Posts Tagged ‘writing’

Chapter 9: Interview with Writer and Professor Dr. Vyshali Manivannan

Tuesday, November 14th, 2023
A brown-skinned woman with black glasses, pink lipstick, and a black faux hawk grins at the camera. She is wearing a bright blue sleeveless blouse, a gold chain, a nose ring stud, and brass triangular earrings with a patina. Photo Credit: Sara Fuller.
Photographer’s Website: https://sarafuller.com/

Last week I discussed the importance of forming a relationship with your professors. I have gotten close with a few of my professors throughout my student career at Pace University and I’m so thankful for all that they have helped me with. This week, one of my professors that I have had several classes with was willing to help me out and take part in an interview for this week’s blog post. I interviewed Dr. Vyshali Manivannan, Dr. Mani for short.

Dr. Mani is an assistant professor in the department of Writing and Cultural Studies at Pace University on the Pleasantville campus. Her research focuses are both creative and critical and specializes in medical rhetoric, disability studies, decolonial studies, and online teaching and accessible design. I thought Dr. Mani would be the perfect person to interview for this blog because a lot of my posts are about how I managed my first year of college throughout the pandemic and Dr. Mani is a professional in regards to online modality in a classroom setting.

I started off by asking her what started her interest in writing and how old she was. Dr. Mani informed me that she has been writing since she was young and at the age of 11 wrote her very first fantasy novel (although she claimed it was not super well written since she was only 11). She sent the “fantasy epic” to a publisher and received a response from a publishing agent to “keep writing”. By fifteen, she had written her first proper novel and after a few years managed to get it published. Since then Dr. Mani has had numerous other projects published throughout her career.

I then asked her how she manages to stay motivated with writing and how she managed to keep in contact with peers/coworker/and students during the peak of COVID. Dr. Mani’s response was extremely real and motivating at the same time. She claimed that, “it’s not possible or normal to stay motivated, let alone productive, all of the time. And sometimes a lack of motivation is actually a form of productivity that we just haven’t translated for ourselves yet.” And I genuinely couldn’t agree more.

The start of quarantine took place in the middle of my senior year of high school and any motivation to get work done felt impossible. I had to learn to be patient with myself for not being able to get as much done as I used to or anticipated at the beginning of my senior year.

Dr. Mani also brought up the method of socializing online and how, at least for our generation, it is not such a strange thing to interact with groups online. Dr. Mani is a part of different online communities, specifically online scholarly communities, disability communities, and advocacy groups. Because of this familiar concept, it was a bit easier to remain in contact with people during the peak of quarantine, which, in a way, “kept me motivated while unmotivated” as Dr. Mani stated.

She then mentioned a special issue of a rhetoric journal she co-edited with a group about how COVID has impacted their life and their writing. Having read this special issue, it was an incredibly eye opening and motivating piece. It was written by several people who struggled to continue writing while also trying to take care of their families, and even themselves, during COVID. Dr. Mani mentioned how helping some of her peers edit/write this project had also helped her stay motivated.

When I questioned what Dr. Mani thinks the best way to make connections with students through online learning is, she once again mentioned how communicating online is not an unfamiliar concept. We discussed that especially for my generation (Gen Z), we grew up online so it’s easy to get to know people through an online classroom. Dr. Mani teaches in a unique way and uses Discord for her classes rather than relying on our university’s class instruction portal website. Through different Discord chat channels, we can comfortably discuss our class readings and work as a team to decipher what is going on in our assigned texts. I have found myself interacting with students more effectively in Dr. Mani’s classes than some of my in-person classes. Of course, all students are different and may feel differently, but Dr. Mani has always managed to make the most out of online classes and makes sure that all students feel comfortable within the classroom environment.

A lot of this interview was eye-opening and almost like a breath of fresh air. To see someone as successful as Dr. Mani honestly states that they were essentially not motivated during COVID, and how that is okay, was a relief to me. It is important to value how you feel and if you think you need a break in your work, then it is best to listen to yourself and take that break. Having alone time or talking to people, online or in-person, can help bring you back to your work and feel that passion again. I admire Dr. Mani’s skill of reminding everyone that we are human and we simply cannot do everything all at once. Dr. Mani has published many different projects and repeatedly mentions that it is a long process that requires connections with people, but a process that is worth it.

