At the Cliffs of Moher | County Clare, Ireland, 2017I am a writer, an editor, a designer, a photographer, and a student. Originally from Massachusetts, I came to London in 2019 to earn my Master’s degree. I grew up with a passion for many different art forms, from writing to painting to music, and I continue to hold on to these passions today. My creative interests span many fields, and this is reflected in the studies I have pursued throughout my undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
In December 2018 I graduated from Emerson College in Boston, MA, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Writing, Literature & Publishing. I earned my first Master’s degree at Kingston University London, where I studied Creative Writing & Publishing. Now I am working on my second(!) Master’s in Digital Media at London Metropolitan University.
With a passion for all things publishing, writing, and digital design, I am seeking to merge my diverse range of skills in these areas into an exciting career in the creative industries.
My Degree at Emerson College
Studying at Emerson from 2015 to 2018, I earned a BFA degree in Writing, Literature & Publishing. I concentrated in fiction writing and the editorial branch of publishing. I held editorial roles in the student publications Black Swan and Stork, in which I selected, substantively edited, and copy-edited students’ prose, poetry, and essay submissions. Three of my own short stories were published in the student publications Gauge and Concrete. I also wrote monthly articles for the Books section of Emertainment Monthly.
My course at Emerson also introduced me to design, and book design in particular. I took a Print Publishing class, in which I learned InDesign and Photoshop to create various print projects, including a collection of my own short stories, entitled The Internal Ashes. Another class, Electronic Publishing, fostered my interest in web design and e-book publishing. I continue to refine the coding skills I learned from this class, and have utilised them in the coding of this website and my other web design projects.
Kasteel Well, Netherlands | January, 2017In the spring of 2017 I was fortunate enough to study abroad for three months at Emerson’s Kasteel Well campus in the Netherlands. Based in a 14th-century castle in a small Dutch village near the German border, the programme gave me a broader, international perspective on publishing, as well as the chance to visit many different countries throughout Europe. I traveled to over a dozen extraordinary cities, experiencing different cultures and gaining a wider global awareness of current events. This incredible and humbling adventure also launched my interest in travel writing and photography, and it solidified my resolve to earn a Master’s degree in the UK.
Studying at Kingston University
In the Autumn of 2019 I came to the UK to study MA Creative Writing & Publishing at Kingston University London. I completed two publishing modules, in which I studied the structures and roles in the publishing value chain, and learned the skills for each role from industry professionals. I practised these skills in various workshops, assignments, and projects. I also completed two creative writing modules, which honed my writing skills and reinforced my unique dual-perspective of the publishing process from both the author’s and editor’s point of view.
One of my flagship projects during the course was my design role for the book Broadway to Brazil, an illustrated companion book to its namesake podcast on the English football club the Corinthian-Casuals. Working with a small team of fellow students, I designed the cover and interior for Broadway to Brazil, which was published by Kingston University Press in the spring of 2020. I also worked on the editorial team of Ripple, Kingston University’s annual literary journal of student writing. As an editor I selected, substantively edited, and copy-edited students’ prose submissions.
My (First) Dissertation
For my dissertation at Kingston University I researched the question of whether Millennials and Generation Z prefer print books or e-books. It would be easy to assume that Millennials and Generation Z, the first generations to grow up with the internet and live fully immersed in the Digital Revolution, would naturally hold a strong preference for e-books. However, several scholarly studies have suggested otherwise, and I investigated why this is the case. Taking psychological, historical, and economic factors into my analysis, my findings provide both trade and educational publishers with a better understanding of these younger generations’ format preferences, so that publishers may better predict the future of print and e-book markets.
London Metropolitan University: The Journey Continues
After completing my degree at Kingston University in November 2020, I decided to gain greater specialisation in the digital side of the publishing industry, as well as expand my digital skills in areas outside of publishing. In February 2021 I began my second Master’s degree in Digital Media at London Metropolitan University. Focusing in the areas of content writing and digital design, I am continually seeking out opportunities to diversify and strengthen my skills. I can’t wait to see where this degree takes me, and I am already planning out my next dissertation, which will explore how educational publishers are innovating and evolving in the digital age.
