Join Our Team

Based in Washington Heights, Uptown Stories offers after-school, weekend, and summer creative writing workshops for children ages 8-18. We are seeking rockstar Teaching Artists, who are also professional authors and artists, to lead our creative writing workshops. Have a genre you’re passionate about? Tell us why you think your workshop would be an exciting addition to our programming.

All classes should be structured primarily as workshops, where the students learn the art and craft of writing, revision, and how to give and receive constructive feedback, creating a community of young authors and artists. Each workshop ends with a celebratory reading at Word Up Community Bookshop in Washington Heights, and the publication of a paperback anthology, so every student leaves our program as a published author.

We are looking for Teaching Artists who write terrific curricula, who are dynamic and engaging in the classroom, who are self-reliant and responsible, who can differentiate instruction for different ages and abilities, and who, most of all, feel passionate about the craft and the art of writing. Teaching Artists are expected to help set up and break down the classroom space, maintain regular email contact with families regarding class progress, and be responsive to emails from students about their work. Uptown Stories will handle enrollment, space, billing, and provide materials and snacks.

All applicants must:

• ‍Have 4+ years of professional experience teaching children within the age range of 8-18
• Have at least 1 year of professional experience teaching creative writing
• ‍Be practicing writers or artists in their field of expertise

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Based in Washington Heights, Uptown Stories offers after-school, weekend, and summer creative writing workshops for children ages 8-18. We are seeking passionate individuals with integrity, vision, and dedication to service and creative pursuits to be teaching assistants in our LEAPS and community classes.

We are looking for supportive and dedicated teaching assistants. Teaching Assistants should have at least 2 years of experience in working with school-age children and also be practicing writers or artists themselves. Teaching assistants will support in curriculum development, and they will have a large role in classroom management. An ideal candidate will show strong initiative in enriching our programs and have background in differentiating instruction for all learning styles and abilities as well as feel passionate about the craft and the art of writing.

Teaching assistant applicants must have:

• Minimum of 2 years' experience working with school-age children
• A developing practice as an artist or writer

This is a paid, part-time position at $25/hour.

Thank you for your interest in becoming an intern at Uptown Stories!

We're a growing nonprofit with a small but mighty staff, and we could genuinely use your help. We’re looking for people who are passionate about words, and who believe in supporting young people as they find their voices and write their stories.

Our usual administrative schedule is Monday-Friday from 10:00AM-4:00PM. We ask our interns to work for a minimum number of hours each week during this window so they can co-work with other staff members. We can be flexible, if interns are not available the entire semester, or if they need to shift their hours somewhat, but we require clear expectations and consistency. All of our interns receive a stipend of $500 and meaningful career experience that impacts the lives of New York City Youth.

Winter: January - March (15 hrs/week for 12 weeks)
Spring: April - June (15 hrs/week for 12 weeks)
Summer: July - August  (25 hrs/week for 8 weeks)
Fall: September - December  (15 hrs/week for 12 weeks)

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The Publishing Intern works alongside our Programming Director to organize and edit our students' work and help publish our printed anthology books. They will also develop Kindle editions of our previous anthologies and select excerpts to be shared by our marketing team. They will also have an opportunity to learn CMS tools and publish pieces onto our student literary website, UptownInk.org.

Key Responsibilities: Collect and edit student writing; use a style guide to ensure consistency throughout the anthology book; select and develop excerpts of students' stories; publish work onto our student website; help with distribution to local vendors; other publishing tasks as needed.

Ideal Skills: Adobe InDesign, Google Docs, Google Sheets, WordPress, Writing, Editing, Journalism

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The Development Intern works alongside the Executive Director and the Development Associate to raise the funds required to operate the organization. They will learn and practice researching, writing, and reporting on grants, stewarding major donors, and partnering with foundations and local businesses. They may do analysis or visualization of our registration data, or research studies that support Uptown Stories’ theory of change.

Key Responsibilities: Look through relevant research for information we can use in future grants; analyze registration data; explore new grants our organization can apply for funding; write and submit grants; other development tasks as needed.

Ideal Skills: Grant writing; Data Visualization; Google Drive, Sheets, and Docs; Analytics; Research Skills; AirTable

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The Marketing & Operations Intern works alongside the Marketing & Operations Director and the Marketing & Operations Coordinator on a variety of tasks.

Key Responsibilities: Assist with day-to-day administrative needs, brainstorm and execute new strategies for utilizing Uptown Stories social media, create social media timelines, collaborate with Marketing & Operations Coordinator on ideation, design, and application for social media, monitor and respond to comments, messages, etc. across social platforms, track social media analytics across platforms, bringing them into conversation with the Marketing & Operations Director and Coordinator, and using the information to inform your strategy

Must Haves: Highly organized and able to manage your time well; ability to complete independent work, balanced with collaborative needs; and strong communication skills.

Ideal Skills: Familiarity with Google Docs and Sheets; strong familiarity with Instagram and Facebook; previous experience managing social media accounts; graphic design (Canva, Adobe Photoshop, etc.)

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Uptown Stories! We're a growing nonprofit with a small but mighty staff, so we could genuinely use your help. We’re looking for people who are passionate about words, and who believe in supporting early adolescents as they find their voices and write their stories.

We have a variety of ways you can contribute to Uptown Stories:
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• Assist at one-day events: We host one-day events on a regular basis at Uptown Stories. This includes student reading days where students showcase their writing at the end of the semester, fundraising and community engagement events, author presentations, and other community outreach opportunities. Volunteers would be assisting with setup, clean up, directing guests, and other day-of operational support.
• Review student work for US anthology: Our students have their work published in an anthology every semester. Volunteers with editing experience can assist staff in reviewing student work and making sure it’s ready for publication!
• Set up for the new semester: At the start of each semester, we need help organizing our supplies and getting our Cornerstone location ready to welcome new students. In this role, volunteers sort and inventory supplies, assist in any minor space cleanup, and other tasks as needed.
• Connect us to your company’s corporate giving departments: As Uptown Stories continues to grow, we’re looking to connect with corporate giving and corporate social responsibility departments. If your company has this opportunity, we would greatly appreciate an introduction!
• Drive to pick up and/or move supplies: Uptown Stories workshops can take place around the neighborhood in local public spaces and schools. We also often receive donations, and/or go to Materials for the Arts to collect necessary art supplies. Volunteers with a car that can support our staff in transporting supplies are often needed!
• Advise 8th grade students on their High School Admissions essays (Oct-Nov)- The process of applying to high school in NYC often involves writing an essay. While the workshop is taught by an experienced Uptown Stories teacher, we need volunteers who are strong writers to provide 1:1 support helping each 8th grader brainstorm, draft, revise, and edit their applications.