Meet the Review Crew: Bri Perkins


Behind every blog is a blogger. They are the unspoken authors of the internet that filter in a constant stream of news into your RSS Feed. As a Social Networking Coordinator for Superstition Review, Bri Perkins has learned first-hand just how challenging that job can be.

Working with a small team, Bri helps to maintain and write for the SR blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+, which can include everything from interviews with esteemed authors to email correspondence to creating the latest trending topic. A resident night-owl, Bri usually can be seen tweeting in the wee hours of the morning or slumped over a keyboard asleep.

Having never really experienced the editorial process and the inner workings of a publication, Perkins applied to Superstition Review in hopes of getting hands-on experience in the literary world. Since then, her taste and exposure to art, literature, and writing has grown exponentially. Now a fan of Tin House and Ploughshares (and of course SR), she has developed a love of fiction and short stories. Her favorite readings range all the way from J.K. Rowling to Flannery O’Connor to the labels on shampoo bottles.

Bri is quickly approaching the finish-line of her undergraduate degree at ASU. Studying the unique combination of English and Psychology, she found she had a passion for the anatomy and physiology of the body, and in particular, the human brain. After graduation, she is planning to take a gap year to travel and read, which will be something new for a girl that has been barely beyond Arizona state borders. She subsequently plans to attend medical school at Midwestern University where she will study to become a doctor of osteopathic medicine, and ultimately, a neurologist or neurosurgeon. Bri hopes to translate the underlying themes of the liberal arts into the science realm in order to take a more well-rounded approach to healthcare.

Bri is 22 years old and is a Glendale, Arizona native. She loves overcast and rainy days, which are a rarity in the Valley of the Sun. She has no children and no husband, but she keeps the company of four very lovable mutts and one very fluffy kitty. Perkins currently works as a technician (also known as a Genius) at Apple fixing iPods, iPhones, Macs and iPads. She also volunteers as a Research Assistant at ASU’s Cognition and Natural Behavior Laboratory where she is studying the effects of shared space on productivity, and the effects of physical interaction on mental faculty and memory. Bri also works as a Psychology and Writing Tutor with the STEM/TRIO program on the ASU West Campus, which focuses its efforts on providing support for first generation and minority students.

Are eBooks Pushing Print to Extinction?

There is something about the aroma of a worn book that induces a sense of nostalgia. Print aficionados have fought to maintain the sanctity of printed press, but as the popularity of eReaders and tablets continues to rise, how long can book-advocates withstand the pressures of a technology-driven society?

With Apple’s iPad, Amazon’s Kindle, and Barnes & Noble’s Nook leading the revolution, more and more readers are turning to the instant gratification of eBooks and digital readers over more traditional mediums. They can now hold entire libraries in their hands, buy a book with the tap of a finger, and read until their screens go dark. So what’s not to love?

Some argue the experience is not the same. A book’s battery never goes dead. Browsing an App Store can’t compete with wandering the shelves of a bookstore and running your fingers along the spines. Holding a book in your hands, with its binding and tangible pages, doesn’t feel the same as holding plastic, aluminum, or glass. Books are permanent entities whereas digital media feels ephemeral; an ebook you own could be there one day and gone the next, but a printed media will withstand decades. Actor and journalist Stephen Fry said recently, “Books are no more threatened by the Kindle than stairs by elevators.” Other authors would agree that while eBooks are convenient, they will never replace print.

However, some statistics show that the move towards eReaders is happening more aggressively. In a recent article, The Wall Street Journal estimated that one in six Americans now uses an eReader, a number that has nearly doubled since 2010. That statistic is estimated to more than triple in these next few years, which leads to the question, what will become of print?

The bright side to this new trend is that eReaders aren’t entirely replacing books in American households; many readers own both an eReader and a hearty bookshelf filled with volumes of print. According to the Wall Street Journal, amongst eReader users only 6% admit to not purchasing a single book in the past year, which is a much better percentage than the 32% of Americans who haven’t purchased a book at all in the past year. Perhaps the accessibility of books on an eReader increases not only book sales, but also reading and literacy rates.

Both book lovers and eReader advocates have strong feelings on the topic. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for both print books and their digital counterparts.

Meet The Interns: Anthony Torres

Anthony Torres is a senior completing his last year at Arizona State University studying English Literature. He plans to attend graduate school in either linguistic studies or literature. His long-term goal is to be an editor at one of the major publishing houses. Along with his internship with Superstition Review, he also works freelance at the number one outsourcing company online, Burn Your To Do List, where he writes and proofreads article submissions to clients. This is his first semester with Superstition Review.

Superstition Review: What is your position with Superstition Review and what are your responsibilities?

Anthony Torres: I am one of two art editors currently working with Superstition Review. As an editor our main job is to choose different works of art from different artists to have in our magazine. Along with choosing artists for our magazine, we also get to correspond with contributors, which includes sending rejection/acceptance notices, as well as asking contributors to advertise in our issue, and to gather headshots and bios of each artist that we select for the magazine.

SR: Why did you decide to get involved with Superstition Review?

AT: I first got involved with Superstition Review because it was one of the only internships that I was offered where I can actually get hands on learning experience in order to become an editor specifically. Once my education is complete, I will venture off in the world where I hopefully can become an editor for a magazine or publishing company one day, and with the skills that I will learn with Superstition Review I can feel better about doing so.

SR: Besides interning for Superstition Review, how do you spend your time?

AT: I currently work freelance for the number one outsourcing company online, as their proofreader/writer. As well, I am also employed with Apple Inc. and spend most of my free time with either of those two jobs. My education is also a primary part of my day-to-day life. So studying takes up most of my time as well, and I usually spend my weekends with friends and family.

SR: What other position(s) for Superstition Review would you like to try out?

AT: I would also like to try interning as the advertising coordinator. I think that’s a major aspect of a magazine, that I feel like I could do some major damage too, in a good way of course!

SR: Describe one of your favorite literary works.

AT: This may be the existentialist me that currently seems to be possessing my body, but The Stranger by Albert Camus has got to be one of my favorites.

SR: What are you currently reading?

AT: Currently, I’m reading Franz Kafka’s The Trial and have been getting into more Albert Camus and existentialist sort of readings. They seem to be attracting my attention right now so I’ll just go with it.

SR: Creatively, what are you currently working on?

AT: As far as writing goes, I write everyday, or try to, whether it be keeping track of current thoughts in my head or just writing to write, the power that a pen and paper have is incredible and to do that every day is amazing. I also dabble a bit with photography, nothing extravagant but its fun to photograph your world, a kind of frozen memory.

SR: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

AT: In 10 years I see myself out of the internship realm and hopefully well into my career goal as an editor. Possibly employed with a great magazine company or even one of the major publishing houses. Either way, in 10 years, I see myself being happy.