Youth Movement.

I have to say, seeing my name in print is one of the most exciting/gratifying/awesome fucking feelings. It just makes me want to keep writing & working again and again. Spent the past week or so researching leaders who, like Kim Jong-un, ruled their countries at very young ages. I wasn't expecting the byline for this one. But here's another for my last week at New York! (Hopefully not my last in New York ever).

Tote Overload!

The past few months at New York Magazine have been great. I feel like I've had the opportunity to do (and learn) more here than at any other internship. It ends in about two weeks so I hope to update as much as possible about the experience before it does.

I got my first New York print byline in the Year In Culture December 12 issue! Some time in November one of the editors approached me and asked me to do some research about the reusable bags industry, as he had read a short post on the Atlantic Cities blog about a woman in California (Beth Zeigler) who hosted a reusable bags redistribution event. He wanted to know a few things: Did a trade association exist for reusable bags? What are they made of? How much do they cost? We could make something of it depending on what I found. Turns out there definitely is a Reusable Bag Association, comprised of some of the biggest manufacturers in the U.S. Not a ton of research or studies have been conducted, but I found a lot of people associated with the industry who had a lot to say. Sales have increased as people have become more aware of the impact they make on the environment. Being "green" is a thing. Now, manufacturers are churning them out like crazy, to the point where a) a lot of people are purchasing them for really cheap (or getting them for free) and b) they're disposing of them or collecting them, and essentially not using them thus defeating the purpose. My article for the Topic page of the Intelligencer section outlines when reusable bag usage started and its growth. My only thing--I thought the editors removed some crucial information from the final draft. The proliferation is caused largely in part because many of the bags are made of a cheap material called non-woven polypropylene; it allows the manufacturers to sell them for as cheap as $1. Some of the members of the association refuse to produce bags of this material (also, it's not biodegradable)--which I also thought was interesting. It's a young group so I still think they're trying to figure out how they want to represent themselves. It absolutely KILLED me when I read one reader's comment on the site: "All reusable bags are not created equal. This article should differentiate between the (basically trash) polypropylene $.99 bags and a good durable, washable bag like Chicobags or Baggu." I thought that was one of the most important things to tell. But anyway. I know way too much about reusable bags now. Here it is!

“There is a lot of education that needs to happen around the reusable shopping bag movement. The answer isn’t more reusable shopping bags. The answer is more conscious consumption.” - Vincent Cobb, president of reuseit.com, a member of the Reusable Bag Association

Money.

Oh gosh. Hello. So much has happened, time flies, next thing you know there's less than a week to the end of the year. Well, I have to start where I left off, with Money: where I interned for the summer. Think the best way to maybe go about this is to kind of make a bulleted list (not in any specific order) with the things I remember.

- I had the opportunity to dorm at Columbia University on a floor occupied by other Time Inc. interns. Which was amazing. I'm from Queens, so moving back to NYC after graduation, I knew I had a home to return to, and that I could stay there until I had the means to move out (not anytime soon). Ideally though, I would love to live in the city or somewhere in Queens really close to the city, because I don't know, that's where I work, I'm young and that's just ideal. So having the opportunity to at least do that the summer right after graduation was amazing. The Columbia campus & neighborhood was great, and Time Inc. offices were just a 25 minute ride away on the 1. I had great roommates--one of whom was also a Money intern and who I became pretty close to, and two who interned for People magazine (one for the site, one in the art department). We had a spacious suite, our own rooms. It was just really nice.

- I was so nervous on the first day! Walking into it with Angela (my roommate) helped. We were greeted by the super friendly office manager who led us to the layout room, where the staff was having its weekly meeting. Immediately knew who the editor in chief was by the way he led the meeting. I didn't see him often except occasionally in the hallways and during meetings. The man is so funny in a way that most probably find offensive. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I thought he had a ridiculously great sense of humor.

