World Literature Today, OU’s award-winning bimonthly magazine of international literature and culture, was founded in 1927 as an academic journal. Over its eighty-five-year history, it has come to be recognized as one of the premier literary magazines in the world. In the past ten years, WLT has also become the first university-based magazine to broaden its appeal to an audience outside the academy.  (See a listing of WLT's many accomplishments in the past decade on our Mission page.)

Is World Literature Today more than a magazine?
WLT has also become a vibrant humanities center for OU students. Working with hundreds of students a year, WLT sponsors a magazine publishing course, a student-led book club, a student advisory board, Neustadt and Puterbaugh student fellowships, student research grants, and one or two literary conferences a year, in addition to one of the best internship programs on campus.

What do WLT interns learn?
WLT interns gain valuable professional experience in manuscript acquisitions and editing, magazine layout and design, the printing process, event planning, marketing and promotion, and Internet and library research. In recent years, students have been the driving force behind special issues on graphic literature, endangered languages, performance poetry, and food culture by serving as guest editors, writing book reviews and travel “Outposts,” and interviewing authors.

Interns can also help host internationally prominent authors. Interns participate in WLT’s literary and cultural events and meet with OU’s provost, president, and prominent publishing professionals in Oklahoma. Students are also encouraged to enroll in a three-credit course devoted to magazine editing and publishing (ENGL 4113), taught every fall by Daniel Simon, WLT’s editor in chief. Interns can also earn course credit through independent study.

Are WLT internships voluntary or paid?
WLT student internships are voluntary (non-paid), but schedules are flexible and can be as few as two hours a week or up to ten or more. On occasion, WLT employs interns in work-study positions.

How do I apply for a WLT internship?
To find out more about the world of publishing and international literature, join the outstanding internship program at WLT. Download the application below and then mail your completed application to WLT Student Internships / 630 Parrington Oval, Suite 110 / Norman OK 73019-4037, hand-deliver the application to Monnet 110, or e-mail it to Terri Stubblefield at tdstubb@ou.edu. For more information about internship opportunities, call Terri at 325-4531.

Download the form below to apply for a WLT research grant.

WLT is also pleased to offer two student fellowships:  the Neustadt Student Fellowship and the Puterbaugh Student Fellowship. Neustadt Fellowships are awarded every year in the fall, and Puterbaugh Fellowships are awarded every other year in the spring (the next Puterbaugh event is scheduled for spring 2012). See the Student Fellowships page for detailed information about applying for these fellowships.

 

This award offers financial assistance to students interested in writing and/or literature at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. Recipients of this scholarship award must be Oklahoma residents, be enrolled full-time, be in good academic standing, and have completed at least 30 credit hours. Scholarship recipients will receive a $500 cash award.

Your application must be accompanied by the following:

1. A short story or essay demonstrating your creative writing skills. Your entry should be typewritten,
single-spaced, and between three to four pages in length. Please do not send excerpts or writing samples.

2. A copy of the most recent official transcript at each of the higher education institutions that
you have attended.

Submit your completed application to the Ruby N. Courtney Writer's Scholarship Coordinator, World Literature Today, the University of Oklahoma, 110 Monnet Hall, Norman, OK 73019. Email: tdstubb@ou.edu. The application deadline is March 26, 2012.

If you have questions about this scholarship, please contact Terri Stubblefield at tdstubb@ou.edu or at 405/325-4531. You can also call Chris Wadsworth at the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education at (405) 225-9131.