Summary:

  • Dr. Vyshali Manivannan is a professor at Pace University and a successful writer
  • She has published a novel, several lyric essays (one of which was nominated for a Pushcart Prize), interactive nonfiction, scholarship, and performance art
  • It was difficult to stay motivated during Covid, but by reaching out to people it helped
  • A list of questions I asked:
    • Your name, career, and anything else you would like to add
    • What got you started/interested in writing?
    • During the peak of COVID and lockdown, how did you manage to keep your motivation with writing and how did you stay connected to your peers/co-workers?
    • What do you think the best way to make a connection with students is through online learning?
    • Why is making connections, online or in person, important to you and your career and what advice would you give to your students/aspiring writers?
    • If you wish to know more and read more of Dr. Vyshali Manivannan’s work’s her website is here: https://vyshalimanivannan.com/ 

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By Mia Ilie

Mia Ilie is a student at Pace University, graduating in May 2024 with a degree in Writing and Rhetoric and a focus on publishing. She grew up in Rockland, New York and is currently living in Westchester, New York where she attends school and works at a local bookstore. You can always find her with her nose in a book or screaming to Taylor Swift with her friends.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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Chapter 4: Major Decision (Literally)

Monday, October 9th, 2023

The thought of having to figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life at the young age of 18 nauseated me daily. It pissed me off so much that at such a young age we are expected to know exactly what our future is supposed to look like, that in my college essay I essentially ranted about how it is all such bullshit.

Pace allowed students to go into their freshman year with an undecided major, so that’s what I did. I knew I loved writing, but to do that for the rest of my life seemed like such a daunting thing and I still had no idea what I would do with writing and how I’d make money. I also enjoyed psychology and liked the idea of pursuing that, but then also liked the idea of pursuing film. Overall, I’m an indecisive Gemini and figured going in undecided and trying out a bunch of different classes would be the best option.

My first semester schedule consisted of a lot of gen-ed classes like most freshman year classes. Almost all of my classes in the first semester were online because of COVID, so it was difficult bonding with professors, meeting my classmates, and genuinely finding a connection with  any of the classes. But, like I’ve mentioned in the past few chapters, my extroverted roommate helped me find some friends.

Through her, I found one of my best friends Jill. Jill and I are very similar in some ways, but also very different in a way that I think helps us balance each other out. For example, when I met Jill, she had this whole plan of being an English major and going into Pace’s Masters program in publishing. At the time, I had no idea what any of this meant, but I knew I was impressed with her ambition and dedication.

Jill helped me find my voice and feel more confident about my writing. I still wasn’t positive with what I wanted to do with my future, but I felt like I was getting closer to something.


Jill, Nellie, and I on Halloween our Freshman year

Together, Jill and I would host “writing nights” and spend hours writing together. Whether it was a creative piece we were working on or homework, we always motivated each other to work hard. Jill had reignited my love for writing that I forgot I had, and we would end up writing until like three in the morning most nights.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to find friends with similar hobbies as you. When working together, it makes your work stronger. Even though Jill and I would be working on separate projects, we were still able to help each other and read over each other’s work. By doing these writing nights together, Jill would help me figure out what I wanted with my future. I knew that if my future looked anything like it looks now, I would be happy.

Knowing that I was happy with what I was doing, Jill encouraged me to discuss English majors with different professors. I ended up finding Pace’s new Writing and Rhetoric program and it felt like a dream come true. All of the professors were super helpful and understanding and I finally felt like I could do something I enjoyed in my classes.

Like I said before, I encourage getting to know people with the same hobbies as you and the same major as you. Even though Jill and I weren’t really in the same major at the time, we had similar interests and I was able to learn more about Pace’s programs. She helped me find the courage to declare a major and stood with me the entire time.

Now we’re in our senior year together and we even work together! My entire experience at Pace would not be the way it is today without my friend Jill.


Jill and I our sophomore year freaking out after the new Spiderman movie

Summary:

  • I didn’t know what to do when I got to school
  • I was stressed about declaring a major
  • I found a friend with similar interests as me
  • My friend helped me discover my major and my passion for writing

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By Mia Ilie

Mia Ilie is a student at Pace University, graduating in May 2024 with a degree in Writing and Rhetoric and a focus on publishing. She grew up in Rockland, New York and is currently living in Westchester, New York where she attends school and works at a local bookstore. You can always find her with her nose in a book or screaming to Taylor Swift with her friends.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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Harmony: Gigs, Glory, and Growth

Monday, August 1st, 2022

Walking home on the last day of junior year classes, a chilly late-May day, I received a 500 dollar loan bad credit by email notification with the subject line “oh and another thing:” from my creative writing professor. I stopped in my tracks to open the message, which read, “surround yourself with friends who will never let you forget that you are an artist.” 

