Olivia Walker

I’ve been a reader my whole life. My mom is a school librarian, so books were a big part of my childhood. I have three older brothers who would spend hours reading to me when I was a baby, and as soon as I turned eight, my dad would read The Hobbit and Harry Potter to me after school. Words are so special to me, and many beautiful sentences have changed my life.

When I was in second grade I read School Story by Andrew Clements, and discovered reading could be a career. The main character’s mom is a children’s publisher, and when I learned that was a real job, I made editing my goal.

For the past four years I have been studying publishing and journalism at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Belmont’s publishing program has allowed me to study both the editorial and marketing sides of the publishing industry, and apply my skills to real-life scenarios. I have edited manuscripts and short stories, designed websites and social media graphics, practiced AP and Chicago Manuals of Style, created press kits, composed pitches, and made countless connections to people in the industry.

Belmont is incredibly experienced based, and as a publishing and journalism student, I have worked on student publications like The Vision, Belmont’s news site, and The Belmont Story Review, the literary journal. I also earned the opportunity to intern for Ami McConnell and WriterFest Nashville, an annual conference for writers of book, song, and film.

For my last semester I will be studying in New York City through the Belmont East program. From January to May of 2023 I will be interning at Melville House, a Brooklyn-based publishing company. As this is a part time position, I also plan to freelance in my spare time.