Niamh Carty and Emma Johnson, Spring 2023 interns
This spring, Niamh Carty and Emma Johnson spent their Monday and Wednesday afternoons at the New England Review office. They organized the NER Out Loud S’more Readings event, got their creative juices flowing by designing marketing materials for the forthcoming NER tote bag, and relished reading paper submissions. Here they interview each other for our “Meet the Interns” series.
Let’s start with the basics: What’s your major? Where are you from? What else do you get up to on campus?
Emma Johnson: I’m double majoring in English and Film & Media Cultures! I grew up in Cooperstown, New York, but have spent the past ten years living in Lake Bluff, Illinois. On campus, I co-host a radio show, Carbonated Milk, and work as a writing tutor for the CTLR. I’m also a frequent ceramics club attendee.
Niamh Carty: I double major in Art History and English/Creative writing, and I’m from Rye, New York. Outside of class, I am a captain of the ultimate frisbee team and work at the campus museum. I also used to make the vegan ice cream in Proc! A labor of love.
How’d you first get involved with NER?
NC: This, my final semester at Middlebury, is actually the first time I’ve been involved with NER! I always knew about it and would peruse the copies in the lobby of Davis, but I didn’t really think about how I could get involved until last year or so. I’ve also been a part of the reading group this semester, and that has been a super fun way to see another side of the publishing process.
EJ: A few years ago, at a time when I was writing a lot of poetry, I stumbled across some of Laura Kasischke’s poems from earlier issues of New England Review. They got me hooked. I then joined the submissions reading group where I have spent the past two years reading poetry and prose alongside other students and NER staff! This fall, I started as one of the editorial interns for NER working with Sarah (hi, Sarah!) and stuck around through the spring.
What’s your favorite NER piece?
NC: Wow, there are so many to choose from, but I really loved Josh Tvrdy’s poems that were published in 43.4: “My Mother Is Patient with Plums” and “My Mother Spends the Day Alone at SeaWorld.” Both poems were read at this year’s NER Out Loud event, so it was cool to hear the poems read outside of my own mind.
EJ: I think I also have to choose something from the NER Out Loud event. It was so special to see those pieces come alive through the Oratory Now! student performances. I absolutely loved hearing John Cotter’s monologue, “Lemon Fresh,” from NER 42.3. If you weren’t there, you missed an ecstatic performance of a truly unique piece of writing.
Since Niamh is graduating this spring and Emma is one semester out, let’s indulge in a little nostalgia! What’s one piece of advice you’d offer to younger Middlebury students?
NC: I am a major proponent of getting to know your professors! We are so lucky to go to such a small school where doing so is pretty feasible, and building relationships with my professors has been a huge part of my Middlebury experience. I also encourage people to get off campus and explore Vermont as much as you can!
EJ: I second Niamh’s advice. My go-to wisdom is to spend a summer in Middlebury if you can! Vermont summers are truly magical. Also, get involved with New England Review. I’ve encouraged a few of my friends to join the submissions reading group and we all have so much fun with it!
What’s something you wish you did more of at Middlebury?
NC: I really wish that I’d not stopped taking French after my freshman fall, and also that I’d gone to Sandy’s bookstore. I guess there’s still time for that though . . .
EJ: I wish I was better at taking advantage of all the hidden resources Middlebury has to offer, especially those for people looking to deepen their engagement with the arts and humanities. Whether it’s the ceramics studio, putting on a Nocturne project, or getting a grant for a creative J-term project, there are so many opportunities to get funding for your art if you take the initiative to apply.
With summer approaching, what’s your favorite swimming spot?
NC: My all-time favorite swimming spot is Warren Falls, but since it’s a bit of a hike to get out there, my favorite spot for a quick dip is definitely Three Mile Bridge.
EJ: Warren Falls is also a personal favorite. I highly recommend stopping at Canteen in Waitsfield if you find yourself in that neck of the woods. Unreal creemees. I think my go-to spot is also Three Mile Bridge, but for something a little more adventurous, Cathedral is a must-see if you can find it.
Any recommendations for places to eat in the area?
NC: I recently had the best eggs I’ve ever tasted at 3 Squares in Vergennes, and that is consistently my favorite breakfast spot in the area. In terms of Middlebury, though, few things beat a Noonie’s sandwich, especially the pesto chicken.
EJ: For a fun and fancy treat, I love Vergennes Laundry. I am also a huge supporter of A&W for the novelty factor (and the root beer floats).
What’s your go-to study spot?
NC: Crossroads became my favorite place to study after I realized that I thrive in loud and busy environments. Quiet does not inspire me to work, so I don’t frequent Davis.
EJ: Opposite to Niamh, I need complete silence to work, so this semester I’ve become a Davis regular. Surprisingly, I’ve also grown to love working in my room, especially in the morning. I’ll get up, make coffee, and get back in bed to do some reading.
Best season in Middlebury?
EJ: Maybe this isn’t a fair answer, but summer in Vermont is unbeatable. The perfect setting for some summer idyll. My fair answer is those perfect weeks of late spring when all the trees are blossoming.
NC: I would have to agree with Emma that summers in Vermont are second to none, but if I had to choose something else I would say the spring. While the semester starts off on a bit of a low, once you get through the mud and rain, campus is so beautiful. The spring air always breathes new life into me!
What are you reading right now?
EJ: Right now I’ve got a few books going. I’m very slowly making my way through Devotions by Mary Oliver, and The Aleph and Other Stories by Jorge Luis Borges. I’m also flying through Maggie Smith’s genre-bending memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful. I would recommend all three for very different reasons!
NC: I am almost done with Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver! It has been a bit of a grind to get through because it’s so hard to find time to read during the school year, but it’s a really powerful book—I highly recommend it. I am also partway through Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell. I am a big fan of his writing, so this one is also high on my list!
What are you excited to read?
EJ: This summer my goal is to read Brothers Karamazov! We’ll see if that happens. Some of my other TBR’s are Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger and The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino. I’ve also been itching to read The Hobbit . . . maybe a little late to the game for that one?
NC: Never too late in the game for The Hobbit! My dad read it to me when I was in elementary school, but now you’ve got me thinking I should reread it. I’m also interested in reading more Kingsolver novels. Looking ahead to the summer, my plan is to think back on some classics that I read in high school and college and reread them! I reread The Catcher in the Rye last summer and entered the book with a totally different perspective from my ninth-grade self, so I’m interested to do the same thing with books like The Great Gatsby, Animal Farm, and Jane Eyre.
HAGS!
Niamh & Emma