Welcome to Woodland Pattern's Submittable site. We are currently accepting applications for our Book Center Manager position and for our Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellowships. Please read on for more on each call, and to apply.
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MILWAUKEE EMERGING POET FELLOWSHIPS
Woodland Pattern is accepting applications for the second year of its Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellowship program. We are excited to offer awards in two categories this year: the Practice Fellowship and the Project Fellowship. Each will run from November 2023 through June 2024. The application deadline for both categories will be October 15, 2023.
The PROJECT FELLOWSHIP seeks to support an emerging poet in need of financial and administrative support for an ambitious literary project such as a reading series, small press, literary journal, or interdisciplinary exhibition.
The PRACTICE FELLOWSHIP seeks to support an emerging poet in their writing practice through an 8-month long mentorship with an established poet, and offers additional opportunities for growth through free workshops and a book allowance.
Eligibility: Both fellowships are open to Milwaukee poets between the ages of 20 and 35, who are not currently enrolled in an MFA or PhD program.
To learn more about each fellowship and to apply, click on each category below.
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JOB OPENING: BOOK CENTER MANAGER
Application Deadline: September 30, 2023
Application Instructions: Please include a cover letter and a resume in a single document inside Submittable, and ensure that two letters of reference are submitted to info@woodlandpattern.org. Questions may also be directed to info@woodlandpattern.org. No calls please.
Woodland Pattern is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, people of color, and those who identify as LGBTQ+ are strongly encouraged to apply.
ABOUT WOODLAND PATTERN: Woodland Pattern is a nonprofit book center, gallery, and performance space located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dedicated to the discovery, cultivation, and presentation of poetry and the arts, the organization provides multi-arts programming and resources that promote a lifetime practice of reading and writing.
Founded in 1979, Woodland Pattern has presented hundreds of internationally celebrated poets and artists alongside performances by local and regional writers, artists, and musicians. Woodland Pattern also delivers year-round literary arts education to all age groups. Each year the organization hosts over 400 programs and events.
ABOUT THE BOOK CENTER: Integral to all of Woodland Pattern’s programming is the book center, which holds a carefully curated and nationally recognized collection of over 25,000 titles of poetry, small-press literature, and literary ephemera. The dissemination of independent literature—particularly poetry books, chapbooks, and zines by small- and micro-press publishers; works that honor bookmaking as a visual art; and texts by writers from historically marginalized backgrounds—has been central to the organization’s purpose since its founding. As a result of four decades of mission-driven inventory decisions, Woodland Pattern is home to the largest Native American section in Wisconsin, the largest collection of haiku in North America, and a collection of contemporary poetry that is one of the most comprehensive of its kind for sale in the United States. The book center also houses a sizable number of works by writers from Wisconsin and throughout the Upper Midwest, including hundreds of self-published books.
In addition to sourcing books from distributors and publishers, we also regularly consign with authors and publishers as needed, and we infrequently accept donations of small-press books on a case-by-case basis. Unlike a commercial bookseller, Woodland Pattern’s acquisitions have never been based on profitability but on mission fit; believing in the permanent value of each title, it is the organization’s practice to hold all books in inventory on an indefinite basis. Many of our titles are now rare and/or out-of-print, and must be reshelved and repriced accordingly.
Our books are available for sale both in our brick-and-mortar location and in our online book center, and we also serve as a distributor for libraries and partner organizations around the region.
POSITION SUMMARY: The Book Center Manager is a full-time, exempt position that works to promote and support Woodland Pattern’s mission through the ongoing care and development of its unique collection of poetry and small-press literature. This position reports to the Executive Directors. The starting salary is $40,000 with opportunity for advancement, and benefits are included.
To read more about the position and to apply, please click below.
PRACTICE FELLOWSHIP: This fellowship category seeks to support an emerging poet in their writing practice through an 8-month long mentorship with an established poet. Mentor and fellow will meet monthly one-on-one to workshop writing, discuss poetry and poetics, and explore publication opportunities. Meetings will take place in person and virtually. During the fellowship period, the recipient will also receive a $500 book allowance, may attend any Woodland Pattern workshop free of cost, and will be invited to give a culminating reading. Poets with existing manuscript projects are particularly encouraged to apply in this category.
Eligibility: Open to Milwaukee poets between the ages of 20 and 35, who are not currently enrolled in an MFA or PhD program.
Mentorship: The Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellow in the Practice category will be mentored by Ae Hee Lee. Born in South Korea and raised in Peru, Lee is the author of ASTERISM, selected by John Murillo for the 2022 Dorset Prize and forthcoming from Tupelo Press, and the poetry chapbooks Bedtime || Riverbed (Compound Press, 2017), Dear bear, (Platypus Press, 2021), and Connotary (Frost Place Chapbook Competition Winner – Bull City Press, 2021). Ae Hee is a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship Finalist, Just Buffalo Literary Center Fellow, an Adroit Journal Gregory Djanikian Scholar, and recipient of the James Olney Award by The Southern Review. She has also received scholarships and honors from the Academy of American Poets, AWP, Bread Loaf, Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, among others.
Application Instructions: Please submit 10 poems and a cover letter discussing your writing practice and reasons for seeking this fellowship. Poems may be submitted as either a manuscript or performance recording. Please submit all 10 poems in only ONE text document.
