Hi there Sarah! Can you please tell me what you are studying and how this lead you to be an intern at Time Out Bookstore? Hi Jenna! I’m in my final semester of studying Event Management at Auckland University of Technology. Basically I’m learning how to run all different kinds of events, whether they be charity fundraisers or book clubs! To complete my degree, I have to run some real world events to prove that I’m ready to graduate and go out into the world of events - which is what I hope I’m proving by interning at Time Out!Why did you approach Time Out for an internship?The two things I love most in the world are books and organising. Time Out offered the perfect opportunity to combine these things and work with awesome people in a really cool environment to bring about some fun book clubs and other literary events. I was thrilled when Time Out offered me an internship and I’ve loved working here so far!
What are some of your favourite books?
Nothing beats a good Agatha Christie murder mystery! I’m also a big fan of classic literature, with The Count of Monte Cristo and Wuthering Heights topping my list, and of course I love John Green too (don’t we all?).
What events have you done already for Time Out and what do you have in the pipeline? We’ve already had an awesome Teen Book Club last month with the lovely Tania Hutley stopping by to chat with us about her book, and I also helped Paula Green run a poetry party a few weeks ago. Both of those were a lot of fun to be involved with. Coming up, we’ve got this month’s Teen Book Club with Elizabeth Knox, and next month we’ve got Catherine Mayo returning, both of which I’m very excited about. There are also a few tentative plans for November that, even though I’ll be at the end of my internship, I’m still hopefully helping organise in the next couple of months. Keep an eye out for those!
Tell about the Elizabeth Knox book club that is being held next week:We’re so excited to have Elizabeth Knox joining us via Skype from Wellington to talk about Mortal Fire, one of her most recent novels and an excellent young adult read. We’ll connect up with her at 4pm on Friday 26th September and spend an hour discussing the novel and getting to benefit from her knowledge and expertise. Elizabeth is an extremely talented author with multiple awards to her name and it’s an honour to have her join us. If you’re a teen reader (or read at a teen level), I really hope you can join us for an awesome afternoon!
What do you think is the most valuable thing for members being a part of the Teen Book Club?Sometimes it can be hard for teenagers to connect with others who like to read as much as they do, and reading, as wonderful as it is, can be a very solitary activity. Being a part of a book club helps you to connect with other people who share your love for books and make new friends, as well as having a great discussion about some awesome books. For those who are interested in writing books one day, meeting the authors can give them some great advice on how to follow that dream, and inspire them that it can be done. It’s a great chance to catch up with your friends, make new ones, and talk about books - what could be better?