I smiled, remembering the conversation that we had just wrapped up in our last class, which she had reserved as an “Ask Me Anything” session. Her email was an addendum to the response she had given for my question about how to manage burnout in a creative career. She shared advice about maintaining artistic momentum, and even told us that her students actually inspire her. 

As I continued my walk home, I reflected on the class, which had ended up being one of my favorites during my time at Northwestern. Beyond my talented classmates, the interesting topics, and hard work I put into the assignments, it was really the professor that made the class stand out. I had never met a professor so invested in her students and openly emotional with her words of support. Through office hour meetings where we discussed a lengthy short story piece I was working on, I became inspired by her creatively-driven career path as a novelist and creative writing professor. She encouraged us to take risks and dive deep into our writing, and as a result it was in this class that I discovered my voice as a writer and an artist. I dove into my writing, embracing the work that I really loved to do, and the effect rippled out into my other passion as I began to pursue DJing more seriously.

The summer after my sophomore year, I DJed every week during my late-night radio shows. Once I overcame the initial technical difficulties and got the hang of the equipment, my time at the radio station became sacred to me. I loved being able to practice alone while also knowing that there was a small audience of listeners somewhere out there. All by myself in the studio, it was easy to forget about the people tuning in to my show, but one night, to my delight, I received a call on the radio phone line in the middle of my set. A listener let me know how much they enjoyed my set, and asked about the names of the last couple of songs I had played. 

As I gained confidence behind the DJ booth at the station, I began to invite a couple of friends to come hang out at the station during my set. Some would talk and browse the station as I played, while others would peer over my shoulder and dance. When the fall semester of junior year started up, I received an email one day announcing a party hosted by the radio station and asking if anyone was interested in DJing. I responded to the email, and by the end of the day I had a forty-five minute time slot lined up for that coming weekend. 

A picture from my first time DJing at a party

In the days leading up to the party, nerves were running high and I wasn’t quite sure how to prepare. At the radio station, I would just show up and try things out for an hour, but for a roomful of people I wanted to be more prepared. I listened to a bunch of music and meticulously picked out songs for my set, then I went over to my friend’s house to practice mixing with his DJ board. On the day of, just an hour before the party started, I decided that I hated my whole set and redid all of my song selections. I felt underprepared and had no idea what was going to happen, but there was nothing left to do except go and try my best. So, I put on my favorite outfit and headed over to the party. I was the first person slated to perform, so as people started to trickle in, I put on the first song and began to adjust the settings to my liking. As I made my first song transition, muscle memory kicked in, and I realized that all those hours at the radio station paid off, and I knew exactly what to do – in fact, I could do it almost without thinking! 

All of a sudden, the dance floor was full. I could see how the crowd responded to the music and tried to play off of their energy, layering upbeat songs to get the crowd moving with slower songs to give people a breather. I was nervous that my disco house tracks wouldn’t land because they’re not the typical Top 40 hits you hear at a college party, but I was delighted to see that people were really dancing and enjoying themselves. I left the DJ booth feeling a huge sense of success, and received lots of compliments, thumbs up, and smiles from friends and strangers alike. As the next DJ took over, I slipped into the crowd with a smile that would linger for days to come, and danced the rest of the night away.


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By Lu Poteshman

Lu is a rising senior at Northwestern University, where she studies English Literature with a minor in Art, Theory and Practice. She is passionate about all things music and art, and loves to paint, draw, design things, write creatively, cook and explore in her free time. She is currently working towards her dreams of being a book editor by day and DJ by night.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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Songwriting and Publishing: Chorus Crisis

Tuesday, July 5th, 2022

Chorus Crisis

Personally, the most challenging part about writing a song is figuring out the chorus. It strikes me as difficult because it’s the climax of the song. Remember the plot diagrams that teachers used to show us in our English classes growing up? I’ve come to realize a song is somewhat like that. The rising and falling actions reflect the verses and bridge, and the climax is the chorus. There’s always a build-up to the chorus which is why there is so much pressure to make it catchy or unique because it’s what some listeners resonate with the most. I find a chorus hard to write or even compose because it needs a wow factor to stick in the audience’s brain. When writing this song’s chorus, I tried so many chord progressions, but I feel like I’ve hit a wall lyrically and melodically. With frustration at my fingertips, I try to not give into that energy and force myself to remold that into inspiration, so I turn to the artists that have influenced me most. 

