I had the pleasure of spending twenty minutes asking Ella, a UVA style icon and author of beautiful works like “Ruby's Reveries” and “The Many Layers of Me,” all the important questions. A creative force in the purest form, here is what Ella has to say about her work, her time at Iris, and her professional and authorial goals.
Cheyenne: So Ella, tell me about your journey to Iris.
Ella: I heard about Iris through Miriella—the current Iris publisher—because we were shadowing our editors on Cavalier Daily together. We were both in the Life section, and it was print night. While we were there, she told me about Iris and how she really loved it. That encouraged me to apply. I applied to join last spring. I've really enjoyed it ever since.
What's your favorite Iris piece that you’ve written so far?
My favorite piece I've written for Iris is “Ruby's Reveries.” It’s the fictional fairytale that I wrote. That’s a piece I wouldn't have ever expected myself to write outside of Iris. However, it was really fitting because it gave me a chance to put a lot of the ideas that would just pop up into my mind on paper. I am a pretty imaginative person, so having that outlet to express that story was really cool.
I don't really have ideas sitting in my mind. I usually take inspiration on the spot. Then, I develop a piece as I'm writing.
With your past pieces in mind, what kind of pieces do you see yourself creating this semester?
I've definitely enjoyed being able to develop my voice as a writer more with Iris. I want to continue writing pieces that will allow me to do that while experimenting with different forms. I have not written a poem for Iris yet; it might be fun to jump into something like that. I also really enjoy the different pop culture analyses that people will bring into some of the pieces that they're writing. It would also be fun to write a culture critique.
Love a good culture critique, what would yours be about?
I don't really have ideas sitting in my mind. I usually take inspiration on the spot. Then, I develop a piece as I'm writing. In the piece I was writing for this past cycle, I had my initial inspiration and started thinking, “Okay, what can I do with this?”
That’s so interesting, I usually know exactly where I’m going before I start writing. How would you describe your writing style in three words?
Fun. Because I want to have fun when I'm writing and just capture those feelings. When I was talking about the fairytale, I ended up writing ideas that I don't normally get to share on a normal basis.
Then I would say descriptive because I know when I was asking you questions, you said you usually start a piece with a feeling. I relate to that. It can be hard to put words to a certain feeling, so I try my best to be really descriptive and show a feeling through a scene I might want to depict in a story.
This isn't a [single] word, but people have told me that my writing is an organized mess in a way. That's a good way to describe me as a person.
Hmm, I'm trying to think of a word that captures the jumbled craziness of my process. I don't know what word really describes that.
Are you looking for something like cacophony?
Oh, my gosh, that's so funny. Actually, that makes sense. This isn't a [single] word, but people have told me that my writing is an organized mess in a way. That's a good way to describe me as a person. Because look at my bedroom. I have so much stuff in here.
What about maximalism?
That's honestly a pretty good way to describe the vibe.
If nothing else, [Iris is] fulfilling for me.
Where do you see your maximalism taking you?
I am interested in becoming a journalist or, definitely, writing in some capacity as a career. So it is really nice to be able to practice writing. I'm also really thankful for the different connections that Iris has brought me. That's a huge reward for doing this work, too. If nothing else, it's fulfilling for me. I enjoy doing this, and it's fun to practice writing pieces that are meaningful to me, and hopefully, someone reading them will find them meaningful too. Hopefully, I'll be able to make connections that way as well by producing my work and sharing my ideas with other people.
I didn't know you were interested in journalism. That's fun. What's your major?
I'm a media studies major with a policy and ethics focus. I'm interested in law too. I'm trying to find a way to combine my two interests. I've been looking into different stuff with the Student Press Law Center, which is an organization I've been reaching out to because they directly help educate student journalists on First Amendment rights, media law, and other issues. So right now, I'm trying to find a way to streamline those interests.
I tell people that one day when I'm a little older, I want to write a book about different life experiences, but specifically connections that I have with friends or loved ones.
You mentioned earlier that you draw inspiration from all aspects of your life and interests. As you’re streamlining your interest, what’s the piece or story you want to tell but feel you’re not ready to yet?
I tell people that one day when I'm a little older, I want to write a book about different life experiences, but specifically connections that I have with friends or loved ones. I am very introspective and pay a lot of attention to how my connections with friends affect me as a person. I would like to see how my growth is also rooted in the connections that I have with other people. I've always thought it would be interesting to look back at the experiences I'm having right now and all the connections I'm making when I am a little older.
I journal a lot, so I keep track of how certain things make me feel or how I navigate certain situations. So, looking back at all of those experiences, once I have more experience living life, it would just be interesting to reflect on. That sort of theme does appear in a lot of my writing as well. The second piece that I wrote, or the one that actually ended up in the print edition for Iris last semester, was about the invisible thread that ties me to my friends no matter what distance is between us. I always feel connected with people.
