By J. Faith Malicdem // Dec. 15, 2019
Friends! We've got a new writer aboard! Marieska is a colleague of mine whose written works I adore. She is a writer for Her Campus at Emerson College, and is a current freshman studying journalism. In exploring the role of being a writer for PieFace, Marieska proposed contributing her own poetry to the Oven, and I am ecstatic to see where she decides to take us as an audience with a genre so new. Here's more on Marieska's background! Enjoy, and be on the lookout for her work!
What drew you to writing?
I’ve always considered myself a storyteller, even before I knew that I wanted to do something in the writing field. I’ve had a fascination with books for as long as I could remember—summer was my prime reading time, a time where I didn’t have to give a care about anything other than how many books I could read in the span of three months. I was not at all talkative when I was younger, so writing was a way for me to have a voice in the world--I still consider that to be my mantra.
What do you typically write about? Do you have a specific style of writing? A specific format?
When I’m not focused on journalistic work, I like writing about my reflections on my life and how my experiences have shaped my outlook on the world. I’ve written about my complicated relationship with language, my theatre experiences, and my move from a suburban town to Boston. This might seem a bit quirky, but I’m a sucker for imagery--paint a scenic picture in my head, and I automatically want to invest myself into reading more of the piece. I guess my fondness for imagery has translated into my writing; I often worry about the word count, especially for journalistic pieces, because of the amount of imagery I want to include in my writing.
Do you have any authors/journalists/poets/writers of any kind who you look up to? Have they heavily influenced your work? In what way?
I look up to Gloria Steinem a lot, and we actually just watched a documentary about her in my Discovering Journalism class. I’ve identified myself as a feminist for such a long time, but getting to see her life in journalism, the magazine industry with Ms. Magazine, and activism was really eye-opening for me. There is still a lack of representation of women in newsrooms today, and the fact that she has covered difficult stories while continuing to bring female journalists and activists to the forefront motivates me to continue doing what I love and to provide a platform for the unheard and the oppressed.
Do you see a future for yourself in writing? If so, in what way(s)? If not, what are your general life aspirations?
I’ve always known that writing would be somewhere in my future, even before deciding to major in journalism. While I do get inspired by the stories I see in various news outlets every day that explore issues that affect us in society, I have a really strong interest in writing in the arts, entertainment, and culture bubble of journalism. I’ve always had a fondness for theatre and the arts in general, so I aspire to work as a theatre writer or critic one day. Honestly, just writing about lifestyle and culture in general gets me excited and motivated to step out of my comfort zone to learn something new about society.
Which tends to take reign in your writing: your brain or your heart? (do you tend to write more with emotion or intellect?)
It honestly depends on what I’m writing about. When I’m writing an academic essay or a journalistic piece that relies heavily on fact-based information, my writing tends to show intellect as well as exhibiting a logical tone. While this is good for grades and such, I love when I write from the heart and with emotion, especially when writing about something I am passionate about. A lot of the articles I write about outside of my journalism classes show my true voice because they are mostly about things I feel strongly about, whether that would have to deal with personal experiences or social issues I have a strong interest in.
How is your writing set apart from others?
I wish I could tell you, because frankly, I don’t really know how my writing is set apart from others. I do know that I try to make my writing flow smoothly-- like a river. To make that happen, I usually outline how I want to deliver the information I want to give to my audience, but I make sure that my voice is my number one priority in my writing.
What do you hope to contribute to Pie Face?
I want to use Pie Face as an escape from reporting about hard news or, I guess the “typical” journalism model, because it’s not what I’m really into. I hope to make myself vulnerable in my writing and write about personal experiences as well as emotional yet thought-provoking pieces. Whatever I write about, I hope that readers find my work fascinating, but I also want readers to leave my articles with questions they want to ask about life’s fascinations.
Find Marieska on Instagram here!
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