My favorite Taylor Swift song is “Clean” from her fifth studio album, 1989. I absolutely love that song because, to me, it represents hope and the ability to rebuild yourself from a tumultuously toxic relationship or experience. The chorus is a breakthrough and feels like you are about to “punch a hole in the roof” as she says in the second verse of the song. When the chorus hits, it feels almost like a release of your emotions and the lyrics surround you like a warm hug to let the listener know that they made it past these strenuous endeavors. The lyrics, “Rain came pouring down/ When I was drowning, that’s/ when I could finally breathe/ And by morning/ Gone was any trace of you, I think I am finally clean” not only are melodically sound but allows those to dig deep inside themselves and relate this song to any life struggle. It talks about the loss of a relationship, but it could also be about addiction, depression, or the loss of someone. What I love about interpreting this chorus, is that there are no limits as to what this means to the listener. 

When writing my chorus, I keep these things in mind but also try not to allow the pressure of trying to achieve any kind of musical perfection, because that simply does not exist. With that weight off my shoulders, I begin to strum and sing what comes to mind. I finally reach what I think is going to be my chorus: “I found you/ in the corner of my eye/ hidden in plain sight/ where were you all this time/ so hard to find/ it’s too good to be true/ but I found you/ and you found me too”. I thought, yes Taylor Swift’s chorus is jam-packed with meaning and beautifully written metaphors that have all different kinds of interpretations, but there’s also a beauty to simplicity. I didn’t want my chorus to be too much or too copy-cat-esque, but I wanted to be my own style with that hint of her inspiration. 

I run into the problem of self-doubt a lot when it comes to writing music and writing in general. I always ask myself, is this too cheesy? Or is this too cliche? But what I’ve realized is that a majority of tropes that surround music are so cheesy and so cliché, but that’s because they’re universal experiences and feelings. I’m not saying that everyone needs to write a corny Top 100 pop song to be successful, but those themes are so common that it’s a matter of turning them into something that is unique to yourself. It is important to write something that will receive an emotional response, not only from listeners but from the person singing it. When I write, sing, or play an instrument, it’s something that I have to feel in my body and mind, or else the execution or performance is set up to be a disaster from the get-go. 


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By Megan Grosfeld

Megan Grosfeld is a Junior at Emerson College majoring in Writing, Literature, and Publishing with a concentration in Publishing. Her dream is to be like the modern Carrie Bradshaw of the Publishing world, but with more writing, sex, and infinite pairs of Manolo Blahniks.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC, from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services. At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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What Your Favorite Character Says About You

Tuesday, June 21st, 2022

Instead of feeling guilty about binge-watching a series all day, allow yourself to embrace the intriguing plot that you’re immersed in for those few hours. There is always something that can be learned from watching a film, even an early 2000s rom-com. After all, this form of entertainment can be used to spark your own creativity and imagination. Characters can inspire you and you can even find yourself relating to them and feeling seen. You can use movie elements to enhance your own life. Dialogue about love, conflict, and different passions can teach you new ideas and help you learn more about yourself.

I have an endless list of characters I love and relate to. I love seeing myself and my personality reflected in films and shows. That’s why so many of us get lost in fictional worlds. It provides us with escapism from our everyday lives. I watched the series Gilmore Girls for the first time last year and in a way, it changed how I see the world. I grew a new appreciation for living in my small neighborhood, fun days with my mom, and the joy of going to a coffee shop for a few hours. I saw my relationship with my mom reflected in the relationship between the two main characters, Lorelai and Rory. Gilmore Girls bonded us and made our relationship stronger. Throughout the series, Rory’s drive to succeed motivated me to want to learn as much as I could, take more trips to Barnes and Noble and read for pleasure. I realized how much I love to get lost in a novel because of her character. Lorelai’s carefree personality allowed me to stop taking myself so seriously and embrace my quirks. Watching her on my TV encouraged me to wear fun outfits even when I’m at home in the suburbs, not just at school in a big city.

