Every year, the University of Washington Press offers paid internships to UW students interested in pursuing careers in publishing. Students work in departments throughout the press, gaining on-the-job experience and receiving mentorship from publishing professionals. As part of UW Libraries Student Employee Appreciation Week, we invite you to meet our current group of book-loving interns below. We asked them to share what excites them about publishing, how they contribute to the work of the press, and (of course) their favorite UW Press book.

If you’re a current UW student interested in learning more about a position at UW Press, we would love to hear from you. Write to us at uwapress@uw.edu.

Acquisitions

C Mouhibian, Sophomore in History

I help prepare manuscripts from proposal to launch! This includes corresponding with the author to receive all the images, text, and anything else that would be included in the final project.

I’ve always been a big nerd about books and obsessed over certain authors and small publishers. It interested me to find out what the process behind the scenes was like, all the steps a book goes through to find its way on a shelf. I’ve learned so much about the publishing process, which has really illuminated what a career in books could look like to me. I hope this experience will prepare me for future positions in presses and libraries, which is where I see myself working in the future!

Favorite UW Press book: I’ve been meaning to read Feminista Frequencies. I found it cool that it focuses on such an analog form of technology like radio and how that was specifically a tool to build community across distance.

Ishita Shahi, Graduate student in Digital Media

Every day is new learning at UW Press. I say this especially because we receive thoroughly researched and diverse book proposals that are distinctive in one way or the other. It is inspiring to see the commitment and hard work put in by authors from all areas of work.

Publications serve as an integral platform to empower issues/stories and to help those voices proliferate or even help inflict conversations around them. And ultimately, I want to support the ferry that enables all of us to better understand the world through diverse perspectives.

Favorite UW Press book: I am looking forward to reading The Tibetan Nun Mingyur Peldrön: A Woman of Power and Privilege.

Business

Cam Che, Junior in Finance, Information Systems, and Accounting for Business Professionals

Publishing interests me because it provides access to and connects information and ideas with people worldwide. Information is powerful, and publishing is one of the tools to empower, share, and link people together. Publishing, to me, means fueling people with knowledge and education.

Some of my responsibilities include working with administrative records, expenses, revenues, and royalties and providing support to the Business Manager and the department as a whole. Other duties include accounting and data entry, data management, managing digital and physical files, and assisting with ongoing projects in the business area. My experience at the press has improved the transferable skill set that will help me easily transition into my future career plan.

Favorite UW Press book: Great question! I cannot choose between The $16 Taco by Pascale Joassart-Marcelli and Contemporary Asian American Activism edited by Diane C. Fujino and Robyn Magalit Rodriguez.

Marketing

Zoe Kackman, Sophomore in Art

I was interested to learn about what goes on behind the scenes of publishing, specifically the marketing aspects. I am still fairly new to the press, but I am already learning a lot about organization and collaborative work. I’m very interested in social media and the publicity side of publishing, so I think my experience in this role will be a good baseline for my future career.

Favorite UW Press book: I’m really interested in Settler Cannabis [forthcoming in May]! I feel like it will be a new perspective of Indigenous history that I’ve never heard before.