#fwtinnyc

[emily-fwt-2013]

FWT: An Overview

    For Field Work Term 2013-14, I had the utmost privilege of working at Ugly Duckling Presse in Gowanus, Brooklyn, right across the street from the most magical Whole Foods that side of the BQE had ever experienced. And it might have been one of the best choices I could have ever made.

    In October, 2013, I had landed an internship in lower Manhattan at Roof/Segue Books, where I would be editing poetry manuscripts and books so that they could be converted into e-books. However, two days before the deadline at the FWT office, my internship there fell through, and I had to quickly find another one. Luckily I was able to secure a spot at UDP -- an oddity, because they, although having heard of Bennington before, had never had the opportunity to have someone there for FWT. Normally, they later told me, they took interns for their spring semester, from mid-February (right around the time I was due to leave), until May. But they took a chance on me, even though I was only going to be there for seven weeks, and I'm so glad that they did. And I think that they were, too. I like to work hard and don't stop until something is finished, and I think they picked up on that deep-set work ethic in just.

    At first, it was awkward, though I always am. What I know to do in a strange environment is work, and so I did. I didn't really talk to anyone and when I did it was shyly and with as few words as possible -- monosyllabic answers and curt head-nods, basically. But I worked, because that's what I'm good at; that's what I've always been good at, and that's what I will continue to do, more than likely, in the future. In high school I taught myself to work diligently, and use it in just about everything I do; that's my way, and I'm comfortable with it. Even now, I only opened up completely to my co-workers at UDP a mere two weeks or so before I had to leave, which was a pity. And I really only starting joking around the last week. That, in future internships, is something that I need to definitely need to work on: the same work ethic, but not as stiff of shoulders and without a chip on them.

    As time wore on at UDP, I began to get more comfortable with the routine. Get up for the 8:12 train to Atlantic Terminal. Take the R train (and wait about ten minutes every time) two stops, get off at 4th Ave. and 9th Street, then walk six blocks down to Third Street. Hang a left at the Staples, walk right past the Old American Can Factory and instead hang out in Whole Foods. Go to work at 10AM. Check the e-mail, make myself a cup of tea. Update the website. Package orders. Eat lunch. Mull around and find things to do. Check the e-mail again. Pack more books. Go home, take the F thirteen stops to 34th Street, then meet my dad at Penn Station for the 6:21 train. Sometimes the 5:53, if he was running late.

    It all sounds rather mundane, but I couldn't wait to get there. It was the books.

    The commute would always be god awful, no matter whether the train were delayed or right on time. It was crowded, on Saturdays it was noisy, and very uncomfortable to sleep in (though I did, anyway). Subways were loud, too. And cold. Everything, even the Presse, was cold. But being around the books always put me in a better mood: it was why I loved packaging the books so much. I just love the feel of them, dancing around the bookshelves and pulling out book after book, seeing which people ordered and then snaking a few for myself because they always let me, whether old or brand-spanking new. I don't even like poetry that much, and I took home more books than I can honestly account for. I don't know why. I just loved the books. And that was the first hint that this internship -- this choice of field overall -- was exactly what I needed. Although, I got that from Ben Anastas' "Read This Book" first term, too. But either way.

    This, however, is supposed to be an overall summation of my time at UDP and why I felt it has changed my viewpoint of my choice of Plan at Bennington, why I think I'm on the right path, yadda yadda, etc etc. And the truth is is that Ugly Duckling Presse was such a cultured, lively environment -- even when the Rolling Stones were the only thing making noise in the studio, other than the clacking of keyboard keys -- and that everyone was as welcoming as the building was not. While the building was cold, the people were warm. They were understanding of late trains (of which I ran into my fair share), understood and shared the importance of long lunches (because I can never, not for a second, have a meal last any shorter than twenty minutes), always offered coffee (of which I don't drink, but the thought was nice). They asked my opinion and cared. They would always start with, "If you're not too busy" or "When you get a chance, can you...?" when asking me to do something. They weren't demanding. They didn't take advantage of my having to be there and, after a while, it was a want to be there. A want to be around these fabulous people.

