Writing

At Stanford, I told myself that I could minor in something I loved if I majored in something useful. Creative Writing was my minor and my true love. The community of writers (both professors and students) that I rubbed elbows with was truly inspiring. During my senior year, I was recognized for outstanding creative nonfiction. If you want to read the story that won the award, buy the book that it's published in!

Some writers I admire are John Steinbeck, Alice Walker, Zora Neale Hurston, Douglas Adams, C.S. Lewis, Victor Hugo, Mary Oliver, Nam Le, Charlie Baxter, Edward P. Jones, and Rattawut Lapcharoensap. That's definitely not a complete list; I'm constantly finding new authors that I love and re-discovering old ones! Every Thursday, Dear Sugar is at the top of my reading list.

Thanks to a recommendation from one of my writing teachers, Sarah Frisch, right now I'm working as an intern at a literary magazine called One Story. This nonprofit organization is trying to save the short story by publishing only one, by itself in a small pamphlet, every three weeks. Sometimes, allowing a short story to stand alone is the best way to let it touch you. As an intern, I help with office tasks and customer service, but I also read a lot of slush. That's the industry term for manuscripts. If I read an amazing one, it's my job to recommend it to the editors. I'm hoping that this will teach me not only to be a more discerning reader, but a more discerning writer!

Feel free to check out my blog. I'm hoping to put some of my creative work in there along with the newsey updates for my family members. If you ever need something copyedited, I'm a nitpicker and my rates are pretty low.