We used to have a hole here at JLSA. It was big and blobby and stuff—we didn’t exactly know how to describe it, but we knew it needed to be filled. That’s when Caroline Young stepped in. She’s our new copywriter and strategist, and she knew just what to say.
We plucked her from the top of the Missouri School of Journalism’s Strategic Communication program, and now she’s here to handle all our copy needs (and some strategy work too).
Want to get to know her better? We asked her questions. And she gave us answers—some well-worded ones.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Wait, we aren’t going to start with this question, are we? Blerg, okay! . . .February of ‘95. I’m pretty sure it was a Tuesday. Seriously though—I don’t know when, but I do know I just love to do it. Short stories, one-liners, birthday cards, poems, grocery lists. You name it, I love to write it.
Clear thinking is clear writing. Do you have an approach to organizing your thoughts and all the information?
I’ve got two sides when it comes to writing—creative writer and careful editor. While one side wants to go crazy with a keyboard or pen and paper, the other wants to slow down, vary the syntax, check for accuracy, and replace some commas with em-dashes. The result? Fairly tight, clean first drafts and less time spent in later revisions.
Who are your favorite authors and journalists?
Thanks to sixteen straight years of required reading, I wanted to draw from poetry, music, film and art for inspiration in my free time—not get stuck in a 500-page book I knew I wouldn’t have time to finish.
So who are my favorite poets, musicians, directors and artists? Elizabeth Bishop, Rainer Maria Rilke, Feist, Tom Waits, ELO, Regina Spektor, The Flaming Lips, Paul Simon, John Prine, Wes Anderson, Michel Gondry, Paul Thomas Anderson, Van Gogh. I love so many more, but these guys I find a place for on my walls at home.
What surprised you most about your new home in KC?
How much it reminds me of my hometown Memphis. They share not only delicious food (oh, the bbq!) but also a love for forgotten music—for Memphis that music is blues and soul, for Kansas City it’s jazz.