    I've always believed that literature can bring people together, especially since anyone can read the same thing and imagine if differently, picture a character with brown hair when it says blonde, use their imagination while that lacks in movies and music. I've always thought of myself eventually being able to find the next gem, so to speak, in the literary world, the next JK Rowling or CS Lewis or JRR Tolkein or Jane Austen or F Scott Fitzgerald or someone similar. I wanted to find that next person. I always feel like literature has powers that most things cannot. Which was why I loved UDP so much: they cared about the literature, and they made me care, too. We bound books by hand for three weeks (and, after a while, I became the best in the bunch and pounded those things out like nothing); we spent an entire Saturday assembling a magazine, #29 of 6x6; I would revise press releases again and again until they showed only the best quality about each book.

    I could keep rambling on about how much I adored Ugly Duckling Presse, about how excited I am that I got the chance to work there, how happy I am that everyone there is genuinely going to miss me, how thrilled I am that I have a chance to go back and volunteer over the summer. But this is about work. And, work-wise, what I learned about Ugly Duckling Presse, in relation to how I feel about my future in this field, is if the people are going to be this nice and understanding, that they're going to be so passionate about their work and have it rub off on everyone around them, that they still know a good time, that they will trek there in the snow and cold because they have books to get out, then I can't wait until I can officially become a part of that work, too. Because they made me a Duckling, and I'm proud to be just as obsessed with literature and the written word as they all are.

[emily-fwt-2013]

Week Seven: Getting Down to the End

    So on Monday, it was an interview with UDP author Rob Fitterman, which was the dream of a lifetime. The only problem I realized, though, was that I completely handled it the wrong way, phone-wise -- having never done an interview before, I thought that I would be able to balance my phone in between the crook of my neck and my ear, and still be able to type down everything he said. It was only after I hung up -- having missed nearly half of what he said and failing to remember most of what I hadn't written down -- that I realized that I should have just put my headphones in and put my phone on speaker, leaving my head straight and my hands completely free, and without the constant worry of my new phone falling over and crashing onto the floor in smithereens.

    But that brought me to Wednesday, when he e-mailed me back the scraps of an interview that I had sent to him that Monday. He said that I missed a lot of key points, which was true, and that he combined some things while adding in other things and I, for one, was just grateful for it -- although, some of the things he typed I know he didn't say, but I wasn't about to protest his beautiful revisions because it made the interview sound so much better. Either way, the rest of the day I had my co-workers who had read the interview already tell me how good it was -- they couldn't even tell that it was my first! -- and the others promising to read it soon because everyone else made it sound just so damn good. And that, in an essence, made me feel good.

    In fact, everything about UDP made me feel good, but none more than the people I worked for (and with). Because, on my last day (Friday), my boss did so much for me that I'm surprised that I didn't break down and cry (though I'm fairly sure that I almost did). Because not only did he buy my lunch like he had promised -- in fact, it was one of the first things he had brought up once we both got in that morning; I just ventured to Whole Foods across the street and experimented gleefully -- but he also had me pick out a pie and back up pie, and then set out to buy said pie right in the middle of the day, before the Valentine's Day hub waddled through. And, not having a full pie of the one I asked for, he got slices instead, and specifically chose sliced out for everyone to have. And surprising me more, he and the other editors and apprentices also put together a gift for me, including a first edition of a book, Poker, a signed and limited edition copy of Apples and Oranges, a limited edition poem print that they had hanging up in our Third Factory Pop-Up shop, and a hand-written note signed by all the editors and apprentices whom I had had the utmost pleasure working with that FWT. And, to top it all off, he also had me put my name and address into their database, that way I could be sent the remaining seven copies of 6x6, UDP's magazine. TO say the least, I held that giant envelope tightly the entire train and subway ride home; there was no way I was parting with it.