ABOUT THE MILWAUKEE EMERGING POET FELLOWSHIPS: Drawing inspiration from both the Mary L. Nohl Fund Emerging Artist Fellowship and the Poetry Project’s Emerge Surface Be program, Woodland Pattern established the Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellowship program in 2022 to bring greater visibility and much-needed early support to Milwaukee poets through mentorships, access to opportunities that encourage a poet’s practice and development, and investment in literary projects for which younger poets frequently lack resources. The Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellowship program also seeks to make available alternative avenues of support for emerging poets outside traditional academic-track poetry programs and environments.
Application Instructions: Please include a cover letter and a resume in a single document, and ensure that two letters of reference are submitted to info@woodlandpattern.org. Questions may also be directed to info@woodlandpattern.org. No calls please.
Woodland Pattern is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, people of color, and those who identify as LGBTQ+ are strongly encouraged to apply.
POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:
Oversees maintenance and development of Woodland Pattern’s unique collection of poetry and small-press literature:
- Remains knowledgeable about poetry, contemporary literature, and small-press publishing through reading and research
- Identifies for approval new titles to order that align with Woodland Pattern’s mission
- Ensures continued excellence of broadside, chapbook, zine, and fine-press collections
- Nurtures relationships with small presses and fine-press publishers from around the country
- Appraises mission-specific book donations for possible intake into the collection
- Oversees the physical caretaking of the collection
- Identifies rare and collectible titles periodically for repricing evaluation
Manages all ordering:
- Ensures arrival of programming titles in advance of author appearances, and manages orders for Poetry Camp, reading groups, and other programs
- Monitors press and journal subscriptions, canceling and adding as needed
- Fulfills special orders, works with professors to generate class book sales, and delivers titles for libraries and other partner institutions
- Manages returns as needed
Manages receiving, inventory, and online store:
- Receives all incoming titles
- Prepares titles for online publication, adhering to tagging and in-house style guidelines
- Fulfills and ships orders purchased online and responds to customer queries
- Oversees inventory counts and reconciliations, and coordinates year-end inventory test with accountant
- Ensures integrity of all inventory data and systems
Manages distribution accounts:
- Maintains invoice files, and prepares monthly accounts payable and receivable reports
- Receives books on invoice or consignment, tracks consignment sales, and ensures regular consignment payouts
- Ensure book orders remain within annual budget
Serves as the book center’s primary public face:
- Oversees the majority of sales, public interactions, phone calls and voicemails, while attending the front desk for the majority of operating hours
Contributes to Woodland Pattern’s collective environment and collaborative projects:
- Assists in community, off-site, and special events, and other staff-wide efforts
- Works with other staff in the training and management of volunteers
Qualifications and Experience:
- Extensive knowledge of contemporary American poetry
- Knowledge of small-press publications and publishers, past and present
- Experience working in a library or bookstore, or with a small press or literary journal
- Graduate degree in creative writing, literature, book arts, library studies, or related field preferred (or equivalent knowledge)
- Backgrounds of study in Native American literature, and/or African American, AAPI, Latinx, and/or Queer literatures a plus
- Must possess excellent writing and editorial skills
Accessibility: This position requires some physical activity. The selected candidate must be able to lift up to 40 lbs, navigate a bookshelf ladder, and sit for extended periods of time while working on a computer.
Salary: Starting at $40,000 with opportunity for advancement
Benefits: Health, dental/eye, disability, and life insurance; retirement plan with 3% match; generous discount on books, as well as an annual book allowance
Leave: 2 personal days, 10 vacation days, and up to 12 sick days per calendar year. Additional 3 days of leave available for bereavement. Woodland Pattern offers all staff seven observed holidays, as well as time off annually between Christmas and New Year’s. Observed religious holidays will be accommodated.
Location: In person at Woodland Pattern in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Start Date: Flexible, for the right candidate. A relocation allowance will be available if needed.
PROJECT FELLOWSHIP: This fellowship category seeks to support an emerging poet in need of financial and administrative support for an ambitious literary project such as a reading series, small press, literary journal, or interdisciplinary exhibition. Both new and existing projects are eligible for consideration. The Project fellow will receive ongoing support from our staff, along with a $1,500 project budget. Poets with a track record in DIY literary publishing and programming are particularly encouraged to apply in this category.
Eligibility: Open to Milwaukee poets between the ages of 20 and 35, who are not currently enrolled in an MFA or PhD program.
Mentorship: The Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellow in the Project category will work directly with Woodland Pattern’s Assistant Programming Director, Antonio Vargas-Nieto to realize their projects, and will receive additional support from Woodland Pattern’s Executive Directors Jenny Gropp and Laura Solomon in administrative matters such as budget planning.
Application Instructions: Please submit a project proposal, a budget, and a cover letter outlining your preparedness to execute your project and your reasons for seeking this fellowship.
ABOUT THE MILWAUKEE EMERGING POET FELLOWSHIPS: Drawing inspiration from both the Mary L. Nohl Fund Emerging Artist Fellowship and the Poetry Project’s Emerge Surface Be program, Woodland Pattern established the Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellowship program in 2022 to bring greater visibility and much-needed early support to Milwaukee poets through mentorships, access to opportunities that encourage a poet’s practice and development, and investment in literary projects for which younger poets frequently lack resources. The Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellowship program also seeks to make available alternative avenues of support for emerging poets outside traditional academic-track poetry programs and environments.