Hello all!
After a little less than a week of lurking in the shadows, I figured it was probably about time that I introduced myself. So, here we go! My name is Emily, and I’m the Southern Lit Alliance’s newest summer intern. I’m a recent graduate of the University of the South with a major in English, and I’ll be hanging around for the next nine weeks, doing everything from entering membership data to keeping So Lit’s social media pages up-to-date to writing blog posts like this one. I’m so excited for the opportunity to work with So Lit!
Believe it or not, the Southern Lit Alliance is an organization that is very near and dear to my heart. Growing up on Signal Mountain, I was constantly surrounded by the impacts of So Lit’s dedication to young readers and writers. In elementary school, I attended Theatre Express! productions on school field trips. During my senior year of high school, I had the privilege of attending the former Celebration of Southern Literature (now SouthWord) and speaking to playwright Katori Hall and novelist Richard Bausch as part of So Lit’s Writers in Classrooms initiative. Each year from kindergarten through the twelfth grade, I eagerly anticipated entering the Young Southern Student Writers competition, itching for the chance to show off my writing skills—although admittedly, I never won. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that So Lit’s outreach programs helped to foster in me a lifelong love of reading and writing, and I am more than happy to show my gratitude to this worthwhile organization by helping them out over the summer!
Fun fact: I actually took a class on Southern literature during my final semester of college. I especially enjoyed Flannery O’Connor’s short story “Everything That Rises Must Converge” and Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Who is your favorite Southern author? Let me know in the comments below!
Interested in replacing me when I leave for the fall? Then contact the lovely Ann Johnson at ann@solitalliance.org for more information about internships with the Southern Lit Alliance.