- Apps. During our first month, in place of the monthly beat memo meeting, the EIC held an apps meeting instead. He was interested in developing the magazine's first smartphone app. I think that project may or may not have been put on hold because Time Inc. is preparing to launch all its publications on the Nook for the new year, but I may be mistaken. Anyway, the staff was split into groups of three or four, interns included, and each was required to either build on app ideas submitted to the EIC a few months earlier, or create a new one from scratch. Each group consisted of reporters, editors, art directors, and an intern! It was so nice to be able to get to know different members of the staff in a small group. They were all so friendly and I felt comfortable contributing. And just the process of conceiving a new app was a lot of fun.

- I somehow became the designated intern to accompany a reporter and photographer to Times Square each month to assist with the back of book "The Big Question" page. The first time, I assisted and the second time I went myself! My question was, "Do you love or hate your bank?" I love man-on-the-street interviews, so that was fun.

- BEST PLACES TO LIVE. This is what the interns are really there for, haha. Each year Money releases its Best Places to Live in America issue, where it ranks the top 100 cities in America based on a number of factors. The lists alternate between small towns (less than 50,000) and large towns (I forget the interval, think it's more than 100,000), but this year it was small towns. Money collaborates with a data service provider which I won't name, but provides a list of towns that have the best of a variety of things including: jobs/employment, health, and education. They send reporters to the top 25 or so, and based on their reporting rank the top 10. The rest, the interns report on. 30 each. We spoke to real estate agents, government officials and residents to determine what the town was like and if it really deserved to be on the list.
Link: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2011/snapshots/CS2560785.html

- CNNMoney.com. My final, final week was spent in the CNN offices at the Time Warner Center, as that is where CNNMoney.com exists. (Web and print are quite separate). It was so awesome being in a real newsroom; our purposes as interns was to help them launch the Best Places to Live on the Web. So mostly, we did a lot of fact-checking and used cool apps to create the slideshows.

- Photoshoot. The LAST thing I expected to do as part of my internship was participate in a photoshoot. Typically, an EIC features his or her photo next to the editor's letter each month, but Craig's not into that, I guess. So he has a member(s) of the staff pose in lieu instead, usually finding a way to incorporate them into the letter. For August, he chose the interns. Like, we actually had a makeup artist and stylist come in and help us prepare. Then we took photos on one of the building's balconies and in front of the building with Radio City Music Hall as a backdrop. Unreal. I look absolutely awful in the photo, but no matter. It was a cool opportunity.

- As interns, we also had the opportunity to contribute to Money's blog, "More Money," (hosted by CNNMoney.com). I wish I contributed more often but it was nice to contribute at least one--a story about how to score a deal on used cars. I was also working on a story about the FAA shutdown (and how it would affect travelers who wanted refunds) but it literally kept changing every hour. Stressful. By the time I edited it, the FAA had ended the shutdown and the story was pointless. Bit frustrating.

- Other perks: we had our own offices, we received free issues of every of Time Inc.'s magazines, bagel fridays!, seminars (on how to search for difficult documents, for example), and being able to attend staff meetings. Everyone was hilarious in their own right and it was so much fun (and helpful!) to see each member collaborate. Each person brought a different talent, style, area of expertise that really manifested itself in the pages of the magazine and it was great to be able to see that work itself right in front of you. They treated us like real members of the staff and at the same time held our hands; an experience that I won't (nor expect to) have ever again, but it was perfect for an internship right after college--being released into the real world while still being able to take baby steps.

- Personal finance. Towards the end, I began to think that maybe I allowed the internship to do more for me than I did for it, which caused a few regrets. But I do think I took what I learned from it and was able to apply it to my next internship at New York Magazine (major updates coming about that experience soon). One of the biggest things Money did for me was help me get a hold of my finances. I view them so differently now. More independent. I graduated with about $3,000 in credit card debt that I knew I should be worried about but assumed I'd figure out, eventually. Um, no. Wrong answer. This internship was like a crash course in get-your-financial-shit together. (Another reason it was perfect for post-graduation). Even before the internship started, Margaret (one of the senior editors) mailed us a few back issues of the magazine plus a copy of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties And Thirties. So helpful, still! And I'm proud to say that I have paid off my entire credit card! This summer I learned its better to get rid of that first then focus on loans (Already made my first payment. Womp. My goal is to get rid of the $25,000 in two years.) Also learned that writing about personal finance is not all that hard and actually kind of fun. Different than what I'm most passionate about (the long form non-fiction feature type writing) but I could totally do this too. In fact, I already did, once. I freelanced for Parents.com (http://www.parents.com/parenting/money/family-finances/save-money-for-your-newborn/). And I'll be starting an internship with Business Insider's Your Money in January! Which is crazy. Seriously, who would have thought. Anyway. Money. My best internship as of September. And really, I think my time there set the stage for the rest of my career.

