Blogging about Blogs
The Blog Blog
April 28, 2023
By Jewel Blanchard, Senior English Major.
Pictured above: Sophia Lorusso, former English Program blogger.
The English Program Blog has been around for a few years now, and has been helmed by a different student blogger each year. From its pioneer/student blogger Dianira “Dee” Piceno (DP), to last year’s blogging intern Sophia Lorusso (SL), to current blogger Jewel Blanchard (JB), the blog has established a rich history over the past few years. The blog is looking for a new student writer this upcoming academic year, so there is no better time to learn about the perspectives, experiences, and advice of each writer thus far!
Q: Dee, what inspired you to start the blog? What did that process look like?
DP: The idea of starting a brand new blog for the English program was so exciting to me. I had the creative direction of potentially going anywhere with the blog series and starting something that could go on forever (I hope!). Also, it was a way for me to give back to the SOU community by writing stories about all of the amazing staff, faculty, students, and alumni who got to experience the greatness of the SOU English department. The process went like this: Margaret [Perrow, English chair] pitched the idea of starting the blog series and I said yes! We would meet every week and brainstorm ideas for blogs and then I would get to work.
Pictured Above: Dee Piceno, first English Program blogger.
Q: Sophia, what was it like taking on this role from the blog’s founder? Can you talk about the blogging standards you set with the creation of the blogging manual?
SL: I took over the blog after the founder, Dianira, graduated from SOU. She had only been blogging for one term (I believe), so when I came into the role, I was able to organize and set processes in place. I helped organize the Google drive and the master documents of all stories with a color-coding system to decipher each category. This start-up was very independent, but I enjoyed having the freedom to organize things in a way that made sense to me, and I had fun with it because I knew that it would help future bloggers.
In winter 2022, I had the privilege of taking Ed Battistella’s Technical Writing course. For our final, we had to put our new technical writing skills to use in some way. Since I knew I would not be the English blogger forever, I decided to write a manual “How to Run the SOU English Blog.” I used Canva to do all the graphic designing and I covered multiple topics: Google Drive organization, finding interviews, how to interview people, types of stories you can write, outreach for our subscribers, managing the Facebook [account], and tips & tricks. I had a blast making this, and I hope that it can help for as long as possible.
Pictured above: Sophia Lorusso, former English Program blogger.
Q: How did you get interested in the blog, and why did you take on the writing role?
SL: At the end of my sophomore year, I was feeling extremely isolated due to online schooling (as I’m sure everyone felt). This isolation made me have major imposter syndrome – I felt like I wasn’t a ‘good’ English major and I thought I wasn’t involved enough. One week, I received Margaret Perrow’s weekly email for English majors and minors and as soon as I saw the blogging position, I jumped on it fast. This was around the same time that I was thinking of doing the Professional Writing badge, so it worked out perfectly that I could do this internship to fulfill my practicum credits. I had no prior experience with blogging or writing outside of academic papers. I was barely confident in my writing skills, but I knew that I could only grow from it.
JB: I had heard about the English blog throughout my junior year, thanks to the work of the then-current blogger, Sophia Lorusso, whose work was often advertised, shouted out by the English faculty, and re-published in SOU’s Southern Exposure newsletter. I had always loved writing and was curious about taking on writing as a job, so when Sophia announced in a class we shared that she was looking for someone new to take on the blogging role in fall 2022, I was interested. I talked with her about her job and what all it entailed in a class we shared, and then reached out to Margaret to confirm my interest. From there, I was in!
“I would recommend this internship to anyone who is looking for a flexible journalism experience and is passionate for sharing people’s stories.”
– Sophia Lorusso
Q: How long did you write for the blog? How many stories did you write? Why did you stop?
SL: At the end of my sophomore year, I was feeling extremely isolated due to online schooling (as I’m sure everyone felt). This isolation made me have major imposter syndrome – I felt like I wasn’t a ‘good’ English major and I thought I wasn’t involved enough. One week, I received Margaret Perrow’s weekly email for English majors and minors and as soon as I saw the blogging position, I jumped on it fast. This was around the same time that I was thinking of doing the Professional Writing badge, so it worked out perfectly that I could do this internship to fulfill my practicum credits. I had no prior experience with blogging or writing outside of academic papers. I was barely confident in my writing skills, but I knew that I could only grow from it.
JB: I had heard about the English blog throughout my junior year, thanks to the work of the then-current blogger, Sophia Lorusso, whose work was often advertised, shouted out by the English faculty, and re-published in SOU’s Southern Exposure newsletter. I had always loved writing and was curious about taking on writing as a job, so when Sophia announced in a class we shared that she was looking for someone new to take on the blogging role in fall 2022, I was interested. I talked with her about her job and what all it entailed in a class we shared, and then reached out to Margaret to confirm my interest. From there, I was in!
