WANDERLUST in the city

It’s been 13 months, how are y’all doing?

Terribly sorry I wont MIA but I’m happy to report that all is well. What’s more? I’m happy.

This past year has been life changing for me. Since last summer, I’ve been the editor-in-chief of my college publication. My predecessors left next to nothing in terms of training/turnover procedures, so I was left to fend for myself and looking back, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve learned so much, from how to figure out an effective production schedule for my staff, to negotiating with printers on bindings and stock options, to hiring a team of 30, to restarting the magazine’s social media activities. I was an octopus, I had a hand in everything. Now that the academic year is over, I have 6 wonderful issues to look back on. The increase in quality (text, visuals, organization) from Issue 1 to 6 is astonishing and I have my team to thank for that. I’ve met and befriended such wonderfully talented writers, artists, and designers.

At the same time, my poetry has been accepted at a handful of literary journals, I published half a dozen original illustrations for the university press, I won some scholarship, and now I’m working as a book developer and doing a literary magazine fellowship at the same time.

For the first time in my life, I’m also living on my own and I can’t say enough about how liberating it feels to be independent. My relationship with both my parents have improved drastically as well.

Life has been good. Tough, of course. But it’s only tough because it’s good.

I am going to do my best to have a blast this summer. 🙂