3 AM Beer Pong

This is the photo I was talking about in the post about my experience at The Onondagan.

By Natthakan Garunrangseewong

(She posted more on her Flickr, pg 3, though check all of her photos. They're all great!)

Last words about Verbal Blend

I've always loved poetry. I've never been very good at it, but I've always loved it.

In 7th grade, my dad introduced me to a new show, called Def Poetry Jam, which aired on HBO. He even took me to a live taping once. I was drawn by the power with which the featured poets spoke, and amazed by their ability to communicate tough real-life issues and emotions in beautiful, eloquent ways.

Last fall I had difficulty choosing a topic for my final assignment (a 1,500 word story) in Magazine Writing. My professor had heard a few things about Cedric Bolton and suggested I investigate what his program was about. I attended my first two workshops the second Monday and Tuesday of November and knew instantly I had a story. The small group I met consisted of people who were intelligent, friendly, down-to-earth, ambitious, and extremely talented.

My product was this story (I got an A!)--which I've since slightly tweaked. (Note: It was never officially published, so I have used some of the quotes in other published stories. Also, I still can't seem to come up with the perfect final sentence!).

Verbal Blend by Noelia de la Cruz

I knew I wanted to keep in touch with the group, even after I finished the project. I attended the first workshop of the second semester, and continued to record/document their meetings, attend their events, and conduct interviews whenever I could. Simultaneously, I was taking my Web Journalism course, and I mentioned in a previous post that I would try to get them on the NewsHouse. My professor introduced our final project about a month before semester's end; our task was to produce a package taking all we learned throughout the semester using text, video, data visualization and interactive graphics components. It was the perfect opportunity.

The text, I knew I'd figure out somehow (I decided to focus on the nature of the workshops). The video and data viz components were the most difficult to conceive and create. Gathering inspiration from something I had seen in Esquire, I decided I wanted to make an audio visualization--that is, create a way for a person to see, literally, how the poem sounds as they're listening to it. Unfortunately, many of my visions (including something similar to this kinetic typography video) were impossible to create, considering a number of things, including my skill level and limited access to certain programs. Still, using After Effects, I was able to create something pretty sweet. It took a lot of trial and error and the help from some awesome people, but in the end I created an audio waveform of Christiona Hawkin's poem "Change." To make the waveform more interesting, I placed text over it (a la Photoshop), and included a video introduction of Ms. Hawkins herself (I ultimately produced everything with Final Cut Express). And while I originally intended to make a short video of the last workshop, I instead edited a clip of an interview I did with Tyler Rice about snapping (versus applauding) and included footage from the last workshop. I used Dipity to create a timeline of spoken word history, which includes information ranging from the late Gil Scott-Heron's influence to the spoken word event hosted by the White House two years ago. Technically, my project would have been complete with all of the above. But most of my peers were using a program called Vuvox to create multimedia slideshows, and I wanted to, too. Plus, I had so much material that would go to waste; I decided to use Vuvox to highlight Verbal Blend events I attended throughout the year. More text, more audio, more video.

Verbal Blend is such a small part of a large university and sometimes I wondered if my persistence to cover them was more of a personal, selfish investment than a service to others. But on further thought, I found it hard to believe that anyone who attends an open mic or a workshop, or spends even a few minutes with these guys, can leave feeling anything less but inspired.

See my project here: Verbal Blend unites words and performance.

Medley, Spring 2011

Slowly but surely, I will update this blog.

