Meet Azfa Awad, who spent the summer as an intern at Granta magazine. Aziz Foundation is pleased to be able to sponsor entry-level internships for people from Muslim backgrounds embarking on careers in the creative industries. Our thanks go to Granta for hosting Azfa and enabling her to get an introduction to publishing from their team. Here’s Azfa’s take on her time there.
“I have always had an interest in publishing and being a writer I knew an internship would give me fresh insights into the literary world. At Granta, I quickly learned how to edit writing to a publishable standard using editing techniques and working with a company style. I learned how to market effectively through social media marketing techniques that encourage readers to interact with the material published on the website as well as the magazine.
If you’re thinking of doing a publishing internship then I would encourage you to apply for one. Not only will you learn about editing and publishing, but you will gain useful skills and insights into the publishing world that you can apply to future projects. The internship even helped me to become a better writer through self-editing and I found myself writing more and more each day as I was constantly surrounded by good literature that sparked my creativity.
Using the skills that I gained from the internship, I plan on starting a non-profit digital magazine that aims to publish poetry from immigrant voices. I feel confident with this project as I have learned about the different facets that go into publishing a magazine. I also have other projects such as a poetry collection, an anthology and an online business that I’m working towards and doing the internship has equipped me with the necessary skills for accomplishing the projects successfully.”
Keep an eye on our website for more internship opportunities in the creative industries.