Tagged Interns

Meet the Remote Interns!

January 27, 2021 — by Elly Blue

crowded office space — Pre-pandemic, we used to also fit 3 interns in our crowded upstairs office. Working remotely isn’t all bad.

Microcosm has three seasonal internship opportunities per year, each for multiple interns. Due to the pandemic, the current internship is completely virtual! Here’s some info about the newest members of our team: Alana Baldwin-Joiner (she/her), Eli Humphrey (he/they), Ella Mankowski (she/her), and Michael Quinn (they/them).

Where are you from/ where did you grow up?

Alana: Hillsboro, Oregon!

Eli: I grew up in Denver, Colorado.

Ella: Born and raised in Portland, Oregon!

Michael: I grew up all throughout New York.

a smiling woman with blond hair — Alana!

What first got you interested in publishing?

Alana: I was the copyeditor for my high school’s yearbook, and I always enjoyed editing my friends’ writing, so I thought it would be a career I would really enjoy. Plus I’ve always adored the idea of helping authors make their dreams of being published come true!

Eli: I studied writing in middle/highschool and put together a chapbook of my work. The experience got me interested in local zines and the publishing process.

Ella: I’ve always had an affinity for language. I was assistant editor for my high school newspaper for about a year and I really enjoyed the process of publishing that.

Michael: Books are something that changed my life for the better, and I feel like there’s so many important stories that haven’t been told yet!

What’s your favorite Microcosm book/ a Microcosm book you’d really like to read?

Alana: My favorite so far is Teenage Castaways, a zine I got to edit! I also had a lot of fun working with Bikes in Space with Cats, it’s darn plum cute.

Eli: My favorite at the moment is Coping Skills: Tools and Techniques for Every Stressful Situation. Dr. Faith G. Harper is fantastic. It’s like therapy with lots of swearing!

Ella: There are so many! I think my favorite Microcosm book that I’ve read so far is Do Not Pet: A Service Dog’s Graphic Tail by Joe Biel. I’m looking forward to the upcoming WLW sci-fi and fantasy erotica anthology that’s part of the Queering Consent series. I’d really like to get my hands on a copy of Practical Witch’s Almanac 2021: Crafting Your Magic.

Michael: I’ve currently got Scam: The First Four Issues by Erica Dawn Lyle sitting next to me – Scam was extremely influential on both zine culture and punk culture so I’m super excited to dig into it. Next up is Rock and Roll Terrorist: The Graphic Life of Shock Rocker GG Allin – GG Allin is polarizing and undeniably a punk rock anti-hero, but his life and career is fascinating and he made some great music!

How’s the pandemic treating you?

Alana: It’s been a wild ride! Because of the pandemic making all but one of my jobs remote, I’ve been able to work 4 jobs while I go to school, which is nifty. But it’s also been stressful, with lots of moving and too much computer screen time. I live with my partner and our monster of a cat, so I’m lucky to not be alone at least!

Eli: I’m living with my partner and a friend, so fortunately I haven’t been entirely on my own through all of this. Over the course of 2020, I also made an effort to reconnect with some of my old creativity (finally shaken off years of writer’s block).

Ella: It’s been crazy. I’m really lucky that I can safely see my girlfriend. I decided to take a gap year, so this internship is a great way for me to keep myself busy and develop new skills while still having a good time.

Michael: It’s been interesting to say the least! The last 10 months have felt like a lifetime – I’ve spent the vast majority of it documenting protests and speaking to people involved. It’s definitely helped keep me motivated, excited and hopeful throughout everything.

Do you have any pets?

Alana: I have a very round and very moody cat named Aurora!

Eli: I have a cat named Ozzy and a fish named Hades. The cat spends hours staring at the fish, but we have yet to have a serious incident.

Ella: I’ve got a cat named Willow, a dog named Rose, and three chickens— Pansy, Roxy, and Semolina.

Michael: I don’t, but my roommates have 2 cats: Moop and Tiny Cat.

a young woman sits in a lawn chair with a cat on her lap — Ella! (and Willow)

What do you do in your free time?

