Villanova Alums Discuss Careers in Publishing

What does a career in publishing look like? How does someone interested in jobs or internships in publishing get started? 

On Monday night, a packed room gathered to hear four, high-powered Villanova alumni answer these and other questions at an event organized by the English department, Communications, the Writing and Rhetoric Program and the Creative Writing Program. Cece Ryan, Publisher of People magazine and Senior VP at Meredith Corporation underscored that there are lots of different kinds of publishing (hint: it’s not all about books). According to Ryan, finding fulfilling work after Villanova should be an exhilarating process. Villanova students can feel both proud and prepared to meet their futures.

Gary Urda, senior vice-president for sales at Simon & Schuster, reminded the audience that publishing is a $26bn a year industry on the cutting edge of art and culture. Given the size of the industry, what percentage of jobs in this field are editorial? At Simon & Schuster, Urda estimated about 10 per cent. He then discussed the dynamic role that people with business, marketing, advertising, design, and legal backgrounds play in the publishing industry.

Bob Bender, VP and executive editor at Simon & Schuster, edits nonfiction and biography, including the bestselling Failure Is Not an Option, by Gene Kranz. When asked about the future of publishing and books, Bender said that the format changes, but the written word, and publishing, are here to stay. Bender was one of two English majors on the panel, though each of the panelists talked about how a love of books, reading, and curiosity are good skills for all publishing professionals to have.

Kelly Moran, a 2019 graduate and the other Villanova English major on the panel, landed her first internship in a literary agency while a student at Villanova. While the agency internship was a good experience, it helped her to see that editing might not be the best fit for her interests. Moran went on to complete a range of internships in New York and London, which ultimately led to her current position as a publicity assistant at St. Martin’s/Macmillan.

To launch a career in publishing, all of the panelists remarked on the importance of networking and building strong relationships. After a lively Q & A, students had a chance to mingle with the panelists and put these ideas into action. LinkedIn and Nova Network are good ways to connect with other alumni and professionals outside of these career events. In the meantime, the success of the evening was a reminder that publishing matters.  

Job Opportunity: Medical Writer at University of Pennsylvania Department of Ophthalmology

The Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania is looking to hire a medical writer, ideally a recent graduate or December graduate, who could start in January 2020.

Responsibilities:

• Prepare presentations for Chairman of Ophthalmology Department at University of Pennsylvania on a variety of topics, such as ocular cancers or increasing representation of women in medicine.
• Write and edit letters of recommendation, speeches, and other official documents for Ophthalmology Department, including the Executive Summary.
• Write original articles for bi-annual Scheie Vision magazine, including brainstorming, interviewing, editing, and contributing to design.
• Create online newsletter to communicate news and relevant information to alumni, donors, referring physicians, and others.
• Undertake responsibility for all internal Departmental communication, including sending monthly news emails to faculty and staff and editing all Departmental emails/communication materials.
• Serve as Project Manager for the Chairman as a Section Editor of Principles and Practices of Ophthalmology.
• Assist with drafting and submission of grant and faculty award applications for Ophthalmology Department.
• Contribute to writing manuscripts for research studies and developing the research mission of the Department.

Qualifications:

• The applicant must have a Bachelor’s degree; demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills; be highly organized; and possess strong ambition, interpersonal skills, and the ability to multitask.

If you are interested in applying, please send a resume, cover letter, and writing sample to Rebecca Salowe at Rebecca.salowe@pennmedicine.upenn.edu. 

Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Teaching Fellows - November 19-20

The University of Notre Dame is coming to campus looking for talented, bright, and "faith-filled" students in all majors/minors who are interested in the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Teaching Fellows Program. These students become full-time teachers in under-resourced Catholic schools and also full-time graduate students at Notre Dame, earning a cost-free Master of Education degree.

Catherine Wagner, ACE's associate program director for ACE, says: "Develop your spirituality, live in community, attend class at Notre Dame during the summer, meet new people, and grow like never before. We're looking for the tenacious, resilient, and hard-working young people who are up to the challenges of teaching. Are you one of those people or do you know someone who is? Don't hesitate to reach out -- we'd love to learn more about you!"