Spending time with myself at a coffee shop on a rainy day in the city.

When I listen to music, not only do I relate the lyrics to my own life, but certain characters come to mind too. Of course, Taylor Swift has a song for every emotion and situation, so naturally, she has a song that connects with nearly all my favorite characters. This just goes to show how deeply relatable the experiences she sings about are. In “Nothing New,” Swift sings about the experience of getting older and realizing how little we know about the world and ourselves. In Gilmore Girls, as Rory goes through college, she notices she might not know herself as well as she thought she did as she starts to make mistakes. Listening to this song and having a character that also goes through this experience validated my feelings of being unsure about myself from time to time.

As a Taylor Swift fan and lover of numerous drama series, it is exciting to watch adaptations feature Taylor Swift songs. It is about time that her lyricism is used to enhance thrilling moments in film. For example, in the new Amazon Prime series The Summer I Turned Pretty, there are several Taylor Swift songs featured throughout the show. They represent the emotions of the characters and songs like “Cruel Summer” perfectly capture that hopeful feeling that fills the air at the beginning of summer. Swift’s songs add a sense of nostalgia to the series and help better connect the audience to the characters.

Watching The Summer I Turned Pretty.

If you’re ever looking to draw inspiration from a TV show or film character, try to find one that you strive to be like. This doesn’t necessarily mean the most successfully written character or the most attractive, but maybe one that is in tune with their emotions. One that embraces their individuality and is unapologetically themselves. This will help deepen the connection you have with yourself as you realize your experiences are universal.


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By Jacqueline Rappa

Jacqueline Rappa is a rising senior at the Fashion Institute of Technology studying Advertising and Marketing Communications with a minor in English. You can find her aimlessly walking around New York City while drinking an iced coffee and listening to her favorite albums on repeat.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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Songwriting and Publishing: A Verse of Poetry

Monday, June 20th, 2022

A Verse of Poetry

When it comes to writing a song, there is no proper way to go about it. If I sat here and tried to figure out how to write the perfect song, I’d be sitting here for hours. One of my biggest inspirations when it comes to songwriting is Taylor Swift. I admire the way she creates a story through her lyrics and her experiences. Her songwriting takes the form of poetry and that is something I definitely try to emulate with my own songwriting. But what am I even going to write about? The first thing I do whenever I’m writing anything is grab a notebook and a pen and get to brainstorming. With my guitar laid across my lap, I start playing chord progressions till I find something that feels right. Along with playing melodies, I simply start singing whatever comes to mind because without thought I can truly figure out what I feel. By not having any predetermined outline, I can let my words flow freely and have them come naturally, instead of writing something first. 

Concentrated and ready to write!

The first thing that comes to mind is love. Love is a universal feeling that everyone has experienced at one time or another. We love our parents, friends, and significant others, so there is a lot of room to play here. With a brush of my thumb, I start singing from an outsider looking in at my own relationships. The first lyric for the first verse starts with: “my friends see how well you treat me, never heard that one before” to reflect on how sometimes we don’t realize how well things are going till we take a step back. “They tell me, how much you need me, never needed you more” follows to show an appreciation for that person in my life. As I continue, I realize what I want to write: a love letter. As much as I love writing, I am admittedly bad with words in the sense that I never openly tell people how lucky I am to have come across them in my life, so this is a way to express my love through music. When writing, I often stop and come back to my guitar to hear what I write with a clear mind and a new perspective. 

I saw some swans on my walk on the Esplanade after my coffee!

Hours later when I’ve had a coffee and taken a walk around the neighborhood, I go back to writing. I pick up my guitar and try plucking a progression instead of strumming, which I find to like better to create an airy, whimsical feel. Picking up where I left off, I start blissfully singing a few lines to create the first verse. After trial and error, I solidify my words and clean up the rough edges and come up with: 

My friends see how well you treat me, never heard that one before

They tell me, how much you need me, never needed you more

And you don’t judge me for my dirty laundry, 

You’re the only place in this world I feel safe 

And for the first time in my whole life,

I never felt the need to try and change.

