Mass Poetry’s Mission
Mass Poetry harnesses the power of words to engage diverse communities. From hosting the Massachusetts Poetry Festival poetry residencies across the Commonwealth, our innovative programs spark dialogue, connection, and self-expression.
We aim to build a vibrant, inclusive community that lifts all voices.
Position Overview
Our Poetry Coalition Programs Fellow will play a key role in coordinating WordPlay, a new teen spoken word program offered at the Center for Creative Writing (CCW) in Boston’s Seaport, where Mass Poetry serves as an arts-partner-in-residence. They will provide additional administrative support on key events and programs such as the 2023 Massachusetts Poetry Festival, set to be held in Spring 2023. While some work will be carried out remotely, our Fellow will need to commute into Boston on a weekly basis.
The fellowship position is 20 hours per week from September to June. The stipend is $18,720 plus $1,000 toward health care.
Fellow Responsibilities
● Committing to 20 hours per week for the entire ten-month fellowship
● Adhering to rules and policies of Mass Poetry as appropriate
● Assisting with the following:
- Recruit teen poets to participate in WordPlay program from BPS partner schools
- Coordinate WordPlay program at CCW & meetings of the Teen Council
- Coordinate youth spoken word showcase at 2023 Mass Poetry Festival
- Support other events including U35, Boston Book Festival, and others;
- Provides administrative support as needed to Mass Poetry’s teamCommunity outreach
● Assisting with the host organization’s Poetry Coalition joint programming in March
● Attending and participating in meetings
● Attending and participating in monthly Zooms with other Poetry Coalition fellows and
Academy staff to foster community, professional development, and create a peer learning
group to learn about the following:
- Community outreach
- Marketing and promotion, including materials development
- Grant writing and/or fundraising
- Content production for websites or social media
- Programming and curating live events, such as poetry readings and workshops
- General administration
● Participating in the Poetry Coalition’s fall convening and professional development
trainings
Fellow Qualifications
● Passion for poetry and familiarity with and/or knowledge of contemporary poets
● Interest in literary arts programming, administration, and management
● Demonstrated experience in the areas listed above
Note: We welcome all applicants, including those who are enrolled in or have recently graduated
from MFA programs in creative writing.
TO APPLY: The deadline for applications is July 3, 2022. Please submit a cover letter, resume, professional writing sample, and 2-3 references via this link. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so please plan to apply early. No calls please.