Hello — another intern here! A bit about me: I am headed into my final year at a liberal arts college in New Hampshire, where I am studying both English and Elementary Education. Ever since I was young, I always wanted to be either a teacher or a book editor/publisher due to my love of reading. Therefore, for my pseudonym, I thought it would be fitting to choose an author who connects to both of my passions, so I’ve decided to go under the pen name Beauld Dahl, after a fascinating person who happens to be one of my favorite childhood authors.
Coming from a small town in Vermont (and by small I mean you could fit 6 of my town’s entire population into the Empire State Building and still have a little room left over before hitting the maximum occupancy), Manhattan is about the biggest 180 degrees that I could make from my normal lifestyle. Even living here for just a week so far, I’ve come to realize that I have split myself into two identities, the small-town teacher, and the city-dwelling publisher. Part of me misses rolling green mountains, drives through the countryside with the windows down, and the overall laid-back feel of Vermont (and no, it’s not part of Canada). A different part of me loves the patchwork of skyscrapers, the hustle of the city, and the fact that I can walk to any store I can think of instead of driving at least an hour away. Though I’ll admit, sometimes I get a little unnerved by the lack of trees on my walk to and from my internship, but that’s nothing a trip to Central Park can’t fix.
Vermont is known (“known” being a loose term here) for three things: Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, Cabot cheese, and maple syrup. While we consume our fair share of dairy products, my family’s affection is for the latter.
Every late winter and early spring, we go into the woods, hang buckets and tubing among the maple trees, collect their sap, then boil and filter it until the sticky, sweet substance we put on our pancakes and waffles is produced. This picture was taken during the second largest snowstorm ever recorded in Vermont, when I trudged through over two feet of snow and could barely see further than the length of my arm through the rapidly falling flakes. Apart from the sounds of my footsteps, I was blanketed by complete silence.
Within the past week, it has been upwards of 90° in Manhattan, with nothing but a faint breeze between the high-rises. I have two options: walk everywhere in the blazing sun, or take the subway, where wind refuses to enter, and the heat is somehow even more stifling than above ground. I typically choose the streets, ignoring the stench of cigarettes and the shrills of sirens, where I bear witness to some of the world’s most iconic sites that millions dream of visiting and a skyline like none other.
In both circumstances, I wonder how something so unpleasant can also be so thrilling and beautiful at the same time. I also wonder how one can love both experiences just as equally.
Since I have already student-taught in multiple classrooms and loved (nearly) every second, I thought that interning at a publishing company would help me decide what path I would pursue after graduating. However, that decision has become exponentially more difficult now that I see how much I would enjoy living in the Big Apple permanently.
Stay tuned to see where my internship at Beaufort Books/Spencer Hill Press takes me over the next few months!
Until next time,
Beauld Dahl
This is a shared blog post for Beaufort Books and Spencer Hill Press.