5 Questions with Emily Peterson, MSPC Copy Editor
By Evelyn Hoover | December 10, 2018
After studying mass communications and sociology in college, Emily Peterson discovered her love for editing while working in newspapers. In her current role as copy editor and social media manager for IBM Systems Magazines, Emily is able to merge her passions for both words and people.
In today’s edition of 5 Questions we get to learn more about Emily:
Tell us about your role in one sentence.
I copy edit articles for TechMedia publications and manage the social media accounts for those publications.
Describe your perfect day.
Luckily, my perfect day has already happened twice. It would involve wandering around the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival with my best friend and buying deliciously beautiful yarns. This day also includes holding a baby kangaroo and eating apple cider doughnuts.
What three words would your colleagues use to describe you?
Chipper, funny, enthusiastic. “It’s gonna be a great day” has been my catchphrase for a long time, and I doubt I’ll ever stop saying it. The day isn’t complete until I’ve done my best to get a laugh out of my co-workers.
Who/what inspires you and your work?
The written word and all the power it holds.
One of my favorite books is “On Writing Well” by William Zinsser. In it, Zinsser says, “There are many good reasons for writing that have nothing to do with being published. Writing is a powerful search mechanism, and one of its satisfactions is to come to terms with your life narrative. Another is to work through some of life’s hardest knocks—loss, grief, illness, addiction, disappointment, failure—and to find understanding and solace.”
Even more than paintings or film or music, the written word is what we depend on to record our histories and to learn from those histories.
What is most rewarding about your job?
I’m a big fan of niche communities, and I love giving IT communities information to discuss and get excited about. Right now, people are very excited about artificial intelligence and all the opportunities it could make possible.
Bonus: Favorite quote.
“If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.” – Anthony Bourdain
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