This year Spineless Wonders were delighted to collaborate with the Swinburne Internship Program, coordinated by Associate Professor Julia Prendergast, to produce the 2024 Slinkies anthology. Marketing intern, Miah Foster reports on what she and the other hardworking publishing interns, Zara, Nilushi, Vanessa and Erin had to say about the 13-week internship as editorial and promotional assistants in the development and marketing.
Led by Spineless Wonders’ Interns Coordinator, Hannah Oakshott, the Swinburne team applied their diverse skills to help behind-the-scenes and support Senior Editors Emma Wortley and Sofiana Bahrum. They also liaised closely with the book production team led by Bettina Kaiser to work creatively marketing, coordinating event management and internal communication, proofreading and more.
Production Coordinator, Zara Kernan reflected on the professional opportunity with gratitude for her career development, “This internship has allowed me to add real, tangible publishing experience to my profes
sional portfolio. I aspire to work in publishing, so this was a great opportunity.”
Slinkies Editorial Assistant and Event Coordinator, Nilushi Jayawardena says the project allowed her to apply publishing skills within a real environment. “It has been exciting and rewarding to be part of something that celebrates new voices, much like my own, and share them with the world,” Nilushi said.
Editorial Assistant and Final Proofreader, Erin O’Connor expressed thanks to the SW team saying, “I was able to get a better sense of how much work goes into a literary magazine behind the scenes. Liaising with different departments like the marketing and typesetting teams, and authors to ensure publication went smoothly.”
Communications Coordinator, Miah Foster highlighted the future implications this opportunity has established, “Bronwyn and Hannah allowed me to exercise creative direction for the digital marketing of Slinkies. My responsibilities here have boosted my professional portfolio allowing me to hone my skills across multiple social media platforms,” she said.
Vanessa Sashini Perera was the Slinkies 2024 Editorial Assistant and Author Video Coordinator she commended the teamwork and support received. “The internship gave me valuable hands-on experience in editing and project management. Seeing the team’s strengths come together to produce the anthology and event was incredible, but the mutual support we shared throughout the process made all the difference.”
A special thanks to Culling judges Urvi Argawal (USyd), Claire Browett (UOW), Kerrin White (UOW alumni) and Madison Woods (Boston Uni) who read the almost 100 submissions and worked with Senior Editors, Emma Wortley and Sofia Bahrum to make the final selections for the 2024 Slinkies.
And of course, there would be no anthology, without the amazing Slinkies authors. Authors Fiona Wilkes, Georgia Loadsman, Miles Mazzocato, Jewel Swe, Helena and Aggy Pantsis have created a beautiful read. Join the Swinburne interns to celebrate and support them at 7pm Thursday Oct 24 for the online launch party. And purchase your own copy of the 2024 Slinkies Anthology.