Each semester, Indiana Review is lucky to have three undergraduate interns help us with nearly every step of putting together an issue of the journal. From corresponding with contributors and subscribers, doing research, fixing web and technology problems we didn’t even know existed, and being all-around good sports–we simply couldn’t do this without them!

We want to say thank-you by introducing you to the team of interns who’ve helped make our Winter 2015 issue and publicize and process our prizes, starting with the wonderful people who served as Fall 2015 interns: Sarah Chaplin, Sarah Loughran, and Dimana Tzvetkova.

Web & Publicity intern Sarah Chaplin lives and writes in Bloomington, Indiana. She is a junior at IU studying English, Communication and Culture, and Studio Art.

What got you interested in the internship with IR?

I was actually introduced to IR when I took a literary editing and publishing course. My instructor at the time was the IR poetry editor, and we’d often read pieces from the journal for class. I really loved the aesthetic of the publication and the types of poetry and short fiction they so published, so I jumped at the chance to intern with them.

What’s been the best part about interning with Indiana Review?

The best part has probably been the opportunity to design for IR’s website. IR’s cover art is absolutely stunning. It’s a designer’s dream. I also love how there are always snacks in the office. Cookies, doughnuts, stray butterfingers.

Fiction or Poetry are in a burning building—and for some reason we don’t really understand you can only save one. Which do you save? And why.

Poetry. I’m a sucker for condensed language.

You can spill one secret about IR—what is it?

The office is home to the longest and most beautifully-crafted paper chain I have ever seen. And no one knows where it came from.

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Contract & Subscriptions intern Sarah Loughran is a junior from Minneapolis MN, who appreciates the ever-so-slightly warmer winters here immensely. She majors in English with a focus in Creative Writing, and minors in marketing. Outside of classes and IR, her main involvement around campus is in Bloomington’s music community, and she enjoys playing local gigs whenever the opportunity arises.

What got you interested in the internship with IR?

I had been pondering over a way to integrate my English and marketing studies into a job I will love someday. I ended up trying out an editing and publishing course here at IU, and became fascinated by the publishing world. When I heard about IR, it was just too perfect not to apply for!
What’s been the best part about interning with Indiana Review?

I enjoy the work I get to do as the Contracts and Subscriptions intern, but my favorite part about being part of the IR team is all the cool behind-the-scenes development stages that the editors let me get a peek at! Some highlights include: Sitting in during deliberation meetings where stories are chosen and getting to awe over all the amazing work that enters the doors of IR!
Fiction or Poetry are in a burning building—and for some reason we don’t really understand you can only save one. Which do you save? And why.

Oh no. This is like when people ask me who my favorite musical artist is and I wonder if they’ll notice if I bolt away in a panicked frenzy. I would save fiction though. Fiction is what I mostly read and write and will always have a special place in my heart. Specifically, I love the movement involved in a fiction piece, the way paragraphs are puzzle pieces and lyrical sentences can splash color onto them until you weave your way to a completed image at the end. (I’m sorry, Poetry; I’m guessing Sarah C will come to your rescue, don’t burn up too fast!)

You can spill one secret about IR—what is it?

Even though most of IR is managed by well-developed and complex computer systems, I would say significant contributors to success are the plethora of colorful office post it notes. (And Taylor Swift Pandora.)

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Dimana Tzvetkova is graduating May 2016 with a degree in mathematics and English with a concentration in creative writing along with a certificate in Journalism. During her time at IU, she’s worked for the Indiana Daily Student, the Boys and Girls Club, and the School of Informatics and Computing. In addition to IR, she’s interned at Victorian Studies and Slavica Publishers. In her free time she writes, reads, and dabbles in graphic design. She’s hoping to  continue working in editing and publishing when she graduates.

What got you interested in the internship with IR?

I had read through a few issues of IR and studied it as part of an editing and publishing class I took my freshman year. I was already interested in IR as a publication and loved many of the works it published. When I was applying to the internship, I also became interested in the unique experience it offered. I was interested in getting hands-on experience with the process leading up to publication. It was a combination of my interest in IR and the experience it offered that inspired me to apply.

What’s been the best part about interning with Indiana Review?

Getting to read a lot of interesting fiction/poetry/nonfiction pieces that are being considered for the Ghost issue (38.1). The editors and MFA students meet to discuss the pieces under consideration, and I found it very interesting to listen to (and be a part of) that discussion.

Fiction or Poetry are in a burning building—and for some reason we don’t really understand you can only save one. Which do you save? And why.

Fiction. I definitely appreciate poetry, but if it came down to it, I wouldn’t give up fiction for poetry. I love that with fiction you can transport yourself somewhere else and live someone else’s life for a few hours. It’s one of the reasons why I love reading and being an English major, and it’s one of the reasons why I decided to go into publishing. I don’t get that same feeling with poetry, so I wouldn’t save it over fiction.

You can spill one secret about IR—what is it?

I don’t know if this is necessarily a secret, but we have a room of just couches and comfy chairs. This is where we read work for the next issue of IR and also make coffee/tea. It’s secluded, quiet, and comfortable, and I love it.