    And that was when it solidified for me that this was obviously the best place I could have ever had my first internship, given any choice. Because the people at UDP were so appreciative of everything that I did for them and, likewise, that they did for me. And they didn't care so much about dress codes or not eating at the work station or other things that more uppity places may have been concerned with. For them, it was the people and the books and the poetry and just the ambiance of all being together and being a literary family, working to get books published in the best way possible. And I realized that that may just be the reason that I'm so keen on literature, and why I want to go into that field so badly upon graduation: that the people working in that field are so passionate about the things they do and the things they publish and the things they read and I want to be like that, too. I want to be in a place where hard work, even only seven weeks of it, is appreciated so highly and taken so well and where I get a "Thank you so much, Emily, for everything," every time I say goodbye for the day. I want to work in an atmosphere where the people care so much about their work that they will work at both a publishing house and teach college classes on their off days, where they'll spend the entire day on a press release because their book is going out soon. Dedication, commitment, passion. Those are the things I always cherished in school, and those are the things I found at UDP. This last week -- this last day -- proved everything that I had learned over FWT: that every day may not be the best adventure, but each milestone is.

[emily-fwt-2013]

Week Six and a Half: Interview Galore!

    Posting in the middle of the week?! And while at work?! What's the meaning of such atrocities?! 

    On Monday, February 10, I had the utmost privilege of being able to interview Robert Fitterman, an author at UDP. At the beginning of my internship the prospect of interviewing an author was presented to me and it took me nearly the whole time to not only find an author that peaked my interest, but to also read all their works (blessedly, Rob Fitterman only had two books at UDP, so I wasn't bogged down with poem after poem after poem), formulate questions, meet them and/or get in contact with them, and then finally ask them the questions I so carefully (maybe?) wrote out after reading his books. 

    I was able to meet Rob at his book launch -- happily enough, for his No, Wait. Yep. Definitely Still Hate Myself., which I was interviewing him for. We set up a time for me to call him, and I did, and I subsequently learned that interviewing someone over the phone and typing at the same time is ridiculously hard, especially when trying to keep your small iPhone crooked in between your cheek and shoulder and trying not to let it fall as you type away furiously because the man you're interviewing is talking really quickly and you hate shorthand writing. I managed to get at least half of it, though, and sent what I had to him, who had proposed that he look over it, fix my mistakes (because he assumed that I was going to make them, which was correct), and then send it back. The interview itself was a test-run of sorts for UDP, who had never had an intern interview an author before, but they wanted to try it out and see if it was a success. I like to think it was (if future interns find someone as willing and patient as Rob Fitterman, because the man was as nice as anything, and actually called me first because I had the wrong number).

    Either way, UDP had me put the interview up on their Tumblr page, which can be viewed here.

    I'll be sure to continue updating at the end of the week. It is the last week, after all. This is the important one!

[emily-fwt-2013]

Week Five: The Interns are Coming!

    Recently, UDP has been trying to brainstorm more ways to make their Tumblr shine and to get more acknowledgment on all aspects of social media. That being said, I mentioned that I had been using Tumblr for years, and even had to write a blog reaction every single week about my time at UDP. They were amazed that I was able to find so many things to write, to reflect on. And I guess that I can because I write what I think -- I don't particularly have a filter between private and public thoughts most of the time. UDP is an amazing experience, and I want to share that with the FWT office and Bennington College in general. After all, I'm the first ever intern that Ugly Duckling Presse has taken on at this time of the year -- normally the interns start early to mid-February and work until their end of term, around the beginning of May. So, not only was I a guinea pig in timing, but I also found out that I was the youngest intern that they ever took on. (Either way, they have made it very clear that they will be sad to see me go come Valentine's Day.)

    But, that being said, there are going to be five new interns parading their way into the studio next week, all of whom I've met because I was awkwardly sitting there during their interviews, and one whom I've already worked with twice already, because he started while I was working on Friday and he came in yesterday for Saturday's Presse Day. But, even with all this fresh meat (so to speak), Brett has made it clear that I get first priority of work, since, not only am I leaving soon, but I have seniority. I'm also the only one who will be working the triple book launch at the Pierogi Gallery on Tuesday, February 4, and I'm both honored and excited for that. Never have I ever been to a book launching, though hopefully it won't be my last, and, not only will we be selling the newly published books, but each author will also be there to read excerpts from their own work. That in itself is fantastic, because the man I plan to interview -- another UDP test run which I'm happy to be the trail for -- is going to be presenting his book, and it'll give me a better chance to talk to and get to know him.

