Every day after school, my parents would take me and my sister to the library. We would spend hours debating which books to borrow and then end up checking out as many as we could. I still remember the immense joy I felt of making my own library card (Arthur said it best: “Having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card”). One of the very first books that sparked my love for reading was the Rainbow Magic series. I absolutely adored the premise of two best friends helping beautiful fairies save their world. My love for stories grew and I fell in love with the world of words (and I started hinting for books for my birthday).
My favorite class throughout middle and high school was Literature, which was very on-brand for me. I loved how we got to read so many stories, and it felt like an hour-long class of just rambling about them with my classmates. And I can ramble for hours about books.
As I started to think about what I wanted to do in my life, I knew that I desired to be a part of something I am passionate about and make a difference in the world. I realized I really wanted to work in publishing after getting my Master’s in Marketing. I was reading more and more books during this time, and I started wondering about the process of how books are brought into the hands of readers—how amazing it would be to work with books and help share authors’ voices around the world. It felt very natural discovering this dream. My family and friends were like, “Wow, that is perfect for you,” which felt like an accomplishment in and of itself, since I never really knew what I wanted to do. And now I did. I want to be a part of helping stories come alive and make an impact on others. The thought of working in publishing ignites a spark of passion I didn’t know I had. And I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.
Books are powerful. They change us in ways we may not even notice. They teach us empathy, help us experience different worlds, and simply make us happy when we curl up with a good book after a long day. I’m currently a Traffic Copy Editor at a local news station in Tucson, AZ, and I’m so excited to work at Sundress Publications as an Editorial Intern. I’m grateful for this opportunity to learn closely about the publishing world. Here’s to helping more voices and books come to life!
Marian Kohng (she/her/hers) is a proud Korean American and an Editorial Intern at Sundress Publications and a Traffic Copy Editor at a local news station in Tucson, AZ. She also has a Bachelor’s in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science and a Master’s in Marketing. She loves to get lost in a good book and will read just about anything, including the back of the shampoo bottle.
- Project Bookshelf: Rachel Bulman - May 1, 2026
- The Wardrobe’s Best Dressed: Affidavit by Starr Davis - May 1, 2026
- The Wardrobe’s Best Dressed: Affidavit by Starr Davis - April 30, 2026