My name is Sean O’Donnell. I’m B. A. Binns’ summer intern, and I
could not be more excited.
I’m the youngest of three, and I think that is why I’ve always
felt a need to keep from stagnating. Raised in a Boston suburb, I couldn’t wait
to move away to someplace new. That’s how I ended up half-way across the
country in Chicago, where I attend DePaul University.
Reading helped quell my restlessness until I could make it out of
Massachusetts. It offered an escape, but it was incomplete. I needed to explore
the world outside of books so I could figure out my own brain-stuff. I knew my
opportunity to do this was college. But, without reading everything I could get
my hands on, I never would have made it out.
This is why I jumped at the opportunity to work with Barbara.
Young Adult writing is incredibly under appreciated. It deals with difficult
ideas surrounding identity and existentialism, but has to present it in a way
that is relatable to people who are only beginning to think about those things.
Sure, reading fostered an interest that made me see the value in trudging
through works written by the dead white guys lauded by academia, but it also
made me realize that I needed to get out so that I could see myself more
clearly.
Learning the process behind creating these kinds of influential
works is important to me. Being given the opportunity to help edit and promote
B.A. Binns’ upcoming novel which deals with issues of identity and unfamiliar
surroundings, with the goal to attract reluctant readers, is exactly what I
have been waiting for.
I can’t wait to see where this summer takes me, personally and
professionally.
No comments:
Post a Comment