Internships and Fellowships
Internships and fellowships at PEN America offer opportunities to gain meaningful experience at a dynamic, growing nonprofit organization working at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide.
PEN America Fellowships
Fellowships offered by PEN America are available in the areas specified in the postings below. Each have unique commitment levels and program specifications to which applicants should review prior to submitting their applications. Application to one fellowship is preferred; if you apply to more than one, please indicate that at the top of your cover letter.
CURRENT FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Free Expression Leadership Fellows Program – Summer 2023
PEN America offers a 14-week Free Expression Leadership Fellows Program for students passionate about human rights, the written word, and free expression. More
Development Gap Year/Postgrad Fellowship Program 2023-2024
PEN America offers an opportunity to work alongside our Development team through direct involvement in daily fundraising activities, long-term projects, and special events. More
Artists at Risk Connection Gap Year/Postgrad Fellowship Program 2023-2024
PEN America offers a unique learning opportunity for individuals who are passionate about human rights, free speech, and creative expression. More
PEN America Internships
Internships are available across PEN America’s departments as described by the postings below. Most require a minimum commitment of 15 hours per week and generally last one to two semesters. A limited number of paid internships are available through our Centenary Internship program and would require a commitment of 15-20 hours/week over 26 weeks, and would pay $15/hour for hours worked. All internships are also eligible for college credit. Application to one internship is preferred; if you apply to more than one, please indicate that at the top of your cover letter.
Internship Application Periods
Be sure to include the dates of your availability with your application.
- Fall Internship: Please submit your application between July and September
- Winter/Spring Internship: Please submit your application between October and January
- Summer Internship: Please submit your application between February and May
Current Internship Opportunities
Los Angeles Programs Internship
PEN America seeks a Los Angeles intern to assist in the administration, research, and curation of digital literary and human rights programming. More
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) Protection Programs Internship
PEN America seeks an intern who is passionate about human rights, artistic expression, and serving artists at risk to work with our Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) team. More
National Engagement Internship
PEN America seeks interns who will assist with the creation and implementation of strategies that aim to grow our membership and engagement with current members. More
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) International Programs Internship
The Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) seeks an international programs intern who is passionate about human rights, artistic expression, and serving artists at risk. More
Communications Internship
PEN America seeks an intern to work with our communications team on media relations, brand-building, social media, public relations, and digital marketing. More
Finance/Accounting Internship
Working closely with the members of the finance team at PEN America, the accounting intern will gain exposure to a holistic view of the day-to-day operations and finances of… More
Law Clerk Internship
PEN America’s Free Expression Programs department is seeking a motivated law clerk intern to support our U.S. Free Expression Programs. More
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PEN America On 
Newly released details of the Twitter source code reveal that the recommendation algorithm treats tweets differently depending on the source, with labels for "Power User," for "Democrat" and "Republican," and for "author_is_elon." https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/31/twitter-reveals-some-of-its-source-code-including-its-recommendation-algorithm/ #Twitter
“Amid the national uproar about whether to allow students access to a wide variety of books, the superintendent of a Virginia school district this week proposed a sweeping solution: Get rid of school libraries altogether.”
On #TransDayOfVisibility, we recommend these commonly banned books of trans stories. In national efforts to restrict free speech — books with LGBTQ+ themes and stories with transgender individuals makeup 9% of all banned books. Read a banned book today!
https://pen.org/banned-books-transgender-stories/