Meet The New Intern

Riley McCall on reading, writing, publishing, and rural places.

Whenever I have a new Intern, I invite them to write a little about why they want to work in publishing. Here’s our 2024 Publishing Intern, Riley McCall.

Before I knew how to read, I was obsessed with the Powerpuff Girls books my mom read to me at night. I can’t tell you what the plots of any of those books were, but I made my mom read them to me far more often than she probably preferred. The only issue, however, was that these books were also inexplicably long for a parent to read to their child every day for the foreseeable future. My mother, growing tired of reading the same books so often but failing in her attempts to convince me to read something else, decided the best solution to this issue was to subtly skip pages while reading the books aloud. This very well might have worked had I been a different child, but I was a book-obsessed child who would turn into a book-obsessed adult, and I always thwarted her plans with a, “Mom, I know how the story goes. You skipped some pages; you need to go back.” 

Riley McCall

Hello! My name is Riley McCall, and I’m the intern this fall semester for Ice Cube Press! Though my taste has evolved to include more than just the Powerpuff Girls books, I have retained that love of reading that made itself apparent to me as a child. I am originally from a small, rural town in southwest Iowa called Fontanelle, so it was perhaps no surprise I didn’t realize when I was growing up that you could actually make money working with books. When I was finally assured as a young adult that getting an English major did not automatically mean joblessness, I came to UNI for a BA in English with a minor in creative writing and a certificate in literary publishing. It was here where my taste evolved even more and I began to better understand what makes literary communities and literary publishing so meaningful. Before taking college English classes, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you what the term “creative nonfiction” meant. Now, it is my favorite genre of literature, and I’ve recently finished a hefty stack of memoirs for my MA field exam and can’t wait to read more. I’ve also recently discovered my passion for discovering how good literature can create meaningful impacts outside the literature field. Though I can appreciate learning about the foundational pieces of literature that have helped this field get to where it’s at now, I would much rather explore what new ground authors are breaking today and how they’re seeking to make societal changes with their books.

The biggest editing projects I’ve embarked on up to this date have been copyediting all the pieces published in a student literary magazine and proofreading an entire nonfiction book for Little Creek Press. This process has humbled me greatly, making me realize that I am not, in fact, the best editor to exist simply because I want it to be so. I now know editing is a skill that I will continue to strengthen throughout the entirety of my career, but the idea of spending the rest of my career working with other writers and helping their work become the best it can be fills me with excitement. Editing, for me, means helping a good idea or manuscript become great, and publishing means helping that great book get into the hands of readers who are going to love and appreciate it.

I am of the belief that everyone has meaningful stories to tell, whether those be completely fictionalized tales, the stories from one’s own life, the reported stories of others, or some combination of those. I also believe in the power of books to change the way people look at the world around them, potentially changing their lives; once this ball starts rolling, I believe stories can help change huge societal norms and constructs. Writers wield so much power and potential through their vulnerability, creativity, and the beauty of their words. However, without readers, the work of writers would simply sit on the shelves of bookstores without being looked at by anyone. Through my work in the literary industry, I want to do what I can to bring readers to authors and continue increasing the power of this art form. 

I am so excited to begin interning for Ice Cube Press because art that comes from rural places is something that should be celebrated. As a rural artist and creator myself, I know the challenges that come with wanting to create but not having the academic or cultural support to do so. Rural life is often misunderstood or forgotten about by those who have never experienced it, which is partially because not many people do experience it (compared to those who experience urban life) and partially because not many people are sharing their experiences. Ice Cube Press not only publishes stories that otherwise might not have been told but also empowers people from rural communities to embrace their heritage and see themselves as more than just members of flyover country.

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