Where Are They Now? Featuring: Kaila Young

We’re interviewing alumni who worked on The York Review in the past to see how they’re doing after graduation. Today’s interview is with Kaila Young, an alumna of York College and the past Marketing Editor and Co-Editor for The York Review.

When did you attend York College and what was your major?

I transferred to York College in the fall of 2013 and graduated in May 2016. My major was professional writing and my minor was creative writing.

Were you published in The York Review? If so, why did you submit?

I submitted to The York Review because I was very passionate about providing a space to expose student creativity. In Volume 22, I had three poems published — Between Smoke and Honey, When God Expires, and Can I Write Your Name in Cursive.

While working for the magazine, what were your titles and what did you do?

During my junior year, I served as a marketing editor, and during my senior year, I served as co-editor alongside Lizz Dawson. Lizz and I solicited and evaluated submissions, collaborated with the design team in constructing the magazine, and worked with the marketing team to improve social media presence and plan events. At the beginning of the fall semester, Lizz and I made the goal exposing the underground creative talent of our student body while also expanding The York Review brand. I think we achieved that in a certain capacity, and the new York Review editors are building from that in ways we never imagined.

What have you been doing since you graduated?

Since I graduated, I have been applying for jobs and grad school, working, acquiring many books, and reading some of them. I also traveled through Central America for three weeks (during which I permanently borrowed Mary Karr’s Cherry from a Nicaraguan hostel) and have otherwise been trying to inject adventure into the everyday.

Have you been working on other creative works recently?

I have been writing poetry and nonfiction, and working on revising some older pieces. Also I have been trying to be more diverse with what I read, which I believe directly impacts my own creative work.

How does it feel to see the magazine on the other side now that you’re no longer working on publication?

When Lizz and I graduated, we told our YCP writing community, particularly current publisher Austin, to take care of the magazine. They have done so much more than simply take care of it. They have liberated The York Review from a standard magazine into this interactive, malleable art that people can appreciate in so many ways. Watching this is like a beautiful combination of proud parent and admiring peer — coming from an alum who is slightly bitter they are not still a part of it. Basically, I am excited to watch The York Review continue to kick ass.