Apply for 2026–27 Poetry Coalition Fellowships
The Poetry Coalition is accepting applications for its 2026–27 Fellowship Program, offering paid, part-time opportunities for individuals interested in literary arts nonprofit work.
Each fellowship is hosted by an individual Poetry Coalition member organization. Applicants should apply directly to the host organization or organizations that best match their interests, experience, location, and availability. Each host organization manages its own application process, timeline, and position details.
Fellowship positions require a commitment of 20 hours per week and run from September 2026 through June 2027. Each fellow receives a $20,000 stipend, plus an additional $1,100 health care allowance.
Through their host organizations, fellows gain hands-on experience in areas such as programming, community engagement, editorial projects, fundraising, communications, nonprofit administration, literary events, archives, and arts education.
Why Apply?
The Poetry Coalition Fellowship Program is designed to support the next generation of literary arts leaders. Fellows receive direct experience working inside nonprofit poetry organizations while building skills that can support future careers in literary programming, arts administration, publishing, community engagement, development, communications, and related fields.
Through their host organizations, fellows may help coordinate events, support community partnerships, assist with editorial or archival projects, contribute to marketing and outreach, participate in meetings, and learn how poetry organizations serve writers, readers, students, and communities.
Who Should Apply?
Individuals aged 21 and older are invited to apply.
The fellowship may be a strong fit for applicants who are interested in poetry, literary arts administration, nonprofit work, community programming, publishing, fundraising, communications, arts education, or cultural organizing.
Applicants do not need to follow a single path into this work. Current MFA students and recent MFA graduates are welcome to apply, but the fellowship is also intended for people with a range of educational, professional, creative, and community-based experiences.
2026–27 Host Opportunities
Application link: Applications should be emailed to [email protected].
Deadline: Applications are accepted May 25–July 1, 2026.
Work format / location: Phoenix area preferred; remote applicants will be considered.
Position overview:
This position offers exposure to and training in multiple aspects of nonprofit arts administration, including community building, development, communications, and event management.
The selected fellow will work closely with the CantoMundo director to support programming and community engagement for CantoMundo Fellows throughout the year. Responsibilities include helping coordinate online courses and events, assisting with the annual reading committee process for new Fellows, answering questions, managing timelines and deadlines, supporting social media and promotion, and completing other tasks as needed.
A major focus of the fellowship is helping plan and implement the annual CantoMundo retreat, a four-day gathering of Fellows, faculty, and guest artists held each June. The Fellow will assist with retreat logistics, communications, scheduling, and event coordination.
About the organization:
CantoMundo is a national poetry organization that cultivates a community of Latine poets through workshops, symposia, public readings, and publications.
How to Apply:
Submit a cover letter, resume, and two to three references to [email protected]. No phone calls, please.
Application link: https://www.njpac.org/series/dodgepoetry/
Deadline: Applications are accepted May 28–July 1, 2026.
Work format / location: Work will be hybrid, both in person and remote.
Position overview:
Dodge Poetry’s Poetry Coalition Fellow will support Dodge Poetry in the Community, which fosters a community of poets and change agents of all ages and backgrounds; and Dodge Poetry commits to providing resources for these poets to advance social change.
About the organization:
Dodge Poetry is a collaboration between the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center that celebrates poetry as a catalyst for communities to advance social change. Through this initiative, Dodge Poetry expands beyond the biennial festival to include year-round programming in Newark, New Jersey.
How to Apply:
More application information is coming soon.
Application link: https://www.indigenousnationspoets.org/2026-fellowship
Deadline: Applications are accepted May 28–July 1, 2026.
Work format / location: This is a remote position. Applicants can work from anywhere.
Position overview:
While In-Na-Po’s Poetry Coalition Fellow will be engaged with our day-to-day operations, they will also undertake specific projects. The Fellow will serve as an assistant to the editors of an In-Na-Po anthology. Tasks will include inviting and tracking submissions, and assembling selected work for submission to the publisher. Our Fellow will also support planning for our annual mentoring retreat and create content for our website and social media outlets.
About the organization:
In-Na-Po, Indigenous Nations Poets, is a national Indigenous poetry community committed to mentoring emerging writers, nurturing the growth of Indigenous poetic practices, and raising the visibility of all Native Writers past, present, and future. In-Na-Po recognizes the role of poetry in sustaining tribal sovereign nations and Native languages.
How to Apply:
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and two references to [email protected] along with a sample of your poetry and/or a sample that illustrates past programming or arts administration work (limit five pages).
Application link: https://goodmeasures.wufoo.com/forms/z13i9r1b1pvz6md/
Deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications are accepted May 28–July 24.
Work format / location: Boston and Salem, Massachusetts. Work will be hybrid, both in person and remote.
Position overview:
Mass Poetry’s Poetry Coalition Fellow will offer program support for the 2027 Massachusetts Poetry Festival, a biennial festival held in Salem, Massachusetts. The Fellow will work closely with the Festival Director to coordinate the community proposal process, support programming and marketing, coordinate with festival venues and partners, and more.
In addition, the fellow will support Mass Poetry’s community programming and events at GrubStreet’s Center for Creative Writing in Boston’s Seaport, where Mass Poetry serves as an arts-partner-in-residence.
