For any questions regarding our positions, please contact Dr. Erin Elizabeth Smith at erin@sundresspublications.com.
Development Director
Deadline: May 1, 2025
An extension of Sundress Publications, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit publication group founded in 2000, the Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA) is an writers’ residency on a 45-acre farm in Knoxville, Tennessee, that offers residencies to writers in all genres including literary, nonfiction, journalism, and academic. With two residency rooms and a dry cabin on site, we offer a rotating space for nationally recognized and emerging artists in multiple disciplines. SAFTA also hosts virtual workshops, a reading series, and yearly retreats.
This position will run for one year from your start date with a chance to be renewed the following year. The development director’s responsibilities includes working with a team of interns and other directors to research grant opportunities, help with drafting grant proposals and close-outs, coordinate between SAFTA department heads, work with our budget office, create new fundraising opportunities, and lead a team to write, edit, and submit national, regional, and local grants.
Qualifications include:
- Strong organizational, creative problem-solving, and written communication skills
- Familiarity with online research
- A keen eye for grammar, punctuation, and syntax
- A passion for contemporary literature and community arts programs
Previous experience with arts administration and/or grant writing is greatly preferred but not required Applicants are welcome to telecommunicate and therefore are not restricted to living in the Knoxville area. We are especially interested in applications from writers of color, transgender and nonbinary writers, and writers with disabilities.
While this is an unpaid position, all directorships with SAFTA gain real-world experience with a nationally recognized press and arts organization while creating a portfolio of work for future employment opportunities. Directors will also be able to attend all retreats at the Sundress Academy for the Arts for free.
To apply, please send a resume and a brief cover letter detailing your interest in the position to Erin Elizabeth Smith at erin@sundresspublications.com Applications are due by May 1, 2025.
Assistant Managing Editor
Deadline: May 13, 2025
Sundress Publications is looking for an Assistant Managing Editor to join team. The Assistant Managing Editor will assist and support our Managing Editor who organizes and streamlines the many processes and moving parts of the press—from welcoming new authors aboard, to helping guide cover design, or assisting in rights acquisition—shepherding our books, staff, and authors through our operations as well as those of partners such as our printer or distributor. The Managing Editor leads a vibrant team in curating, editing, and bringing diverse stories to life.
Sundress Publications is an entirely volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit publishing collective founded in 2000 that hosts a variety of online journals and publishes chapbooks, full-length collections, and literary anthologies in both print and digital formats. Sundress also publishes the annual Best of the Net Anthology, celebrating the best work published online, and the Gone Dark Archives, preserving online journals that have reached the end of their run.
The successful candidate will help with onboarding new authors, rights acquisition, digital management of our extensive catalog, and working with our team of directors to promote titles. Applicants should expect 1-5 hours a week, though possibly higher during manuscript reading season.
Qualifications for the position include:
- Experience with Google Suite
- Previous editorial experience at any level
- Strong written communication and organizational skills
- Knowledge of contemporary literature
- Knowledge of Square Market a plus
Applicants are welcome to telecommunicate and therefore are not restricted to living in any particular location. We are especially interested in applications from writers of color, transgender and nonbinary writers, and writers with disabilities.
Sundress Publications is staffed entirely by passionate volunteers, so this position, as with all positions at the press, is unpaid.
To apply, please send a CV and a brief cover letter detailing your interest in the position to our Executive Director, Erin Elizabeth Smith, at erin@sundresspublications.com. Applications are due by May 13th, 2025.
Editorial Intern, Sundress Publications
Deadline: May 21, 2025
Sundress Publications is an entirely volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit publishing collective founded in 2000 that hosts a variety of online journals and publishes chapbooks, full-length collections, and literary anthologies in both print and digital formats. Sundress also publishes the annual Best of the Net Anthology, celebrating the best work published online, runs Poets in Pajamas, an online reading series, and the Sundress Workshop Series which offers free virtual writers workshops.
The editorial internship position will run from July 1 to December 31, 2025. The editorial intern’s responsibilities may include writing press releases, composing blog posts and promotional emails, proofreading manuscripts, assembling press kits, collating editorial data, research, managing spreadsheets, and more. The intern may also be responsible for writing copy, conducting interviews with Sundress authors, reviewing newly released books, and promoting our catalog of titles.
Applicants with social media experience or who would like to gain social media experience should make a note in their cover letter. Social media responsibilities include scheduling and posting promotional materials on our social media channels, maintaining our newsletter, and promoting our various open reading periods, workshops, readings, and catalog of titles. This will also include creating promotional graphics, digital flyers, logos, and social media images.
Preferred qualifications include:
- A keen eye for proofreading
- Strong written communication skills
- Familiarity with WordPress, Microsoft Word, and Google Suite
- Ability to work under a deadline and multitask
- Knowledge of and interest in contemporary literature a plus
This is a REMOTE internship with the team communicating primarily via email and text messages and is therefore not restricted to applicants living in any particular geographic area. Interns are asked to devote up to 10 hours per week to their assignments.
While this is an unpaid internship, all interns will gain real-world experience of the ins and outs of independent publishing with a nationally recognized press while creating a portfolio of work for future employment opportunities. Interns will also be able to attend all retreats and residencies at the Sundress Academy for the Arts at a significantly discounted cost.
We welcome, encourage, and are enthusiastic to see a diverse array of applicants in all areas, including race, ethnicity, disability, gender, class, religion, education, immigration status, and more.
To apply, please send a resume and cover letter detailing your interest in the position to Staff Director Kanika Lawton at sundressstaffdirector@gmail.com by May 21st, 2025.
Editorial Intern, Sundress Academy for the Arts
Deadline: May 31, 2025
The Sundress Academy for the Arts at Firefly Farms, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is seeking editorial interns. The position’s responsibilities include the preparation of documents necessary to run an independent writer’s residency, as well as online participation in literary events including readings and workshops. This part-time internship would consist of approximately 5-10 hours of work per week and run from July 1st to January 5th, 2026. All applicants must be local to the greater Knoxville, TN area.
The Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA) is an entirely volunteer-run organization that hosts residencies, workshops, and retreats centered on creative writing in all genres. Located on a 45-acre farm twenty minutes from downtown Knoxville, SAFTA’s mission is to give writers of all levels a chance to workshop with nationally renowned professionals in their field as well as uninterrupted time to focus on their creative work.
The editorial intern’s responsibilities will include writing press releases, composing blogs, creating promotional graphics, proofreading, working with social media (Facebook, WordPress, etc.), collating editorial and residency data, research, and more. The intern will also be needed to help facilitate Zoom readings and workshops.
Preferred qualifications include:
- A keen eye for proof-reading
- Strong written communication skills
- Experience with WordPress, Zoom, Google Sheets, and Canva
- Knowledge of contemporary literature a plus
While this is an unpaid internship, all interns will gain real-world experience in working with online event planning, nonprofit management, running a residency, communications, and more while creating a portfolio of work for future employment opportunities. Interns will get to work alongside members of both the local and national literary community through SAFTA workshops and readings, which interns are able to attend for free during their tenure with the organization.
To apply, please send a resume and a brief cover letter detailing your interest in the position to the Staff Director, Erin Cantrell, at saftastaffdirector@gmail.com. Applications are due by May 31, 2025.
For more information, visit our website at www.sundressacademyforthearts.com