Conversations Correspondent — The Crossgrain

Conversations Correspondent — The Crossgrain

Istanbul / Remote | Voluntary

About The Crossgrain

The Crossgrain is an independent journal of culture and the arts, published by Nexus Points Doc — a research and data platform selected by the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy from 14,000 global applicants, the only project chosen from Turkey. Our advisory board includes scholars from Yale, Oxford, Columbia, Goldsmiths, and Forensic Architecture.

The Role

We are not looking for a reporter. We are looking for someone who can sit across from a musician, an athlete, or an artist and have a real conversation. Our series are built on calm, unhurried talks of no more than 30 minutes: in a hotel lobby, backstage before a show, or online. No camera crews, no press-junket questions. We want to know where the work comes from, what it carries, and what it costs the person making it.

You'll take part in conversations across three series:

• Frequency — musicians, on the place, memory, and story behind their sound
• REST — athletes, on life between games
• Nexus Catalyst — artists, photographers, and researchers, on the ideas behind their work

Alongside the conversations, you'll write short pieces from the nights and events around them, in your own voice.

What the work looks like

• Spending real time with a guest's work before you meet them, and arriving with questions only you would ask
• Listening more than talking, and following the conversation where it actually goes
• Shaping the conversation into a published piece that keeps the person's voice
• Writing short, personal field pieces from concerts, matches, and cultural events in Istanbul

Who we're looking for

• Someone genuinely curious about people and why they make what they make
• A careful listener and a thoughtful writer in English
• Interested in music, sport, art, or photography, and comfortable moving between them
• Calm and present with public figures; not starstruck, not performative
• Student or early-career, based in Istanbul (or able to attend events there)

What We Offer

• Conversations with internationally acclaimed musicians, athletes, and artists
• Access to concerts, matches, and cultural events in Istanbul
• Published byline on thecrossgrain.com
• Direct editorial guidance from our founder
• Letter of recommendation upon completion

This is a voluntary, unpaid position

• To apply: Send a short introduction, and tell us one person you'd want to have a conversation with and the first question you'd ask them. Writing samples welcome. Send to contact@thecrossgrain.com