My actuarial dad and scientist mom knew they had a budding writer on their hands when, at two-and-a-half years old and tottering from the weight of my jumbo-sized, sixty-page Lion King book, I came into their room in the middle of the night. I climbed into bed with them, sitting down to reverse the role of parent and child. I wanted to read them a bedtime story.
I opened the cover and broke in immediately, speaking with fluency, flipping through page after page. My parents were amazed—could I already read? As it turned out, I had done something almost as incredible in my opinion—I had memorized every single page in that sixty-page book. Now an adult who is completely incapable of memorizing so much as a street address, I’m baffled at my toddler-self’s skills. I knew when to turn the pages, when to pause between sentences and, most importantly, when to use different character voices. Every time I messed up, I’d start the whole book over. It took a little under three hours for me to “read” my parents The Lion King that night. Obviously, they loved every minute of it.
A lot of kids don’t really know their direction in life before age three, but I’d wager that I knew pretty early on what I was going to do with my life. Although what type of writer I want to be has changed as I’ve grown, I’ve always been self-assured and deeply passionate, and expressed my thoughts through whatever type of writing complemented them best. A lover of epic fantasy novels and environmental journalism alike, I’ve invested a large portion of my life with my nose in pages of words. Now a student at Tufts University, I study both English and architecture, allowing me to explore my interests in both the power of the written word as well as the geography and sustainability of our world.
My interests are boundless, but if I had to describe them in one word, it would be construction. The construction of sentences and eco-buildings alike fascinate me. When I’m not bent over the pages of a book, I’m bent over design plans or standing with my neck craned up, ready to spot unsteady timber in the frame of an in-progress roof. I love how construction of all kinds informs the way each of us perceives life and ourselves. Construction is organic and fluid, forever changing as buildings and words are re-contextualized and adapted to our malleable world.
Interning at PSG has allowed me to construct many things. I’ve written articles for the PSG blog, learned to organize data efficiently, built relationships with co-workers and developed a sense of myself as a team member in the publishing industry. Working in educational publishing has allowed me to extend my love for knowledge and writing alike into one cohesive field. Looking forward as a prospective environmental journalist, I recognize that this form of journalism is in a lot of ways a type of educational writing. What I’ve learned through my time in the educational publishing industry will be indispensable, and I’m more sure than ever now that I will devote my life to writing—myself learning as I teach others about the people and places of our world.
Little-Known Facts about Mallory
Besides the written word, Mallory loves nothing more than music of all kinds. Her favorites cover everything from Led Zeppelin to Jewel to Billy Joel to traditional Irish folk music. At the same time, one of her favorite things to do is go to the symphony. If Mallory could have any job in the world—other than a writer, of course—she would be a conductor. Although a skilled pianist and music teacher, Mallory learns best playing music by ear—she would find great difficulty in sight-reading entire orchestral scores! Still, she hopes to one day establish herself as a music teacher once she’s gotten some of the adventure out of her system and has settled down.