Alana: I’ve been trying to watch new Netflix shows lately! I just finished Schitt’s Creek and Sweet Magnolias, which is a big accomplishment for a repeat-binger like me!

Eli: I’ve been watching movies and trying to catch up on books I’ve wanted to read for ages. I don’t know if this necessarily counts as free time, but I’m about to start classes at PNCA!

Ella: Recently I’ve been listening to podcasts— Ologies with Alie Ward is a new favorite of mine. I also like to draw, design houses, and play video games, and I love learning how to make new things!

Michael: Most of the time, I’m either programming, documenting a protest, filing FOIA requests so we can learn more about how the government works, or going on bike rides while blasting some Against Me!

What’s one piece of media you’d recommend to anyone and everyone?

Alana: Schitt’s Creek, for sure! Hilarious, heartwarming, and the first time I’ve had my sexuality represented on screen without homophobia, it’s amazing.

Eli: My favorite film right now is called Down By Law by Jim Jarmusch. It’s a pretty simple story about three men who get arrested and taken to jail. Two of them were framed by the New Orleans Police Department. Tom Waits, the stunning John Lurie, and a surprisingly incredible Roberto Benigni.

Ella: Coyote Doggirl by Lisa Hanawalt is fantastic. Beautiful art, fantastic storytelling, and tells a powerful story about sexual assault. Also, who doesn’t love a pink coyote-dog cowgirl (who designs and makes her own clothes!)?

Michael: This is a super hard choice, but I think I’d have to go with Nevada by Imogen Binnie. It’s a gritty, relatively dark coming of age story that I think will hit extremely close to home for anyone queer and help educate allies. Bring a box of tissues and be prepared to read it in one sitting though!

Where can people find you online?

Alana: My Instagram is @alana.baldwin.joiner (not frequently updated, but I am on there!)

Eli: My (mostly) writing Instagram is @eli_jhumphrey. Expect occasional photos of my partner and our kitten.

Ella: My art Instagram is @dappled_doodler. My girlfriend and I also have a joint art Instagram @hellarm.art.

Michael: I’ve never been a social media person really, but you can find me, my writing and research at FallingThruWindows.net whenever I get that back online.

Meet the Winter 2020 Interns!

January 25, 2020 — by Elly Blue

Three times a year we welcome interns from all over as part of our internship program. During the start of the year, however, we partner with Bennington College in Vermont to provide an intense six-week internship for students who are looking to learn more about the publishing industry.

This year, we welcome Veda Carmine-Ritchie, Walter Greene and David Hakas! We asked them a few questions so you could get to know them too.

Where are you from/where did you grow up?

Veda: Portland, Oregon

Walter: Born in Brooklyn, NYC, raised in Portland, at school in Bennington, Vermont

David: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

What are you majoring in?

Veda: Creative Writing/Dance

Walter: Literature and Philosophy

David: English Literature and Japanese Language

What first interested you in publishing?

Veda: I was interested in publishing, and Microcosm specifically, because working in this environment exposes you to so many amazing pieces of writing by so many different kinds of people. I think bringing an array of voices into the public sphere is incredibly important in our current climate. So not only do I get to read all the time! (swoon!) but I’m also working for a cause I believe in.

Walter: I first became interested in publishing after sitting in on a class for the literary magazine the “Bennington Review” back when I was a prospective student visiting Bennington College for the first time. During that class, I was introduced to the acquisition process and instantly found myself drawn into the critical dialogue that surrounds selecting pieces of writing for publication.

David: To be honest, initially it was the career opportunities. But I’ve found a lot to love since that time.

What do you like best about interning for Microcosm so far?

Veda: I am really enjoying feeling like such a member of the team! Everyone here is amazing to work with and really values your time and opinions. I feel like the work I do here is not only appreciated by others, but something I feel proud of.

Walter: Interning at Microcosm has blown away any of my previous assumptions about what an internship looks like. Since day one, I’ve been met with the respect and responsibility of an employee and have been engaging in meaningful, rewarding work that has provided valuable insight into the world of publishing. Plus everyone here rocks, it’s definitely a no-bullshit environment in the best way possible.

