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Profile
of Vanessa Gabler, Intern, Creative Nonfiction Foundation, 4/06
by Jamie Cortazzo Sterling
PPW/Writing Center Publicity Intern
Senior
Vanessa Gabler’s post-graduation goal is to someday move to
Georgia or Texas and find a job as a proofreader in a publishing
house. Her internship at The Creative Nonfiction Foundation as an
Editorial Assistant has her well on her way to her ideal future
plans. Vanessa, an English literature major, found this Public &
Professional Writing (PPW) internship with the help of faculty member
Pam O’Brien and the CNF intern from last spring just in time
for graduation.
CNF is a nonprofit literary magazine and “the leading voice
in creative nonfiction today.” Vanessa works 12 hours a week,
although she feels that there is so much more she could be doing
there if she had the time to devote. Still, she spends her time
on a great variety of tasks. Vanessa logs, evaluates, and responds
to manuscript submissions. She interviews authors for the CNF website
and writes needed copy for the website. She must summarize the journal’s
content for bookstores, the website, potential customers, teachers,
and others. And, this is just a shortened list of her many responsibilities.
With so much to do, it is no wonder she feels as if 12 hours a week
of work is not enough time.
Vanessa’s favorite task is evaluating manuscript submissions.
She says that it gives her the opportunity to “read so many
interesting stories and odd tidbits” that she wouldn’t
normally encounter. Another interesting facet of her internship
is being able to see a journal’s production from start to
finish. This prepares her for her ideal career, since she gets to
view the entire publishing process and its many components.
Vanessa believes that her PPW certificate will allow her to enter
so many different sectors of employment after graduation, including
the corporate, or for profit, sector; the nonprofit sector; or public
relations and advertising. She recommends that students pursue a
writing internship because, “writing assignments for a class
can teach you basic skills, but an internship allows you to understand
how those skills are applied in a realistic setting.” In other
words, a PPW internship really helps a student prepare for the kind
of writing that is used in the actual workplace.
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