    But being at a publishing house, albeit a small one, has definitely solidified my wanting to be in a similar setting permanently. My horrible commute almost always puts me in a bad mood, but as soon as I sit down with my cup of tea and just focus on books, the Presse, and more books, I feel at ease. I feel like I'm home, like I'm where I'm supposed to be. I'm even getting better at binding chapbooks by hand (the last of which we finally finished yesterday). As I was saying to my friend last week, who has an even more horrid and longer commute than I do, that we found the most perfect FWTs we ever could, they're just so far away that it's deterring.

    This past week, though, was nothing special, save for the absolutely huge shipment of Aaram Saroyan's Complete Minimal Poems: Second Edition, which has been impatiently awaited since a few weeks into my internship. We received two twenty-five box crates to the studio, one of which we needed to send to another dealer because we had screwed up the shipment address. Even still, we had to climb over a lot of boxes for about two days to get from one side of the Presse to the other. Also, in addition to new books, our Third Factory pop-up shop (located in the building right next to our main headquarters) is receiving attention on a large scale, and will even be featured in the New York Times either this week or the next (I can't exactly remember which). It makes me excited that I was there from the beginning, helping them set up shop, and now it's going to be featured in New York's top newspaper.

    You can bet that clipping is going on my fridge.

[emily-fwt-2013]

Week Four: The Cold Never Bothered me, Anyway

    This massive (second) cold front has taught me a valuable lesson in not just interning, but working in general: I hate commuting. I hate public transportation. And I hate 6AM starving cardio while desperately waiting for your mother to get out of the shower.

    It may seem a tad cliche, to say that I hate my hour and a half commute to and from work every single time I go in, and that standing outside in the freezing cold, barely able to feel your fingers or toes when you know that only ten minutes ago you were waiting in a comfy, warm car, is the absolute worst thing I have ever experienced in my eighteen and a half years. Hearing that trains are delayed while you're standing outside is horrible. Missing two of your trains because your ride home is running late is awful. Being stuck for ten minutes on a cold subway station when you couldn't sleep on the train in because some guy sitting across from you was snoring as loudly as a lawnmower in full swing is disgusting (and cold). Mainly, the only downside I have seen to my internship at Ugly Duckling Presse is the terrible schedule I have to keep in order to get in my seven hour shift. (When I have something to do) the day isn't that bad, once I get there. When I'm sitting down with my cup of tea, checking the intern e-mail and finding out all the things that need to be sent out or updated for the day, then it's fine. I even figured out how to work the heater all by myself, which I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know until this past Thursday. But, so far, FWT has taught me to mind the cold. Mind the cold a lot. And that next term, I want to try for an internship in Florida.

    But aside from the ghastly weather, UDP has to be one of the best places that I could have interned at this year. It's a great place to be because everyone respects me, my judgment, and my commitment to literature overall. In fact, both my bosses -- Brett and Matvei -- had suggested that I read a myriad UDP books and find an author that I really like so that I could interview them, and on Friday I finally figured out that I would love to interview Robert Fitterman, UDP author of No, Wait. Yep. Definitely Still Hate Myself. and co-author of Notes on Conceptualisms, along with Vanessa Place. On Monday, once I finish reading both, I'm going to talk to one of my co-workers, Dan, and he's going to help me get in contact with Mr. Fitterman and set up the interview. And I'm (nearly) too excited for words. 

    And still, again, the number one thing that I cannot stand at UDP (besides it being in a warehouse and, thus, no heating when you need to use the bathroom), is their lack of communication skills. Because of Wednesday's snow storm I switched my working days to Thursday, that way I wouldn't be behind on my hours. My normal shift starts at 10AM, and I did, and was by myself until 4:30PM. No one had contacted me, no one told me they were or were not going to be there and, scary as it was, a whole twenty-five box shipment of our newest book came in that same morning, which I had to sign for (and then promptly e-mail my bosses to make sure I hadn't made some huge mistake). Luckily, I did everything correctly, and even finished that day's work with ten minutes left to leave a smidge early.