David: I like being able to help people who aren’t experienced writers bring out their best work.

What will you and won’t you miss about Portland when you go back to Vermont?

Veda: I’m going to miss my dog, walking around the city, the pacific ocean and all the coffee shops. Probably not going to miss the clouds though, I want some winter sun!

Walter: I’ll miss the arts and music scene the most. Don’t get me wrong, Bennington College always has performances, lectures, exhibits, and many other events going on, but the arts and music scene is almost entirely contained within the campus. I love being able to travel around Portland and feeling that real sense of “going out” whenever there’s a show or something else happening.

David: I’ll miss being able to walk everywhere. I won’t miss the rain.

Do you have any pets?

Veda: Yes! One chihuahua mix, he was a rescue. Apparently he lived in Hawaii for two years before meeting my family.

Walter: I have one dog, a Portuguese Water Dog named Willa, which is short for Willamette Stormtrooper (my brother and I got her when we were seven and nine). If you look “Portuguese Water Dog” up online you’ll find that they’re classified as working dogs, which clearly no one told that to Willa because she spends all day sleeping.

David: My family has everything from dogs to chickens, but I travel too much to have any myself.

What do you do in your free time?

Veda: I go on adventures with my friends, and if I’m alone, I tend to spend a lot of time in the dance studio, in the library, or home writing poems.

Walter: When I’m not working, I’m either reading, playing guitar, hiking, drinking tea, or roaming the shadow realm.

David: Read a lot and write a lot. If I’m on break, I’ll also watch professional wrestling and play video games with my younger siblings.

What’s one piece of media you recommend to everyone you meet?

Veda: There’s so much media in the world! I think I’m gonna have to go with the movie Juno, if you haven’t seen it you’re missing out on some prime Micheal Cera and Ellen Page moments.

Walter: While I only found out about it recently, I recommend that anyone involved with music should pick up a copy of She Shreds, a magazine published here in Portland that focuses on women guitarists and bassists. Its articles and artist profiles are fascinating, the graphic design is beautiful, and it has sweet features like guitar gear recommendations based on your astrological sign (I’m a Gemini and this month’s rec was a distortion pedal so I picked up a ProCo Rat)

David: Count Zero by William Gibson, one of my favorite novels and a huge inspiration of mine.

Where can people find you online?

Veda: Follow me on instagram! @callyoutomorrow and if you’re feeling kinda sad, in need of weepy music, check out my spotify @vedsss

Walter: If you’re into it, add me on Instagram @freshprinceofportland

Anything else you’d like us to know about you?

Veda: I’m really excited for the rest of this internship and I’m really gonna miss this place when I’m back at school!

Interns are a vital part of our team, helping things run smoothly and getting to learn about what goes on behind the curtain of publishing. If you’re interested in joining our team through an internship, applications for the summer quarter are open until March 1, 2020!

A Day in the Life, last day edition

August 20, 2018 — by Kedi Davis

This piece was written by our wonderful intern Kedi on her last day at Microcosm. We asked what she’d enjoyed about her time at Microcosm, as well as what she didn’t. Her response is quite charming and passionate, like her. Find Kedi and follow her work on twitter.

Hanging out at PRIDE

My internship with Microcosm Publishing began on June 4th earlier this summer, and my final day, August 10th, has officially caught up with me. That’s 10 weeks for those of you who weren’t counting, or, in internship measurements, 249.07 hours. And yes, I am the type of person to measure hours in hundredths of a decimal.

There are a lot of things I’d say I’ve learned over the course of my internship, though I’m not sure I could exactly say what those things are. I think this might be the easiest to express: there is a difference between liking something and thinking it’s a fit. There are certainly lovely and well-written zines and books out there in the world waiting to be published that will never fit with Microcosm. There is a humor and an energy in Microcosm that is missing in a lot of things. I’ve also learned that there are times where someone can be slow and take their time to make sure a project is finished with the utmost care, but also times where smaller details must be let go in the wake of an oncoming due date.