2 hours later…

After coming up with a verse, I play it over and over again until my fingers get blisters from plucking the same four strings for what feels like days. I then record myself singing what I wrote to hear it from outside my body and to double-check if it sounds angelic or like a cat clawing at a chalkboard. I also play it in several keys to see what sound I like better for the song as a whole. Although this feels like I’m creating a finished product, to me, it is never finished. I have too many ideas and changes throughout the songwriting process that I feel like I could always add more or do it completely differently, but I like to save that for the end. This verse is “done” but there are moments where I completely hate it or love it or want to start all over, but I know if I just keep going, it’ll all turn out the way it’s supposed to. 


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By Megan Grosfeld

Megan Grosfeld is a Junior at Emerson College majoring in Writing, Literature, and Publishing with a concentration in Publishing. Her dream is to be like the modern Carrie Bradshaw of the Publishing world, but with more writing, sex, and infinite pairs of Manolo Blahniks.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC, from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services. At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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The Art of Storytelling

Friday, June 17th, 2022

At the beginning of my college career, I was struggling to take interest in something that I felt passionate about. I was not sure what direction I wanted to go in and didn’t feel connected to anything I thought was meaningful. This time was also the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, so just like everyone else, I found myself at home with not much to do. Surprisingly, doing “nothing” was exactly what I needed. While the world was paused, I was lucky enough to have found myself reconnecting with parts of myself I had forgotten about. I had more time to watch movies, read books, and actually enjoy these things without the pressure of feeling like I needed to do more. I realized these were all things I loved, but never found time to really embrace.

The highlight of this time for me was when Taylor Swift released her eighth studio album folklore. I was immediately captivated by the detailed imagery and poetic lyrics. The songs on this album make me long for experiences I’ve never even had and let me reminisce about how I’ve felt at different times in my life. “I can change everything about me to fit in” and “When you are young, they assume you know nothing” are lyrics featured on folklore that made me realize I am not alone in feeling a little lost sometimes. Swift’s words are powerful and validate the different emotions I face. I aspire for my work to have that same impact, even if I don’t have as big an audience as the eleven-time Grammy award-winning artist. Even if it’s just for myself.

My folklore vinyl.

Listening to folklore encouraged me to start journaling because Taylor Swift continues to demonstrate the significance that every moment, no matter how big or small, can hold. Writing allows me to remember all these moments and keep them close to me. This was a big step for me, especially at a time when I wasn’t feeling motivated by anything. I began appreciating and romanticizing instances in my life that I might have taken for granted, whether it meant days at home, the laughter that fills the air when I’m with people I love, or the peace I feel when I’m in the comfort of my room. The job of all writers is to pay attention to what is going on in the world, even if it’s the world you’re experiencing through your own eyes. It’s important to take inspiration from what’s around you.

Taylor Swift’s folklore consists of multiple stories based on fictional characters that narrate her own personal thoughts and experiences. I decided to create my own story and begin the life I always dreamed of in New York City. I transferred to the Fashion Institute of Technology because I knew I wanted to be in an environment surrounded by creative and influential individuals. While being here, I’ve had access to opportunities that allowed me to discover more of what I’m passionate about. By writing for multiple school publications and immersing myself in my English and journalism classes, I realized I love being able to convey my ideas through my words.

I am forever grateful that Taylor Swift sparked a light in me that no one else was quite able to do. Her dedication and the way she can bring her own unique perspective to all situations encourages me to do the same in my everyday life. Swift can share her own personal thoughts and moments to millions of people around the world and make us feel like we are right there with her. Her emotions are her work and she continues to show how special written words are.



By Jacqueline Rappa

Jacqueline Rappa is a rising senior at the Fashion Institute of Technology studying Advertising and Marketing Communications with a minor in English. You can find her aimlessly walking around New York City while drinking an iced coffee and listening to her favorite albums on repeat.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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Songwriting and Publishing: I Sing the Body Electric

Thursday, June 16th, 2022

I Sing the Body Electric

Growing up in Manhattan music was such an influential part of my life, so much so that as I got older, I began questioning whether I should pursue it professionally fast loans with monthly payments. At the beginning of high school, I was young, naive, and full of dreams, but so were half the kids in New York City. This city is the hubbub of talented children who are born and bred to perform and make it big. I was soon hit with the reality that everyone is after the same dream, but only a few will make it. Pursuing music was just a fantasy of mine. After every failed audition and constantly putting myself out there, I figured out quickly that the foundation of this particular industry is rejection, competition, connections, and struggle to the highest degree. This would mean a life of uncertainty and financial instability which didn’t sound too appealing to me. I admire those who fight for the dream I wished to achieve, but as my high school career came to a close, I discovered that music would be just a hobby for me. I decided to focus on and put my energy into the next best thing: writing. 