“I’d recommend this position to anyone who loves writing, being inspired by others, and having fun… blogging is perfect for you.”
– Dee Piceno
Q: What was your favorite story that you wrote during your time as the blogger? Why?
DP: I don’t have a particular favorite story, but I loved the alumni series where you get to see where previous SOU English majors are, what they are up to etc. (You can read one of Dee’s alumni stories here!) It’s really inspiring to learn that life post college is chaotic but you’ll always find your path in life! A humbling and inspiring series.
SL: The story “Catching Up with Alumni: Peyton McGovern’s Nonprofit Journey” is one that I
had a lot of fun writing because it was a career that I hadn’t written about yet. (You can read it here!) Learning about Peyton’s journey from student, to graduate, to writer, to working for AmeriCorps was so cool. I love all of the stories about panels, too, because I know how hard it was to take a verbal meeting, transcribe it, then form a cohesive article.
One super cool opportunity I got was to interview a poet that came to SOU, Ebo Barton. (You can read it here!) I was so inspired after their poetry reading that I ran to Instagram and dmed them about an interview! I was so nervous about it because it was one of the first stories I put out, but it turned out to be great!
JB: My favorite story that I wrote for the blog is definitely the celebration and send-off of Dr. Ed Batistella before his retirement. (You can read it here!) It was such a meaningful project for me, especially because I admire and learned a lot from Dr. Battistella myself. Throughout the writing process, I uncovered a lot about Dr. Batistella’s career over the years that I’m sure other students had no idea about, just like me. I wrote to honor him and the impact he made on his students, but I felt even more honored knowing how much this story ended up meaning to Dr. Battistella’s friends, family, and community members all looking for a worthy commemoration of the beloved professor.
Pictured above: Jewel Blanchard, current English Program blogger.
“If you enjoy writing, and want to try writing for a professional publication, I definitely recommend this internship.”
– Jewel Blanchard
Q: How do you see your blogging experience Impacting your future and/or career?
DP: Blogging made such a HUGE impact on my career choice. I knew I wanted to continue to write and use all the skills I’ve gained over the years, so I decided to pursue a career in public relations– a career where I had the chance to continue to blog, write, talk and meet so many incredible people!
I started off post-grad at Willamette Valley Vineyards and now work for a PR agency called Word’s Out PR. Both my current and previous position allowed me to write and connect with the communities surrounding both nonprofit and for-profit organizations and it’s been great. I love what I do and I couldn’t have done it without my blogging experience at SOU.
SL: I see this experience impacting my career positively forever. This experience along with my Foundations of Professional Writing badge are testimonies to my writing skills and make me credible to write for others in the future.
This is such a unique experience and perspective to gain. In my current positions, people often turn to me for writing advice and questions because they know of my extensive writing portfolio with the blog. It makes me feel so good to be able to bring skills and knowledge from this internship to the table at other positions.
JB: As a future English teacher, I see my blogging experience as being surprisingly relevant and impactful. It has given me practice and confidence in my writing, especially in the emerging field of web and blog writing. Having these kinds of writing chops is essential if I will be positioning myself as a leader and (ever-learning) expert of writing to students who have grown up in an increasingly web-based world.
“I love what I do and I couldn’t have done it without my blogging experience at SOU.”
– Dee Piceno
Q: What advice might you have for the next student blogger?
DP: Don’t overthink the writing process, just let it happen. Don’t be afraid to bug people if you have a deadline. Remember to include lots of pictures (people love visuals!)
SL: Some huge pieces of advice: Have fun and don’t be hard on yourself! Branch out! Make it your own! Don’t be afraid to do something different! There is so much potential with this blogging opportunity, so I highly encourage future bloggers to be creative.
JB: Don’t worry about whether or not you have prior blogging experience – this is a good way to gain it! If you as the blogger write what you care about, your readers will care, too.
We are looking for a new student blogger to begin in the fall! If you or anyone you know is interested in this great professional writing opportunity, please reach out to Margaret Perrow at perrowm@sou.edu.
Blogging for the English Program is another great way to expand your resume; it is a content-management and content-strategist position that exercises writing skills.
Interested in being featured on the English Program blog? Or know someone who is interested? Contact English Program blogger Jewel Blanchard at blancharj@sou.edu.
Learn more about SOU’s English Programs:
English Home Page | English BA/BS | English Minor | TESOL Certificate Program
