Poda-Poda Stories Internship Program
About the Program
The Poda-Poda Stories bi-annual Internship Program is a three-month program which aims to inspire the young Sierra Leonean writer’s interest and activity in the Sierra Leonean context of the African publication industry. Currently offered as a virtual experience, three pillars support the curriculum of the internship program, namely, learning & research, editorial support, and experiential learning in the form of a capstone project.
Testimonials
Mayenie Conton, 2025 Session II Intern:
“I am so glad that I was able to be a part of the Poda-Poda Stories team. During the course of my internship, I gained insight into the process of curating an issue of a digital literary magazine, and got the opportunity to assist with the administrative tasks where needed. I was able to see all the great work we did on the website, but realized that we could do more to engage our audience and let them know about what we were doing; hence my internship project, "The Roadside Reader", was born. As a monthly newsletter, it seeks to update our subscribers and readers on the latest happenings on our website and in the literary world as a whole.”
Sign up for Mayenie’s monthly newsletter here.
Mariam Fofana, 2026 Session I Intern:
“Poda-Poda Stories is the perfect internship for emerging writers who want to turn bold ideas into creative projects. Through my poetry collection, I explored Sierra Leonean foodways as repositories of memory, labor, sound, and diaspora. The internship gave me space to experiment with form and create work grounded in culture while still feeling fresh and innovative. If you have a story to tell and a zest for bringing imagination to life, run—don’t walk—to Poda-Poda Stories.”
Check out Mariam’s four-part poetry capstone project titled, “Sierra Leonean Foodways” here.
How To Apply
We offer two sessions of our internship program for Sierra Leonean* writers each year:
Session 1: March - June (applications open February 1-28)
Session 2: October - January (applications open September 1-30)
*We define a Sierra Leonean writer as a writer with one or both parents being Sierra Leonean or a writer who is a Sierra Leonean citizen residing in the country or its diaspora.
Interested individuals may apply by the designated due dates by sending a resume/CV, cover letter, and a creative writing sample via email to editor@poda-poda.com.