May 6, 2025

FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY

by Lana Barkawi | in Literary

Mizna, a founding member of the Poetry Coalition, is accepting applications for a paid Poetry Coalition Fellowship position. This position is 20 hours per week from September 2, 2025 to June 30, 2026. The total stipend is $20,000 plus $1,100 toward healthcare. 

The Poetry Coalition is a national alliance of nearly thirty organizations dedicated to working together to promote the value poets bring to our culture and the important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds.

Mizna presents contemporary, critical, and experimental art, writing, and film centering the work of Arab and Southwest Asian and North African artists. For twenty-six years, Mizna has promoted experimental approaches to art, literature, and film; work that questions and expands the forms and conceptual frameworks of Arab and SWANA culture. We publish a biannual print literary and art journal, Mizna, and Mizna Online, a digital platform for literary and multidisciplinary work reflecting critically on the current realities of the SWANA region and beyond. We produce the Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, the largest and longest-running SWANA-centered film festival in the Midwest. Mizna also offers readings, film series, performances, public art commissions, and community events that have featured 1000+ local and transnational writers, filmmakers, and artists.

POSITION OVERVIEW With this Poetry Coalition Fellowship, we seek a candidate who will work to increase the readership of Mizna: SWANA Literature + Art and Mizna Online by increasing and broadening the circulation and distribution of the print journal. The Fellow will strategize and implement grassroots distribution and visibility campaigns to expand national and international distribution, with a priority on independent bookstores. This role involves becoming familiar with Mizna’s current subscriber and distribution systems and helping to develop more streamlined approaches. The ideal candidate will have experience in creating and implementing a nonprofit business strategy, be current on the state of literary journals, and will be steeped in Arab/SWANA–American literature and culture.

FELLOW RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Committing to 20 hours per week for the entire ten-month fellowship
• Adhering to rules and policies of Mizna as appropriate 
• Assisting with any of the following:
  • Increasing readership
  • Distribution of the journal
  • Management and improvement of databases & inventory systems
  • Reviewing subscription models
  • Developing/maintaining bookstore and library relationships
  • Community outreach
  • Marketing and promotion
  • General administration
• Attending and participating in meetings, including ad-hoc meetings with other Poetry Coalition fellows and with leaders to foster community, professional development, and create a peer learning group
• Participating in the Poetry Coalition’s professional development sessions
• Completing evaluations at the end of the fellowship year

FELLOW QUALIFICATIONS 

• Passion for connecting literary journals with ideal readers
• Deep familiarity with the current landscape of Arab/SWANA–American literature
• Interest in nonprofit administration and management 
• Experience with database software and Airtable
• Excellent written skills in English
• Creative problem solving
• Big-picture, visionary thinking
• Collegial, kind, good humored, enthusiastic, collaborative
• Prioritization, multitasking, and project management
• Demonstrated experience in the areas listed above

NOTE: We welcome all applicants, including those who are enrolled in or have recently graduated from academic programs. 

TO APPLY: Please submit a brief (no more than one page) cover letter, resume, and two references to Ellina Kevorkian at ellina@mizna.org. Mizna is an equal opportunity employer committed to reflecting the diversity of the Twin Cities community in its staffing, programming, and partnership decisions. We strive to create a dynamic work environment that values inclusion and respect, entrepreneurism and innovation, community and service.