Name: Zoë MillerSchool/year: BC ’16Major: English
1. When and where did your interest in journalism start? My interest in journalism stems mainly from an interest in magazines. I relished publications about anime and manga, which I was an avid fan of in grade school, as well as glossy teen lifestyle magazines (Teen Vogue, anyone?). I also enjoyed more sophisticated periodicals like National Geographic, and, from time to time, Gourmet – if I was feeling domestic.
Then, when I was 10, a friend and I created a magazine about our Build-A-Bear dolls called The Bear Monthly. As far as quality went, we had at our disposal my dad’s Polaroid camera, computer paper, glue sticks, and colored pencils. And imagination, of course.
2. How have you gotten involved since starting at Barnard? Since starting at Barnard, I was a staff writer and a theater beat chief in Spec’s A&E section before becoming the associate theater editor last December. I am responsible for cultivating theater content for the paper, and am required to pitch and edit multiple stories a week about theater on campus and in the city. In addition, I am a staff writer for the Barnard Bulletin and have contributed stories ranging from a review of Blues is the Warmest Color to a feature about the annual celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at South Street Seaport.
Off campus, I was an editorial intern at the regional New Jersey publication South Jersey Magazine. Last summer, I interned in the features section of The Philadelphia Inquirer, where I wrote ten stories about arts and culture in Philly as well as a weekly travel column about the Jersey Shore.
3. What’s your favorite article you’ve written? I’ve never been good at picking favorites, so I’ll share my favorite Inquirer article and my favorite Spec article, respectively:
At The Inquirer, I had the opportunity to profile the lead culinary specialist of a submarine. So now I can tell you, at least from a logistical standpoint, what it’s like to cook for 170 people in a submarine galley.
As for my favorite Spec article, I’ll have to go with my review of the musical Cabaret, starring Alan Cumming and Michelle Williams. Cumming is an extraordinary performer, and I was obsessed with the show (and Weimar Era-Berlin) for weeks after.
4. Favorite place to write?
Definitely the Diana. You can probably find me in Liz’s with tea and a muffin. If I want quiet, though, I’ll write in my room.
5. You’ve conquered Spec and the Inquirer — what’s next?
Next semester, I’m heading across the Atlantic to Scotland to study at the University of Edinburgh. I plan to get involved with the school’s paper, The Student―the oldest student newspaper in the UK. As far as internships go, I might switch gears and look to the world of book publishing, or return to The Inquirer for a second summer if I can. Either way, the written word will figure into the next part of my journey.
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