Broadside created by John McShea for John Jeremiah Sullivan’s reading at UNCW’s Writers Week 2013.
As an intern with Lookout and TA in UNCW’s Publishing Laboratory, sometimes I find my work overlapping. And if my work isn’t quite the same, I still operate within the same workspace for both jobs. So when Lookout takes a brief pause to celebrate Writers Week, the week in which UNCW invites national writers, editors, and agents to engage our community, I continue to head into the office to support the university. Here is how I do this:
Step one: Spend the months before Writers Week putting off the creation of Writers Week program guides, broadsides, posters, and other promotional materials.
Step two: Spend every waking second the week before Writers Week creating Writers Week program guides, broadsides, posters, and other promotional materials.
Step three: Close eyes and see the schedule of Writers Week events projected on the insides of eyelids as a result from duties achieved during step two.
Step four: Mentally cross out the events you wish not to attend that are projected on the insides of eyelids.
Step five: Realize you will attend events crossed off during step four, because you don’t want to miss anything profound. Become okay with the fact that this schedule has been permanently burned into your eyelids.
Step six: Sprint to the Pub Lab between events to gauge production of Writers Week program guides, broadsides, posters, and other promotional materials. Feel the burn in your calves.
Step seven: Ask, “Does anyone need a hand with the current production of Writers Week program guides, broadsides, posters, and other promotional materials?” Wait for the response.
Step eight: Lend a hand in the current production of Writers Week program guides, broadsides, posters, and other promotional materials. Pull out staplers for program guides. Clear off the trimmer for broadsides. Sit and breathe while waiting for posters to print. Rush to deliver finished materials, carried in a heavily worn manila folder covered in doodles.
Step nine: Rejoice after completing production of Writers Week program guides, broadsides, posters, and other promotional materials. Acknowledge that completion is temporary, and more work will be done after the next event.
But most important,
Step ten: Attend every Writers Week event. Learn many things. Ride the motivation that swells within you after profound speakers poke at your soul.
So far this is the how I’ve navigated this year’s Writers Week. For more information or a list of events, please visit http://uncw.edu/writers/writersweek.html
John McShea,
Lookout Intern and Publishing Lab TA