Meet Our New Intern: Sophia Zhang

A young Asian woman with long dark hair stands in front of the courtyard of a historic building. She is wearing a white sleeveless top with a floral lace pattern.

Ever since I was young, I’ve always been a huge bookworm. I had lots of time alone as a child, and much of it was me splayed out on my stomach, fully engrossed in the worlds of Narnia and Percy Jackson.

But I never thought myself capable of spinning similarly magical and fantastical worlds. I’ve always been a pretty logical and analytical thinker, and so instead of creative writing, I joined my school’s newspaper and speech and debate club when I first began high school. Throughout this time though, I continued reading and loving new writers like Joan Didion, R.F. Kuang, and Toni Morrison.

I first started creative writing during my junior year of high school, when I took an elective on the subject. Since then, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with this art. Today, I primarily write creative nonfiction and poetry, though I hope to explore more genres in the future. I believe in the power creative writing holds for self-expression and emotional catharsis, and beyond that, for seeing and feeling seen, for speaking to the world, and for fostering human connection and change.

In turn, outside of just improving my own writing, I’m excited to help spotlight the voices of other powerful writers and important stories as an editorial intern at Sundress Publications. I look forward to honing my editorial skills, learning from experienced professionals, and contributing to the process of bringing compelling stories and ideas to readers.

Sophia Zhang (she/her) is a Chinese-American writer from California. Her poetry and memoir—which centers around diaspora, joy, and womanhood—has been recognized by YoungArts, Columbia College Chicago, The Pulitzer Center, and others. In her spare time, she likes to browse thrift shops and binge movies. She is an incoming undergraduate student at Harvard University.