Meadowlark Welcomes Kaylan McCann, Summer Intern!

We are thrilled to welcome Kaylan McCann as our summer intern! Here's a little bit about her!

Kaylan McCann

Kaylan McCann graduated from Frostburg State University with a bachelor's in English and minors in Spanish and creative writing. She writes poetry and fiction. Her hobbies include reading, writing, drawing, crocheting, and playing video games. She has an orange cat named Link who is as adventurous as his namesake, and trying every AriZona iced tea flavor is on her bucket list. She's previously edited for FSU's Bittersweet and #Sustain, and has pieces in both.

Welcome Summer Interns, Mari Palma and Natalie Wolf!

Meadowlark is excited to share this summer with two wonderful interns, Mari Palma and Natalie Wolf! Please join us in welcoming them!

Hello, my name is Mari, and I am currently a sophomore at Emporia State University.

As a student double-majoring in Marketing and Professional and Technical Writing, I have a passion for literature and the behind-the-scenes processes that go into promoting a business. For this reason, I am drawn to the marketing internship here at Meadowlark Press!

In my free time, I enjoy reading, crafting, nature walks, and hanging out with my cat, Cookie.

Hi! My name is Natalie, and I'm an MFA student in creative writing at the University of Kansas. My emphasis is on fiction writing, but I also write poetry and nonfiction. In my free time, I enjoy reading, writing, crafting, and spending time with my friends, family, and cats.

I'm interested in pursuing a career in editorial work after I graduate, and I'm excited to build my editing skills at Meadowlark this summer. I'm also thrilled to work with all of the lovely Meadowlark staff and authors!

Welcome to our 2022 Interns from Emporia State University

 Meadowlark Press has had the pleasure or working with several interns from our hometown university, Emporia State University. We have two to introduce to you this semester.

Kelly Sullivan is in her fourth year at Emporia State University. She is studying English with a minor in creative writing. She aims to work in editing and publishing. While she is still in school, she is president of Quivira, the creative writing club on campus, as well a member of the German club. She enjoys reading fantasy and historical fiction, as well as poetry. She also enjoys writing flash fiction and poetry.

Roan McAnerney is a “super” senior at ESU majoring in English with a minor in Creative Writing. He has poetry published in the student-run journal Quivira and has helped publish multiple issues of The Flint Hills Review. He is pursuing a career in the publishing field, and maybe even will publish a few works of his own. He hopes to learn a bit about everything involved with publishing.

Welcome to our Fall 2020 Intern from Emporia State University

 Though things are a little less hands-on than is usual for our interns, we are happy to welcome Madison Snavely to Meadowlark for the fall semester.

Madison Snavely is a third-year undergraduate student at Emporia State University. She is on track to obtain her English degree with a minor in creative writing in May 2021. She is working on a novel in the fantasy genre which she enjoys exploring. She is passionate about world-building as a fiction element. By interning with Meadowlark, she hopes to gain experience in the publishing industry and to gain knowledge about the process of publishing work.

 

Meet Meadowlark Intern, Hannah Tharp

Meadowlark is fortunate to get to work with students from Emporia State University. We are pleased to introduce our spring 2020 intern, 

Hannah Tharp.

Hannah is a senior at Emporia State University majoring in English with a minor in Creative Writing. She is a current member of Alpha Sigma Alpha, a sorority at Emporia State University. In the past, Hannah has worked for The Flint Hill Review as a student editor. She is interested in having a career in the publishing and editing field as a fiction editor. Through her internship at Meadowlark Books, she hopes to gain experience and learn about the business of publishing from the ground up. 

Spring 2019 Intern

Welcome to Meadowlark, Mackenzie! 

Mackenzie Thornton, junior English major

We are pleased to introduce our Spring 2019 intern, Mackenzie Thornton. She is currently a junior at Emporia State University, where she is majoring in English. Mackenzie is a student-athlete at ESU, where she plays softball. In her past, Mackenzie has worked with the university newspaper, The Bulletin, as a news and sports journalist. Mackenzie is interested in a career in contractual law and editorial work, and through her internship with Meadowlark, she hopes to gain insight to the business aspects of publishing and editing. 

An Interview with Marcia Lawrence, owner of Ellen Plumb's City Bookstore

To celebrate Independent Bookstore Day, Meadowlark intern, Jessica Jackson, took a moment with Marcia Lawrence of Ellen Plumb’s City Bookstore in Emporia.

JJ: What made you want to open Ellen Plumb's? What was your inspiration?

ML: I moved back to Emporia after an absence of nearly 40 years (I attended ESU in the 1970s). After a couple years, I was committed to staying and bought a house. I'd barely signed the papers on a mortgage when the announcement came that Town Crier (our former bookstore) was closing. Well, I can't live in a town without a bookstore! A group of community people met at my house for months, trying to find a way to bring a bookstore back to Emporia. Finally, I called a halt to the meetings, as business decisions like this cannot be made by committee. I'd been working closely with the Small Business Development Center at ESU on a business plan and financial projections--and this is not my first small business--so I truly understood the risks involved. After some deep reflection, I quit my job, invested all my personal savings, and opened Ellen Plumb's City Bookstore.

JJ: What makes Ellen Plumb's special?

ML: Ellen Plumb's City Bookstore is, by design and intent, a safe and comfortable place for book lovers of all kinds. The bookshop vision is to be community-oriented, to give back to the people of our town in promoting literacy and love of books. Of course, the other thing that sets Ellen Plumb's apart from most other indie bookstores is our Espresso Book Machine. We are thrilled that our machine has arrived in Emporia and is currently being refurbished by book-loving VekTek engineers. They will install the Espresso Book Machine at Ellen Plumb's in the coming weeks.

JJ: Ellen Plumb's has become a pivotal part of Emporia's community, not just the literary

Marcia Lawrence,
Ellen Plumb's City Bookstore
1122 Commercial St.
Emporia, Kansas

community, how do you feel about that?

ML: That's a very nice thing to hear! I grew up in a small Kansas town, and it took everybody to keep the community vital and thriving. That responsibility to cooperate, collaborate, and help the entire community thrive is practically part of my DNA.

JJ: Where do you see Ellen Plumb's in the future? Any plans?

ML: There's never a scarcity of dreams and plans for the bookshop! We are committed, this year, to growing and expanding genre selections, and hope to add about 25 percent more titles. We'll be adding to and refining some regular events. Naturally, there's a big push to roll out the first phase of the Espresso Book Machine program, with lots more to come in future years.

JJ: What about you?  What kind of books do you like to read? What is your reading life?

ML: These days, I spend many evenings reading ARCs (Advance Reading Copies). I work with our industry trade associations (American Booksellers Association, Midwest Independent Bookstore Association, IndieBound) to assess, critique, and promote new books--many by first-time authors. I always try to read the books written by authors who do book events at Ellen Plumb's. That's about once a week, so that's a lot of books in and of itself! Because of the imminent arrival of the Espresso Book Machine, I am revisiting some old favorites and a number of newer titles in the self-publishing, writing, and marketing/promotion genres. I particularly enjoy biography, history, and historical fiction. 

Meadowlark Author, Mike Graves, at Ellen Plumb's City Bookstore.

Meadowlark Author, Cheryl Unruh, at Ellen Plumb's City Bookstore.