An Interview with our Managing Editor
Each semester, the Sheepshead Review staff works hard to bring readers a brand new, exciting journal, but the journal doesn’t make itself. We have a very dedicated staff who works hard to make the journal happen. This staff is led by two of the most essential roles on the Sheepshead team, our Editor-in-Chief and our Managing Editor.
Several weeks ago, we got an exciting interview with our Editor-in-Chief, Brooke Poarch about this semester’s journal. This week, we get to hear from our Managing Editor, Jou Lee Yang and learn about some of the different aspects of this role that help Sheepshead Review to keep working at a steady pace each semester.
How long have you been involved with Sheepshead Review?
I have been with Sheepshead Review for almost a year. I joined in the Spring of 2020 during Covid as a general member. I was able to be Outreach Coordinator and Assistant Managing Editor because I did have prior experience working with Voyageur Magazine, and although I didn’t do much in those positions, I had a lot of fun working in Sheepshead and took the offer to be Managing Editor.
What kinds of things do you do as the journal’s Managing Editor?
As Managing Editor, I’m kind of the finance person. I work on organizing the budget for Sheepshead and, currently, handling the mailing for contributors and previous staff. I also do any other roles that Brooke, our Editor in Chief, passes down to me and keep track of dates for SUFAC, the university’s organization that handles finances and student organizations, and such that pertain to Sheepshead.
What is your favorite part of being on the Sheepshead Review Staff?
My favorite part is really working with everyone and talking with the staff. I love the environment that Sheepshead cultivates. It’s really welcoming for one, and I have fond memories of working in the fiction staff as a member reviewing work. I get to meet new people that I don’t usually talk to, and it’s a nice place to just be with people after being online for so long.
What is the most challenging part of your job as the Managing Editor?
To be honest, I think the most challenging part is knowing and thinking about the future journals. In the past month, I submitted the 2022-2023 budget for Sheepshead and the biggest stress that came from that was taking in this year’s dilemmas and issues and ensuring that next year’s staff won’t face similar problems, will have the right people to talk to and ideas on the process to make things simpler. I’m always trying to think more on how managing the journal can be made easier in the future, particularly since we work as a class, a student organization, and have internship opportunities.
Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for people who may be interested in pursuing the role of Managing Editor in a future semester?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. There are things that I wonder about and that I don’t know how to do or address that I need help with. I can’t always find the answer by searching through the university’s pages. Sometimes, the things I don’t know, Brooke and Dr. Meacham are also in the dark. It’s okay to reach out to people and ask what you’re doing. I was super nervous contacting people I didn’t know, but they were very open to helping me to find my answers and getting me to where I needed to be.
Do you have any horror-related book or movie recommendations for people to explore as they anxiously await the launch of this semester’s journal?
Although not quite horror, it is still suspenseful with a rather twisted concept. It’s a book called Unwind by Neal Shusterman. I read it quite a while ago, but I remember loving it and the concept. It’s a dystopian tale about the act of unwinding, a process that can happen to children between thirteen and eighteen to have their organs and limbs transplanted to other people. It’s a world that’s become twisted with the pro-life and pro-choice debate. The concept itself is rather horrifying, and it’s a series that follows three teenagers trying to survive in this world and understand what exactly unwinding is. I would really suggest it for anyone who loves dystopian tales and wants a more body-horrific experience.
