Next up in our intern spotlight series is Henry, who is technically an extern in the marketing department. This means he’s pretty much an intern, without the NYU affiliation. In Henry’s case, no-NYU-affiliation means he’s a part-time summer transplant, and a newbie to the commuter crowd. Below, he tells us about his role at the Press and his favorite NYC moments so far.
- Name and role at the Press: Henry Willshire, Marketing Extern
- Major/minor/year in school: Undecided/Creative Writing, Ursinus College, Class of 2016
- Hobbies?: Reading (fiction), writing (fiction), fencing (Epee), running (occasionally).
- Why did you decide to extern with NYU Press?: My dad works in academic publishing, so when I decided I wanted to do an internship this summer I looked in that industry. It was appealing because it offered me a chance to go and work in the city. Not to mention, I get to be around books all day—particularly ones that are on interesting, specific topics that I’d like to learn more about.
- What are you most excited about doing/learning during your summer with NYU Press?: Since I’m working in marketing, I’m most excited about learning the details of how publishers make their titles available and, well, how they market books. I know a little about how the author writes a book and gets it into the hands of an editor, who eventually passes it onto the publisher, but I want to learn more about how it goes from publisher to bookstore.
- Subject area NYU Press publishes in that most interests you: I really like the Criminology and Psychology areas. I like reading both fictional and nonfictional detective stories, and try to figure out why people think and feel the way they do. Certain books in the History section appeal to me too, because there are all sorts of cool little histories that people keep discovering and rediscovering.
- Any Spring/Fall 2012 books you’re looking forward to getting your hands on? (NYU Press titles and otherwise): The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson. From NYU’s catalog: Why Jury Duty Matters by Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, and Astrology and Cosmology in the World’s Religions by Nicholas Campion.
- Favorite thing about NYC (or, favorite New York moment): In general, the fact that when you walk down a major street, you will see an example of nearly every type of person imaginable is pretty amazing. It sounds corny, but it really does go to show the fact that New York is the world’s melting pot. A specific New York moment was visiting Chinatown with some friends for Chinese New Year, and, due to a misunderstanding about the operating instructions, shooting an elderly woman with a confetti gun. (Apparently it’s pull, then twist. Who knew?)
- Is this your first summer in the city? If yes, what are you looking forward to the most (events, activities, whatever)?: It’s my first summer coming in to New York every day. I’m looking forward to just being in the city, because of all the opportunities it presents. So far, I’ve gone to a cool burger place on its last day before closing, seen a guy loudly proclaim that “the end is in fact nigh!” and realized that there is literally a comic book shop next door to the office.
- Favorite summer vacation: Going to Greece with my grandparents, and seeing Athens and all the ancient historical sites. It’s pretty cool to stand on the same stones that the original creators of democracy once stood on, with several thousand years of history setting you apart. And the beaches. Those are nice too…