    Overall, though, this week has been one of the better ones. Brett has been interviewing countless new interns and keeps using me as a reference point, which is refreshing and lets me know that I'm doing a good job. We also received our second shipment of new books on Thursday -- Josef Kapman's All Nightmare -- and are expecting our third shipment next Wednesday. Yesterday Dan and I spent a majority of the afternoon and early evening hand-binding the rest of Lyric Hunter's Swallower, and we managed nearly 150 before having to pack up for the night. But, most excitingly of all, with all these new books coming in, UDP is having a release party at the Piergoi Gallery in Williamstown on February 4, and Brett specifically asked if I would be able to come, since I'm currently the only intern there. So, not only do I get to sign for the books, but I get to celebrate their forthcoming, too.

    It's like I'm actually part of this literary team, or something.

[emily-fwt-2013]

Week Three: Getting the Hang of it All

    It may seem cliche, to say that I'm finally getting the hang of the going's on at Ugly Duckling Presse, but it's hastily becoming true. I even have a routine: come into Brooklyn at 9:30, mosey around Whole Foods next door for a half hour, go to work, start water for my tea, go to the bathroom, make a cup of tea, check the intern e-mail. Then I do whatever else happens to come my way that day, which I can never pinpoint beforehand because no one there knows exactly what's going to happen, either. (Their communication skills are still the worst I've ever seen, but they respond to e-mails just as quickly as any one of my professors, so they at least always have a phone on them.)

    This past week was like any other. Monday I kind of did whatever: went through the intern e-mail, updated the website and the FaceBook and the Twitter, packaged book bundles to be mailed both nationally and internationally. I've even learned how to make postage in every sense of the word (and have gotten quite good at it). Typically, those are Mondays. And Wednesday I was supposed to meet with Katherine, one of UDP's editors, in order to learn the ins and outs of the 6x6 process, which is an annual book UDP makes that sponsors six poets who each write six poems. But she never got the e-mail, so next Wednesday (this upcoming one) it will be. Instead, Dan -- another editor -- taught me how to make and edit press releases for four upcoming 2014 books that we will be getting in next week sometime, and also how to update the database and how to make new pages for authors and their upcoming novels. Friday was an entire day of packaging and shipping, hauling heavy boxes over my head and running back and forth to the bookshelves to find extra copies of "Animals V. Furniture" and "A Hundred Thousand Hours." (Needless to say, I devoured and entire pint of Arctic Zero ice cream when I got home because my neck was so stiff that I could barely move it.)

    Saturday, however, was the most interesting bit. Our landlord, Nathan, allowed UDP to use studio space in the vacant building next door for a little production shop/bookstore, so, along with selling one whole book hot off the press, I also learned how to bind chapbooks. For an hour I stuffed the pages into the folded covers, then I pierced them in three places so that, even later on, I could sew them shut by hand. It's still appalling to me that we hand-bound every single book (and that nearly seven people showed up to help). We didn't finish but, out of 500 that needed to get done, we completely finished roughly about 200 of them, and all others were both folded and stuffed but still in need of piercing. All of that will be done by next Saturday, and then the book -- Swallower by Lyric Hunter -- will go on sale mid-February, right around when FWT ends. Hopefully I'll be able to sneak a copy out before then, because they always advocate taking as many books as I can.

    Working here has definitely opened my eyes to more of the actual business side of literature, and the more crafty side as well. I had spent ages of my tween and early teen years writing stories and posting them online, but nothing compares to sitting with people that are just as passionate about literature as you, and are willing to give up their Saturday to hand-bind a book that they're not even going to buy. It's thrilling. And soon, as soon as the books come in, Ill be able to proof them and check for grammar and consistency mistakes, and Dan said that he would even show me how to use the actual press, so that I can physically print out book covers and the like. The one thing I need to get better at, though, is being more loose when I work: I'm such a rigid worker, especially when around people that I barely know. This business requires a lot of interaction, and I need to be ready to handle that. Good thing I still have a month to get better at it.

[readworkplay-blog]

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