This is my hometown with a gorgeous view.

Emerson College was a school that found me. I applied blindly without even taking a tour of the school before attending. Now, it’s my Junior year and I couldn’t be happier. I remember during my first few days exploring the little corner of Boston, seeing so much creativity ooze from the one city block. It has the eccentricity of the movie Fame where the kids are talented, imaginative, and motivated to achieve their goals in all kinds of fields of work. Similar to Fame, Emerson is filled with comedy majors, film majors, theatre majors, and kids that fill in all the in-betweens. I loved that movie so much because it showed kids my age fighting to find their passions while becoming so versatile in different fields.

Still having music in the back of my mind, I decided to find something that satisfied that itch for the artistic approach. I found myself majoring in Writing, Literature, and Publishing, and for the first two years at Emerson, I focused on discovering the ins and outs of my major. Although I love to write and believe it is the foundation of this major, I surprisingly fell head over heels for publishing and soon decided to begin a concentration in that. All aspects of publishing intrigued me; from copyediting, proofreading, and magazine printing, to simply helping other writers attain a polished piece, I was all of a sudden invested in the world of publishing. 

This is my campus, aka The Boston Public Gardens

As my first two years of college progressed, music was still prevalent. I would play guitar and sing in the privacy of my dorm room almost every day, and still do. Although I still ponder the thought of how I could’ve made it big, a part of me feels as though if I had pursued music as a career, I wouldn’t love it the same. With publishing, I finally found a professional field that satisfies the craving for creativity. Through this book, I hope to combine my love of music with publishing. The first thing that came to mind was songwriting. Songwriting has always been a passion of mine because it unites the two things I admire the most in this world: music and writing. In a way, it also has a likeness to publishing; it creates a finished product and freely gives it back to the world as its own. Similar to publishing a book, there are multiple steps to creating a song. Follow me on this personal journey of uncovering the musicality of words through the ins and outs of songwriting in hopes to electrify both as one.   


A great place I like to go to in Boston is Pavement Coffee to grab an iced vanilla latte to clear my head in the heat of summer. Use this $5 discount to refresh your summer days in Boston.

By Megan Grosfeld

Megan Grosfeld is a Junior at Emerson College majoring in Writing, Literature, and Publishing with a concentration in Publishing. Her dream is to be like the modern Carrie Bradshaw of the Publishing world, but with more writing, sex, and infinite pairs of Manolo Blahniks.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC, from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services. At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.


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Defining the Next Step

Friday, April 22nd, 2022

I am officially in my last month of college. As the weather warms and Union Square fills up with people who yearn for sunlight, I’ve come to reflect on the last four years of my life. While I have spent many hours thinking about my college experience this semester, the frequency of these thoughts has multiplied tenfold. At 23 years old, it feels as though something in my life is coming to an end. 

I’m trying to think of it less as something concrete and harsh and instead as something fresh and challenging… A new chapter, so to say. But that doesn’t feel quite accurate. We spend a large amount of our lives in academia; from when we first step out of our parent’s arms and onto the playground to when we walk across a grand stage to receive our diploma, we are in a state of learning. What comes after, if you don’t pursue grad school, is a different kind of life. I feel, to some unnerving degree, overwhelmed by the concept of a “career”… I am scared by the idea of taking my first few steps into an industry I’ve dreamt about since I was a child. 

Steps in the snow that caught my eye!

In past chapters, I’ve written about how intimidating it is to have a passion. This applies to having dreams as well. When you grow up dreaming of something, of working towards it, it can feel as though the moment you can start working in that dream will never come. Suddenly though, as you’re filling out graduation forms and job applications, it hits you. You realise that you’re done building your tools… Now, you have to use them. A lifetime of mounting pressure becomes real and you understand that you’re standing at the starting line of a career you’ve always wanted to pursue. 

This has, unfortunately, various detrimental effects on the psyche. It roots up points of uncertainty and self-doubt, preying on questions that grind at your mentality. It begins to make you wonder if this is what you want to do– if you’ve dedicated the last four years of your life to the right thing. 