You can learn more about Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Teaching Fellows program at the Post-Grad Fair on Tuesday, November 19th from 5:00-7:00pm.

Contact: Catherine Wagner (cwagne10@nd.edu) with any questions or click here to schedule a one-on-one meeting for Wednesday, November 20th.

Below are some of the Villanova alums who went on to become ACE teaching fellows!

Dr. Megan Quigley Takes Up Visiting Fellow Position at Oxford University

This week the Blog got a message from Dr. Megan Quigley, currently on sabbatical in the UK.

"Greetings to all from Oxford! I am away this academic year as a Visiting Fellow at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford University. I am working on a new project on T. S. Eliot and some side projects on #MeToo and Modernism and Hilary Mantel’s relationship to Virginia Woolf. While in Europe, I’ll be giving a lecture on vagueness and modernism in the university town of Tübingen, Germany and on T. S. Eliot  in London. I miss you all (students and colleagues) very much but think of how much better my Contemporary British Novel and Brexit course will be after this year in the UK! See you in Fall 2020!"

Check out Dr. Quigley's Oxford profile page.

Photos from Fall Pre-Registration Reception

Thanks to everyone who came out for our Fall Pre-Registration Reception on October 25, especially Dr. Adrienne Perry's team of "poetry buskers," and Amanda Atkinson and Hayley Jellison, who both spoke inspirationally about their experience as English majors and their goals for the future.

Writing Through Conflict: Villanova Students and Writers from Seamus Heaney Centre Read Their Work

Last week the Center for Irish Studies and the Seamus Heaney Centre in Belfast organized a reading by Irish writers and four Villanova students who participated in last spring's Writing Through Conflict course. Glenn Patterson kept the audience thoroughly engaged and entertained and invited an audience member to an impromptu recital of Seamus Heaney's poem, "Digging."  Irish writers Nick Laird and Stephen Sexton read alongside Villanova students Madelyn Dyer, Caroline Rini, Courtney Schonewolf, and Reagan Wish. 

Students in Prof. Cathy Staples's Core Seminar Visit Rushton Farm

On September 24, Students in Prof. Cathy Staples's Honors Core Literature and Writing Seminar, The Wide Sky and the Long Green, visited Rushton Farm in Malvern, PA to witness the banding of songbirds during the fall migration.

Two students in Prof. Staples's reflected on their experience.

Natalie Psyhogeos:
"It all began with the common yellowthroat. These majestic creatures have a mossy green hood with a canary belly. I was startled by the extreme distance they travel, all the way down to Central America. The next character on the scene was the ovenbird, given this wacky name from their crafting of nests that resemble Dutch ovens. A light weightless flutter was the only sound it produced as it launched from a student’s hand back into its aerial realm. Then, it was my turn to release a banded bird back into the uncanny wilderness. Feeling the anxious bird squirm as I wrapped it like a baseball was temporary. Once my constant heart rhythm soothed it to an eased posture, I felt linked to the being. It transported me into a Kumin poem, noticing a correlation between our lives and the lives of those soaring above us. When I released my grip, the bitsy chickadee stayed on my palm for another few moments, giving me pleasure in knowing I made a friend at the farm."

Marcus Rose:
"Northern Parula, a hatch-year missing its red necklace. It must not have grown in yet. This was the bird I had the joy of handling. Described as “very chill,” it immediately rested its full weight in the palm of my hand even before I had a firm grasp across its shoulders. As I prepared to let the creature go, it made itself comfortable and sat down into my hand. Amazed at the level of kinship I felt with so small yet sturdy a bird, I gently stroked its head and back with one light touch of a finger, and it pushed back giving ever the slightest amount of force to my skin to let me know it was there, and it was alright. As soon as the handlers approached us to convince the Parula that it was time to head out, it darted from my hand as though it had never been there to begin with. All that remained was the ever so faint warmth that its insulating feathers had cast through a single spot at the base of my ring finger, but that too quickly dissipated, like the memory of a kiss blown goodbye from a close friend whom you won’t see for another few years."