and/or possess a deep knowledge of TVTropes.org and/or science fiction or fantasy, then this is the internship for you.
- The secondary qualification is being able to write quickly and clearly (on topics from your geek specialties to gender issues), without weird grammatical or spelling issues, on topics that you yourself think up/discover on the interwebs.
Bonus points if you have any of the following qualifications:
- Knowledge of blogging software.
- Knowledge of the major personalities and figures in both the real and fictional sides of geekdom.
- Experience with photo-editing software.
Even less important qualifications but that still you should definitely tell us about if you’ve got them:
- Knowledge of anime and manga fandoms.
- An interest in writing and storytelling tropes.
How to apply
Please attach THREE (3) documents to your application email. Applications not containing all of these documents will NOT be considered:
- A resume/CV, including references (please include any weird skills you might have, like the ability to read Legolas by Laura out loud without laughing, or knitting Jayne hats with your toes).
- Any two samples of your academic or journalistic writing, each preferably in a different style (long-form vs. short-form, magazine vs. blog, etc.) (Although we are a blog! So keep that in mind when deciding what to submit. At least one nerdy submission or gender-related submission is great but not strictly necessary.)
- A brief (1-page) cover letter explaining why your experience, knowledge, and personality make you the ideal intern for a girl geek culture blog. Please also list in your cover letter your earliest experience with truly bad fanfiction; if you don’t, we’ll know you didn’t read the entire posting!
Address applications to interns@themarysue.com. The process is rolling, so apply ASAP!
(top pic via Kate Beaton’s Hark, A Vagrant!)
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
