Editor's Note: One of the goals of Media Lab is to collaborate with the NEPM newsroom to give high school and college students in Greater Springfield an opportunity to practice the skills needed to become multi-media journalists. This article was written by Media Lab College intern Sarah Gill.
NEPM Media Lab’s summer cohort just finished up it's fourth week. So far, the youth media producers have learned interview skills, had experience with professional cameras and video equipment, and written their own news articles which will be published on nepm.org. Last week they conducted on-camera interviews with local book authors. They prepared questions and developed interview skills with the help of reporters and editors at Masslive.com.
The students were split into two groups which took on different production team tasks. Hosts interviewed book author while other participants were in charge of cameras and taking direction from their director, a fellow youth participant.
The first book author interview was conducted on Monday, July 28, with Emely Rumble, author of "Bibliotherapy in the Bronx" who described poetry as a “bite sized piece of life.”
Rumble discussed how she integrates poetry into therapy sessions with her clients depending on their mental health goals. She makes sure that she incorporates reading with the clients based on the therapeutic method that will best support them.
“It’s a way to express deep emotion… poetry gives us a beautiful opportunity to capture a moment,” she said.
Using poetry as a way to fuel therapeutic discussions is a form of healing and engagement. Rumble is thrilled that youth are reading and resonating with her book and these therapeutic practices.
The second book author interviewed was Nicholas Day, who spoke about his new book "A World Without Summer" which will be published in September.
“I feel like we can be blinded by how much is going on around us constantly,” he said.
Day explained that because there is always so much going on in our day-to-day lives that we might tune out, and that is why it is important to connect history to the present day.
By talking about Mount Tambora, the largest volcanic eruption since the last ice age, Day was able to create what he called a "dramatic spine” which readers, especially in this case young readers, can use to help guide them through the book.
Day’s goal was to parallel the book to the climate change issues we are dealing with today and to be conscious of the changes happening around us.
These book author interviews will be made available to watch in Fall 2025.
With two more weeks left of the Summer Media Lab Cohort, students are working on projects for their showcase presentations. These presentations will include the different projects the participants have worked on this summer. They are excited to showcase their work to their family, friends and NEPM staff.