About the organization:
Mass Poetry envisions a world where poetry catalyzes understanding and connection. Its programs include the Massachusetts Poetry Festival, community programming, educational initiatives, and events that bring poetry to readers, writers, students, and audiences across Massachusetts.
How to Apply:
Submit a cover letter, resume, two to three references, and a writing sample through Mass Poetry’s application form. No calls, please.
Application link: https://omiami.org/pages/submit
Deadline: Wednesday, July 31, 2026
Work format / location: In person in South Florida.
Position overview:
O, Miami is accepting applications from community members currently located in South Florida for a paid Poetry Coalition Fellowship position. The position is 20 hours per week from September 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027.
The O, Miami fellowship program is designed to develop skills in communication and critical thinking by immersing fellows in all aspects of O, Miami, including: community engagements, festival production, publishing (traditional and civic), and education residencies. Upon completion of the program, Fellows will have deepened their relationship and understanding of Miami and expanded their knowledge of South Florida’s literary community.
About the organization:
O, Miami builds community around the power of poetry, with a focus on making poetry part of everyday life in Miami-Dade County.
How to Apply:
More application information is coming soon.
Application link: https://poetshouse.org/jobs/
Deadline: Applications are accepted May 28–July 1, 2026.
Work format / location: In person in New York, New York.
Position overview:
The Poetry Coalition Fellow will contribute creatively and administratively to the further development of the Poets House library, programs, and community. The Fellow will serve as a member of the Access Services Team, reporting to the Operations Manager.
The Fellow will support the annual Poets House Showcase, an exhibit of more than 2,000 publications from more than 700 publishers accompanied by a reading series. Responsibilities include research, correspondence, data entry, scheduling, program planning support, poet and partner communications, graphics and publicity support, event production, facility rentals, fundraising events, general administration, patron support, and maintaining an inclusive space for visitors.
The Fellow will also participate in library collection management, including shelving, shelf-reading, receiving book donations, tracking circulation, supporting metadata projects for Poets House’s online catalog and digital archive, assisting with the Chapbook Collection, helping inventory and arrange archives, and highlighting collection resources through blog posts, reading lists, book displays, and social media.
About the organization:
Poets House is a library and community space that invites poets and the public to step into the living tradition of poetry. Its independent, noncirculating library houses a collection of approximately 80,000 poetry books, journals, chapbooks, and special collections that shed light on the development of contemporary poetry.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates should fill out the Airtable form linked from the Poets House job listing and attach a cover letter and resume.
Application link: https://woodlandpattern.org/opportunities
Deadline: July 15, 2026
Work format / location: In person in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; applicants should live within driving distance of Milwaukee.
Position overview:
Woodland Pattern’s Poetry Coalition Fellow will assist with special projects related to the organization’s small-press poetry collection as Woodland Pattern moves into a new space with a larger footprint after nearly fifty years in its former site. The move is expected to be completed in fall 2026.
The new facility will include a Permanent Collection featuring a Rare Books Reading Room and an archival library of authors and artists who have presented with Woodland Pattern from 1979 to the present. The fellow will work with Book Center Manager Lewis Freedman, assisting with the creation, organization, and physical and digital cataloging of the Permanent Collection.
The fellow will also help digitize and renovate Woodland Pattern’s book consignment system. The fellow will also be involved in staff-wide efforts, such as Woodland Pattern’s annual Poetry Marathon, and may support other administrative activities related to programming and operations.
About the organization:
Founded in Milwaukee in 1979 as a forum and resource center for poets and other artists in the Great Lakes region, Woodland Pattern is dedicated to the discovery, cultivation, and presentation of poetry and the arts. Home to a nationally recognized collection of small-press poetry, Woodland Pattern promotes a lifetime practice of reading and writing through programs that encourage exchange across the visual, performing, and literary arts.
How to Apply:
Submit a cover letter, resume, and two references through Woodland Pattern’s application form. No calls, please.
How to Apply
Applicants should review the host opportunities listed above and apply directly through the organization or organizations that best match their interests, skills, location, and availability.
Each host organization manages its own application process and deadline. For questions about a specific fellowship position, contact the host organization listed in that opportunity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply to more than one host organization?
Yes. Applicants may apply to any host organization whose opportunity matches their interests, location, and availability. Each host manages its own application process.
Is this a full-time position?
No. Poetry Coalition Fellowships are part-time positions requiring 20 hours per week.
How much does the fellowship pay?
Each fellow receives a $20,000 stipend, plus an additional $1,100 health care allowance.
Do I need an MFA to apply?
No. Current MFA students and recent MFA graduates are welcome to apply, but an MFA is not required.
Are the positions remote?
It depends on the host organization. Some positions may be in person, hybrid, remote, or location-specific. Applicants should review each host listing carefully.
Who should I contact with questions?
For questions about a specific fellowship position, contact the host organization listed in that opportunity.
About the Poetry Coalition
The Poetry Coalition is a national alliance of nearly 30 organizations 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.
With support from the Mellon Foundation, the Poetry Coalition launched a pilot fellowship program for emerging arts administrators from 2020 through 2023. With renewed and increased funding in 2024, the Coalition expanded the number of fellowships, which will be offered through 2027, along with professional development sessions for its members.
The Academy of American Poets serves as the administrative and fiscal coordinator of the Poetry Coalition.