WHAT TEACHER HAS INSPIRED YOU MOST TO CONTINUE YOUR WRITING? 

WALLIS: Doc Rob has pretty much taught me everything I know about journalism and how to communicate the story effectively, so she has definitely encouraged me to improve my writing. She is always there to answer my questions or workshop a lead, so I am really really appreciative of her.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FORM OF WRITING? 

WALLIS: If you mean which beat is my favorite, then I would probably say features because I get to do in-depth research about a certain topic and interview really cool people. I once interviewed the people at Clayborn Temple, and it was such a special moment because they have so much history there that I enjoyed learning about. Recently, I have also enjoyed writing opinion pieces because you get to communicate your own voice and add some personality to the writing. 

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR STUDENTS WANTING TO GET INTO WRITING?

WALLIS: Just start writing. Pull up that Google doc and write about whatever you want. It could be something as simple as a poem or just journaling before bed. Also, if you want to, Tatler sometimes has guest writers who can write about whatever and we will publish it on our site. Writing is not just academic writing and I feel like lots of students immediately develop a bad relationship with writing because they only know school writing. In reality, writing can be a much more creative process in which you can express your ideas about topics that interest you or causes you are passionate about.

HOW DO YOU SEE JOURNALISM AND WRITING IN YOUR FUTURE? ARE YOU INTERESTED IN PURSUING IT MORE IN COLLEGE?

WALLIS: For sure. I am planning to major in journalism in college, and I want to be involved in that school’s newspaper. I love being about to write stories about topics that my community can benefit from, and I hope to continue that work in college and hopefully as a profession. Journalism is a pretty hard job nowadays, but even if I don’t end up as a newsroom journalist, I still want to study it since I believe that those writing and critical thinking skills will translate to a lot of other professions.

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE WRITER AND HOW HAVE THEY INSPIRED YOU?

WALLIS: My favorite writer is probably John Green (my favorite book by him is The Anthropocene Reviewed) because he puts so much personality into his writing, and it adds to the story to make it such an enjoyable read. Also, I recently read a book by Toni Morrison called The Bluest Eye, and although this book is more serious than Green’s writing, I loved learning about another perspective than my own. Her writing is so vivid and emotional that I ended up shedding a few tears, and I would argue those are the best kinds of books. 

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE PERSON YOU HAVE INTERVIEWED? WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THEM?

WALLIS: My favorite interview was with our New Memphis Mayor Paul Young. We asked him about the potential of Memphis and it was truly amazing to see how passionate he is about the city and its future. I loved getting to hear his values and his opinions on leadership and how it is the key to a successful future. I learned a lot about how we as Memphians have the power to change the perception of our city by simply talking more positively about it. Overall, I loved getting to hear his perspective on the beauty of Memphis since I normally hear a lot of negativity surrounding the topic.