What helps with this kind of wobbly footing? I’ve found myself searching through my own archives for solutions, for as often as these questions crop up, so do reminders of my love for literature. What I’ve come to realise is that I am not beholden to one single path. Just as I’ve explored and expanded my interests in school, I can do this again with my work. I’ve realised that this starting line isn’t for any kind of linear race; rather, it is simply a point of departure for a new adventure. It opens up my world to new opportunities, experiences, questions, ideas, and interests. Whatever I choose to do next is not something I am stuck with; instead, it is something I can learn from as I move through the world. 

Something else I’ve accepted is that this is not the end of my academic life– at least, not if I actively fight against it. I want to keep learning. Four years is not enough for me to feel adequately fulfilled by academia… But I realise that I don’t necessarily have to pursue grad school right away to continue my education. We are all humans who can choose to continue learning every day. We have an endless universe of knowledge right at our fingertips, not just via the internet but by the conversations we can cultivate in our lives. We can read novels, articles, and blogs. We can attend talks and plays and social events. We can meet people at book clubs or sign up for a class in something we’ve never tried before. The possibilities are endless… And so are our connections with other people. 

As we move through the world, pages of our individual stories get turned. What feels like the end is the start of something else. By expanding our view and access to the world, we expand our knowledge. Each step we take is a step toward a new experience… And perhaps new passions and dreams as well! 


By: Ehani Schneiderman

Ehani Schneiderman is a senior studying literature and anthropology at The New School. She hopes to connect with others through writing, poetry, and cultural exchange. When she isn’t nose deep in a book or word document, you can find her paddle boarding in a bay or scuba diving out at sea.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015

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Who You Are in the Books You Read

Thursday, April 7th, 2022

What does it mean to see yourself in a book?

As a gay South Asian woman, this is a very important question to me. As a writer, this question is, in a way, a central focus of my life. Representation is vital; as someone who grew up with limited representation, I want to help facilitate a different future for the children growing up today. As we take each step into an unknown future, we should at least know that we are trying to positively change things for the next generation. 

There have been various books that have touched me, but there are three that truly impacted me in my adult life. Ada Limon’s The Carrying, Danez Smith’s Don’t Call Us Dead, and Kabi Nagato’s My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness all shaped my early college years. When I read each of these books, there was a certain point that I would have to set it down because my tears would be overflowing. It is through the words etched onto off-white pages that I felt seen by someone. These writers didn’t know who I was but had nonetheless found a way to reach out and remind me that I exist– that I’m alive with my own stories to tell the world. 

Cover of The Carrying by Ada Limon

I’ve spent a lot of time wondering what it was that was in those books that jolted my emotions so vividly. Was there something notable about the vocabulary? Was there particularly elegant use of punctuation or cadence? Was the imagery intensely vibrant?

While these books do indeed have something special to them (to be a writer who can weave words is a talent), I found the answer to my wonder elsewhere. These writers wrote unequivocally, unapologetically, as themselves. They wrote from their experiences, their lived emotions, feelings, and truths, without leaving a shadow of insincerity. Their works are raw; they touch on difficult topics and experiences. They recount the beautiful, the dirty, the painful, the joyous, and the hopeful. This hope is something personal; from the ways they were treated in the world, these creators write collections that plants seeds for the future.

I want to write as myself. I want to write for myself. I want to write for others… But I don’t want to write for others’ approval. 

I want to be the kind of writer who can be unapologetically me in my work; I want to record the macabre, the mundane, and the hope that ebbs and flows through my life. It was bits and pieces of Limon’s, Smith’s, and Nagato’s work that stuck with me; none of their life stories align completely with mine, but there were moments that fit in with moments from my own life. We are all made up of a myriad of identities, memories, and experiences. Even if we are not all the same, there are reminders, pockets of glimmering light, that can remind us that we are not alone… That there are others out there that have been through similar things and have felt similar emotions. I hope that from the various puzzle pieces of my own life, my future readers may find some kind of solace. To achieve this though, I’ve learned that I have to be free enough to put myself into what I write. In doing so, writers create stories that capture the realities of existing in this ever-changing world.


By: Ehani Schneiderman

Ehani Schneiderman is a senior studying literature and anthropology at The New School. She hopes to connect with others through writing, poetry, and cultural exchange. When she isn’t nose deep in a book or word document, you can find her paddle boarding in a bay or scuba diving out at sea.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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