internships at alice james books
Internships are available to students at the University of Maine at Farmington during the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. Each internship is worth four college credits and require that a student work at Alice James Books up to ten hours per week. B.F.A. Creative Writing majors arerequired to do an internship, and many of these are completed at AJB.

To qualify for internships, students must complete an application which is reviewed by AJB's managing editor. Internships are extremely competitive, and students are encouraged to apply in advance, at least before or during the registration week of the semester prior to the propsed internship.

All students are welcome to apply and no prior experience in the publishing field is required; however, a background in writing, computers, or communications is an asset we commonly seek.

For more information, call Alice James Books at 207.778.7071 or email us at ajb@umf.maine.edu.

the internship experience
The overall responsibilities of every AJB intern include answering the telephone; general correspondence; taking book orders; communicating with poets, vendors, other publishing professionals, and the general public.

Additional intern projects may include:

• Editing the AJB newsletter and/or catalog
• Designing and/or updating the AJB website
• Designing advertisements
• Designing book catalogs
• Writing press releases
• Assisting with AJB's annual fundraising appeal
• Coordinating manuscript submissions
• Writing advertising copy
• Interviewing poets
• Processing book orders
• Learning various Adobe programs
• Creating press kits or book tipsheets
• Editing review quotes

The Sandy River Review at AJB
Alice James Books and the Humanities Department co-sponsor two Sandy River Review (the campus literary journal) internships per semester, for course credit.

Each semester a new editor and assistant editor are chosen jointly by AJB and the Humanities Department, through a rigorous interview and selection process. Humanities supervises the editorial aspects of SRR's journal publication and AJB, the design and production.

Each incoming SRR intern commits to two consecutive internship semesters, one as Assistant, and one as Editor. The Assistant completes a standard AJB internship, but has an additional focus on assisting the Editor with the publication of the Sandy. The Editor, having received relevant training from the Editor as an Assistant, spends the semester focusing on the publication of the next issue. The Editor also continues to assist with press operations.

why alice james books?
In the field of poetry press publishing, Alice James Books is widely recognized for excellence. Your training at AJB will not only enrich your college education but improve your future employment opportunities. An internship at AJB sets you apart as a distinguished individual to both graduate schools and employers. AJB internships have helped UMF graduates find jobs in publishing, advertising, graphic arts, the nonprofit sector, and other fields. Experience gained here can benefit you for years to come.

AJB interns plays an important role in the continued success of Alice James Books. The collaberation of interns, staff, volunteers, and cooperative members makes the press a true accomplishment of team values and effort. Interns gain valuable experience in many aspects of publishing through understanding of the day-to-day operations and business practices at AJB, from knowledge of computer programs such as Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and internet applications to knowledge of editorial, marketing, sales, publicity, design, production, and fund-raising practices. AJB staff members provide lots of one-on-one guidance— support that is very rare in standard publishing internships.

who we are
Alice James Books is a nationally acclaimed non-profit cooperative poetry press. We are named for Alice James, sister of William and Henry James, whose fine journal and gift for writing went unrecognized during her lifetime. AJB was founded in 1973 by five women and two men, with the objective of starting a press that gives women’s literature better representation and involves authors in the publishing process. While Alice James Books has a strong history of publishing women’s poetry, we encourages submissions from all interested poets.

the small press
The cooperative, now in its 37th year, has grown tremendously into a national community of poets. Many of our poets participate or have participated as past collective members. Our poets have been recipients of the Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship, the American Book Award, The Kingsley Tufts Poetry Prize, The Kate Tufts Poetry Prize, The Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, The Nation/ Discovery Prize, The Rona Jaffe Foundation Award, and Guggenheim, Laanan Foundation, and NEA Fellowships. Many Alice James Books authors are nationally renowned, including Jane Kenyon, Donaled Revell, Jean Valentine, Fanny Howe, Brian Turner, and B.H. Fairchild.

Recent Alice James Books titles have been reviewed in The New York Times Sunday Book Review, The New Yorker, Bark,, Slate, Boston Globe, L.A. Times, Library Journal, Poetry, Publishers Weekly, and other publications.

Alice James Books has often been featured in such magazines as Ms, Poets & Writers, Slate, and Poetry Daily.