Tag: addie dodge

Meet Our New Intern: Addie Dodge

A white woman with short blonde hair is standing in front of a brick wall looking at the camera.

I have always loved stories. As a child, weekends were spent at the library amassing impossibly large stacks of books. I had a tendency for sneaking off from the children’s section to the literature aisles, tucking works like Frankenstein and To Kill a Mockingbird into the middle of my pile to try to make my selections a little less suspicious. Usually, I got away with it. 

My love for reading translated into a love for writing as well. Poetry came first, as I attended readings and workshops throughout high school, and longer-form fiction followed, leading me to where I am now, finishing the final edits of my first novel manuscript while also getting ready to begin work on a second project.

I entered college fully intent on pursuing a major in creative writing. A voracious reader and writer, I began my coursework with a great deal of excitement and urgency to learn. However, I found myself questioning if this was the right path for me as I also began taking classes in psychology and falling in love with the field. At the same time, I was hired as an editor for my college’s literary magazine, Cipher, and was finding great purpose and passion in working with writers and other editors to bring pieces to full realization. I was excited about and impassioned by my work as an editor, while also wrestling with the question of whether I was going to continue pursuing writing or delve further into psychology. Now, in my senior year of college, I’ve decided to do both. 

For me, working as an editor is a direct extension of my writing practice. This work has given me the space to consider writing from a different angle, and to work with other writers in a holistic and generative process, something I am excited to continue in my work with Sundress Publications. 

While it may seem like a strange combination, working as a clinical intern at a domestic violence shelter while also pursuing editorial work, I believe that my work in the field of psychology is a different translation of what I do as an editor and writer. As I move further along the path to becoming a therapist, it’s clear to me that much of this clinical work is listening to and assisting in realizing individuals’ stories in order to help them process what has happened to them. 

On the other side of that coin, I see my work in editing as another way of bringing stories to the surface through supporting writers in the development and propulsion of their stories. I deeply believe in the inherent healing that is available in telling stories, and in those stories being heard and understood. As such, I believe that the development and distribution of published works is crucial to our societal well-being. It is a great privilege for me to work with people and their stories in these two separate, but inextricable modalities. 

Addie Dodge is a student at Colorado College pursuing a BA in Psychology with a Minor in English. She is a writer currently working as an editor for her college’s literary magazine, Cipher, and is also a clinical intern at a domestic violence shelter in Colorado. She fills her free time with hiking in the mountains and lots of reading. 

Project Bookshelf: Addie Dodge

A variety of books on a shelf

When winter break started this past December, my mother fixed me with a pointed look and told me that I needed to do something about The Piles. What she was referring to, of course, were the small islands of books I have accumulated and scattered around my room over the last few years. Of course, I told my mother, I will do something about The Piles. And I did—I made them into stacks instead. 

My current collection of books is a well-loved time capsule of where I have been and where I want to go. Thrice-owned and annotated poetry collections and classics for past coursework, a few choices that evidence my work in the field of psychology (spot the APA style handbook, if you can), and a variety of books that I have sought out, and continue to reach for, as a lifelong reader and striving writer. 

A stack of books sitting on a wooden table

Upon closer inspection, you’ll probably notice my affinity for Russian literature and Anne Carson, as well as my absolute distaste for sensical organization or, well, bookshelves. I do have some shelf space above the office desk in our home, however there’s something a little less archival, and a little more active, about having all these piles of books splayed around me. Maybe this is me retroactively justifying The Piles, but I enjoy the feeling of living in and amongst my books. 

Memories of friends and loved ones are held within the bindings of the books I own. Poetry collections passed between attentive hands and talked about late into the night, stories that sparked flurries of text conversations, and works given and received as gifts. For me, reading is a deeply communal activity, and as such my books are steeped in my friendships both current and past. 

A variety of books placed on a shelf

I consider myself to be an omnivorous reader, and my collection of books reflects that. I have a particular sweet spot for translated works and discovering what linguistic choices have to be made to preserve the meaning of the original text, and lately I find myself drawn to visceral writing exploring subjects related to grief and motherhood as well (I highly recommend Olga Ravn’s My Work if you’re interested in similar themes).

I will say that my problem with The Piles used to be much, much worse, though a few moves have helped to pare down my collection. These days, I try hard to frequent the library more than the bookstore, and even so, I seem to end up with a perennial pile that changes characters every few weeks when I have new holds available, little slips of paper alerting me to their due dates sticking out of the tops of said books. Yes, I am that person you see at the library struggling to carry all their holds in their arms. Progress over perfection, right?

A stack of books sitting on a wooden table

While I do my best to prioritize going to the library, my local secondhand shop has a way of beckoning to me, and so The Piles continue to grow. Although I’m not too torn up about this persisting phenomena, it comes as no surprise that when I told my mother I had done something about The Piles and proceeded to show her piles turned to stacks, she was not impressed, and reminded me that in the very near future I would have to pay for shipping for these piles turned to stacks to wherever I move this summer. Let the record show that I am aware and ready to pay for the shipping, because these piles turned to stacks are both a tether to my past, and a line cast into my future.

A white woman with short blonde hair is standing in front of a brick wall looking at the camera

Addie Dodge is a student at Colorado College pursuing a BA in Psychology with a Minor in English. She is a writer currently working as an editor for her college’s literary magazine, Cipher, and is also a clinical intern at a domestic violence shelter in Colorado. She fills her free time with hiking in the mountains and lots of reading.