I’ve learned that the people working at Microcosm enjoy working here, and that they each have a level of dedication that keeps them all pushing forward on their projects, whether they come to the office or not. Most days, of the fourteen people who work here, I’ve seen four or five. Sometimes there were as little as two people in the office, besides the interns. Following that, I’m certain I’ve learned almost nothing of any of them. I’m positive there’s at least three people who work here that I’ve never actually met. But even of the ones I have met, the only last names I know are Joe’s and Elly’s. That being said, I’ve learned that the people working at Microcosm are kind and patient and fun. No one has gotten frustrated with me for asking too many questions (or at least no one who showed it), no one has acted as though I am “just” an intern, and not only do they ask for my ideas and my opinions, they listen. They follow through and dig deeper to see what could work. They also work to keep me included. What I have learned of the people who worked here, I learned from the times they invited me to have lunch with them, or the from game night the company hosted. I think my favorite memory of Microcosm will be when my manager Sidnee and I left the office in the middle of the day to meet Cyn, the publicity director, at a snow cone truck on the next block.

And though that will be my favorite memory, it will not be my proudest. I am proud and honored by the trust placed in me by the team of Microcosm during my internship. That same urging which made me mark the last .07 of my hours here at Microcosm helped me make a name for myself within the office. In my midterm meeting, my manager likened me to a duck. On the surface I am often quite passive and serene, but under the water I work quite diligently, with great care for where I’m heading. She meant that I’m a bit of a slow worker, but I pore over each word, each mark of punctuation, each spacing and pattern in writing until every mark of ink on the page is exactly as it should be.

I have edited three books in these past 249.07 hours, and each opportunity was more difficult and more demanding than the last. The first, a book in Dr. Faith’s This Is Your Brain series, was a simple (simple for people like me who read about comma rules for fun—have I ever told you about the Oxford Comma?) typo search. The second was a read through of Joe Biel’s (the owner and founder of Microcosm) own book on publishing. It was my responsibility to make sure all titles, subtitles, headers and subheaders were appropriately capitalized, as well as looking for typos. The amount of time I spent researching capitalization rules to complete this task would make a math major cry, but it paid off. This research helped me to impress Joe and Elly, so that they trusted me with editing on the master document directly. I shared this with my mom (so she would be proud of me too, of course) and she was proud enough to share it with my grandmothers. The last project will stick with me even through the ending of my internship—literally, because I’m still working on it! For my last project they have trusted me with a developmental edit, and the work I have put in for the past three weeks has been frustrating, agonizingly slow, often bewildering, and completely satisfying. I enjoy the slogging through of information. I feel almost like an archeologist making a discovery with the ways I’m helping to pull a book out of the mess of ideas. (Is that too silly a comparison? Don’t tell anyone I said that.)

There are things about this internship I won’t miss. I won’t miss the hour drive between the office and my home. I won’t miss the publicity projects I am absolutely terrible at (Sorry, Cyn). I won’t miss that the very nice woman working in the NICU still hasn’t called me back so we can finally give them their free books—and after we talked three times, no less!

But I will miss eating lunch out on the patio of the office. I will miss the friendly atmosphere. I will miss texting Sidnee to let me in, only for Ben to open the door. I will miss gif conversations with my manager, and I will miss the other interns, and the frustrating, bewildering, satisfying work I have done here. I think I’ll even miss the mailing.

Regards,

Kedi

Are you interested in volunteering or interning for credit at Microcosm? Let us know with this form and be a part of the punk rock publishing revolution!

A Day in the Life of… Intern Edition

June 05, 2018 — by Cyn

Every few months a batch of brave young creatives joins our crew for a while to learn, explore, and help out around the office. Some volunteer for fun, experience, out of boredom, or for school credit, and every year we get more and more requests for “how can I help!” and “do you take interns?”.
So I wanted to take a minute to introduce you to what being a volunteer here is actually like, from the volunteers themselves. It’s been a while since I was one myself, so I asked a few others to talk about their average day.
Check out the juicy details below.

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