By Kapua Iao
“Gratitude is a divine emotion: it fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever.”
from Shirley by Charlotte Brontë
One of the many ways Yellow Arrow Publishing encourages women writers and women in publishing is through inclusion within the organization itself. We welcome (and thrive with) our volunteers and interns, not only for our own benefit but to also (hopefully) provide a prospective future publisher with some necessary tools and knowledge about the publishing world. And even if a volunteer/intern does not plan to continue within the publishing world, the tools and knowledge of working in a women-led, collaborative organization. One that champions the different and the unique. One that looks for partners and allies rather than simple connections (see our growing list of partners here).
As Editor-in-Chief, it would be impossible to organize, create, and publish without the incredible help of our volunteer staff and interns. They provide the thought process behind each journal by picking each issue’s theme and reading/voting on each submitted piece. They then read through the chosen submissions and edit them carefully and thoughtfully, not to change the voice of the author but to ensure that the voice flourishes. They provide continuous feedback and proofread the final product before release. And the same goes for our published chapbooks; the process of forming something for publication is thoughtfully long but fulfilling, nonetheless.
We try to find each volunteer, each intern, space in our organization to grow and flourish in the area they are most interested in (and of course where we need the most help!). Past staff members have worked at our live events and at Yellow Arrow House. They hand bound our publications and put as much love and tenderness into each copy as we could hope. Now that we are a mostly virtual publishing company, they focus on copyediting and proofreading as well as writing blogs and press releases. They create promotional material and images for our authors and create marketing campaigns. They help at live and virtual events and readings. And above all else, they support. Not only me but our authors as well. I am so thankful to have had them with me on this journey.
So let’s introduce the spring 2023 interns. Each has my appreciation.
Natasha Saar, publications intern
From New York City but lives in Baltimore, Maryland
What do you do? I assist with everything to do with publications. This includes writing blog posts, running social media campaigns, and working with the Editor-in-Chief to copyedit and proofread exciting and upcoming publications.
Where do you go to school? I’m currently a senior at Loyola University Maryland, and if all goes to plan, I’m going to be graduating this May.
What are you currently working on? I’ve been working on my university’s literary magazine, Corridors, and have also been working as a resident assistant for one of my university’s resident halls. Most of my current spare time is spent either with my hobbies, job hunting, or working for classes in advance.
Natasha Saar (she/her) is a senior at Loyola University, Maryland, pursuing a BA in English, and the spring 2022 publications intern at Yellow Arrow Publishing. She’s in charge of editing submissions at her university’s literary magazine, Corridors, and also works as a resident assistant. In her free time, she enjoys doing origami, baking, and playing niche video games.
After graduating, she intends to continue pursuing publishing, but is also happy pursuing any career that involves writing, preferably in some sort of creative fashion. Natasha has always loved working with language, it’s just a matter of making a comfortable living with it . . .
Why did you choose an internship with Yellow Arrow?
Everyone who likes reading and writing falls down the “what if I work with books” pipeline, and I figured a hands-on internship with a smaller company could give me a bigger insight into the publishing process. I also really resonated with Yellow Arrow’s mission and wanted to assist with it.
Beck Snyder, program management intern
Lives in Towson, Maryland
What do you do? I put together social media posts and schedule them, work on the monthly newsletter, copyedit Yellow Arrow Journal, and research for grants.
Where do you go to school? I go to school at Towson University, and I’ll be graduating in the spring of 2023, provided everything goes to plan.
What are you currently working on? As of right now, I’m mainly focused on graduating, as that’s coming up very quickly, but I’m also working on my own writing in my spare time. I completed a first draft of my own novel right before this semester, so I’ve started looking back through it and finding ways I can make it better.
Beck Snyder (she/they) is a student on the creative writing track at Towson University and is currently figuring out where they’re going in life. When they’re not knee-deep in homework or their own writing endeavors, you can usually find them playing video games, reading, or making stupid jokes with their friends.
Their future plans are a bit up in the air right now. Beck is planning on moving to New York City after graduation since the publishing industry is fairly big there, and they think they’d like to get a job in the industry while working on getting their own work published. Fingers crossed things go well!
Why did you choose a second internship with Yellow Arrow?
I chose to do a second internship with Yellow Arrow because I really loved Yellow Arrow’s mission and working with Annie Marhefka and Kapua Iao has been really great. I always feel like I’m contributing and that my schedule outside of Yellow Arrow is being taken into consideration so I don’t get overworked. This semester has been a bit different because now that I know the basics of how Yellow Arrow works as an organization and what we do here, Annie has trusted me with more responsibilities, like the newsletter and working on grants. It’s definitely cool to be back for a second semester and to be trusted to work on bigger things than I did last semester.
When not on Towson’s campus, you can find them in the tiny town of Clear Spring, Maryland, on Instagram @real_possiblyawesome or on Twitter @PossiblyAwesom if you’d like to hear the thoughts that pop into their head at three in the morning.
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Thank you to everyone who supports these women and all writers who toil away day after day. Please show them some love in the comments below or on Yellow Arrow’s Facebook or Instagram. If interested in joining us as an editorial associate or intern, fill out an application at yellowarrowpublishing.com/internships.
Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we SPARK and sparkle this year: purchase one of our publications from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, join our newsletter, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.