I almost decided not to return to Medley for the spring semester. Working for both Medley and The Onondagan proved to be tougher than I ever expected and by winter break I was a little burnt out. But I decided to stick with it, and am so glad I did. My schedule wasn't as hectic so I was able to devote time to both publications and my classes without feeling overwhelmed. We changed things up a bit by hiring assistant editors to help the senior editors and it really made all the difference. Luis, our fantastic art director, pulled through yet again. I'm so grateful for him! He helped us not only redesign the way the magazine looks but how it reads. He suggested dividing the magazine into sections and was persistent & unrelenting in his decisions; Kirsten and I were originally opposed to the Aid Across the Map vertical layout, but he convinced us it would work and now I absolutely love it. I learned so much from his constructive criticism, insight, and talent. Our spring 2011 issue is the best-looking to date, in my opinion.

There were still quite a few bumps along the road (one was for the best--our cover/photo story about SU Korean drumming group Cheon Ji In is the result of a writer dropping her story. And the complimentary back photo = phenomenal!), but we managed to overcome them and produce a beautiful issue with great content, great photos. The two features, Somewhere I Belong, and The Kids Are All Right are so representative of Medley's theme. It's all there in those two pieces. For Somewhere I Belong, Kirsten profiled Alanah, a Hispanic girl who was born in Kenya and lived in several other countries during her life, finally settling (for now) in Syracuse. The piece discusses both the benefits and the struggles Alanah has experienced because of her nomadic life. The Kids Are All Right discusses gay parenting through the lens of two Syracuse students who have gay parents. It's such a great piece, even though it's already slightly outdated! Same-sex marriage is now legal in New York! I also contributed another short piece about Verbal Blend, this time choosing to focus on their newly formed p-board (poets' executive board) and the direction they hope to take in the future.

Medley was a great experience and I wish I had more time with it! Sometimes I feel I could have done more. Fortunately, we've left the magazine in great hands. Medley is young but I feel so strongly about the content we cover and can't wait for more people to take notice and to see how it will grow.

Keep up with Medley on Issuu.

Tight-ink boxes.

My emotions are untamed, vicious, constantly whirling.

They poke, they pull, they jab at my consciousness.

The only way to protect myself is to force them into a word.

Words are like jail cells.

When I confine my emotions, I release my thoughts from unrelenting torture.

Memories, feelings, they can't hurt me--not in their tight-ink boxes.

So, I study them. I learn from them.

They can't hurt me again.

- Brandon

On Sunday, I attended the last learning community workshop in Boland Hall for the purposes of filming it for my Newshouse project (which, btw, will probably be more of a disaster than success, but we'll see). Before the workshop, I interviewed a few of the poets, and because I probably won't be able to use all of it for my project, I'll probably edit a few of them and post on here. I was taken by surprise because I had planned to film the workshop a certain way, but because it was the last one, Michelle (the RA), decided to do something completely different. I think I'll be able to work it out, though.

During the second half of the workshop, Michelle gave the residents index cards and asked them to write what poetry meant to them. A few explained in list form, but others wrote poems. Brandon, whose last name I don't know, hardly ever comes to the workshops but he decided to stop by because it was the last one. By watching him I gathered he's not necessarily a shy person, but when he stood in front of the group, he became sort of bashful and said, "I don't usually write poetry, I just come to listen." When he finished, everyone was stunned. "That was incredible," Cedric Bolton said. A look of awe appeared on Michelle's face. I think Brandon himself didn't expect to receive the response he did. I don't think Brandon himself realized until that moment the talent of the words he spoke. Honestly, it was the best poem read that night.

The only way to protect myself is to force them into a word. They can't hurt me--not in their tight-ink boxes.

Tight-ink boxes. Isn't that wonderful??

I was so bummed because I couldn't make it to the only slam competition of the semester yesterday, but I was occupied with Medley proofs (we sent the magazine to print today! I'm so excited, it's our best issue to date). One of those things--when you want to do two things you love at the same time.

I'm really going to miss Verbal Blend.