A Conversation with Perugia’s Intern: Alexandra Zook

In January, Alexandra Zook completed an internship at Perugia Press, sponsored by the Praxis Program at Smith College. This was the first winter Perugia was able to offer this internship, as a partnership between Perugia and Smith College. Jean Blakeman, Perugia Press board president, conducted an interview with Alexandra about her experience as a Perugia intern and as a poet.

Q: What first brought you to poetry?

A: Poetry has been part of my academic curriculum since kindergarten. My teachers would transcribe our poetry and put it in a monthly packet. That process introduced me to writing, submitting, and listening to poetry. However, I first began to love poetry in middle school, choosing to take poetry classes, and writing for and submitting to my school’s literary magazine. In high school, I began to explore the classics – Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Robert Frost, Mary Oliver, as well as more contemporary poets such as Franny Choi, Ada Limón, and Danez Smith. Exploring poetry is what really got me hooked, and it is one of the reasons my love for poetry is immense. 

Q: How did you first encounter Perugia Press?

A: I first heard of Perugia Press last January during Smith College’s course “The Art and Business of Poetry” taught by Becky Olander, the Perugia Press editor and director. Then this past fall, when I was talking to Matt Donovan, the director of Smith’s Boutelle-Day Poetry Center, about internships, he mentioned that Perugia Press hosts Smith College interns. I was ready to get on board. 

Actually, on the last day of class, Becky handed out postcards of Perugia Press’s recent publications. I loved the cover art so much that I put all the postcards up on my wall, and they have been there since. This internship really felt meant to be! 

Q: What have you been involved with so far at the press?

A: This January, the bulk of my work was reading manuscripts submitted to the Perugia Press Prize. However, I did smaller projects such as captioning YouTube videos, making and designing poetry prompts for Instagram for the books Now in Color and Sweet Husk, and researching statistics for the website. I was also asked to be a student judge for the 2025 semi-finalist stage of the Perugia Press Prize. 

Q: What are some things that stay with you from the books you’ve been working with?

A: The plethora and range of stories and voices I’ve read has been astonishing, even just to think about. There’s so much raw talent and beauty in all of the manuscripts, and it has been an honor getting to read even a handful of them. My biggest takeaway from this internship is that there are always going to be new emerging poets to discover out there, and reading these manuscripts is proof to that point! 

Q: Other than being Perugia’s intern, tell us a bit about yourself.

A: I’m in my second year attending Smith College, majoring in psychology with a poetry concentration. This year I was also elected to be a HONS (Head of New Students) for my dormitory, so I am very involved in building a strong sense of community within my dorm. If I’m not in my dorm, I’m usually at the library studying with friends, in the ceramics studio, running, or Facetiming my dog.

Q: Do you have a favorite poet? Or a favorite poet of the moment?

A: Emily Dickinson and Franny Choi both hold a special place in my heart. Emily Dickinson’s work is a staple for me, and she is one of the first poets I learned about. And Franny Choi’s work has resonated with me over the years, especially through the pandemic. My sister and I were both adopted from China, so the racism and violence the Asian American community faced during the pandemic was confusing and hard for me. I found so much comfort in reading Choi’s work, my favorite of their poems being “Choi Jeong Min”.

Q: Perugia’s work centers on highlighting the work of women writers. Do you see a connection between the mission of the press and that of Smith College, where you are a student?

A: Yes! When applying to college, I knew I wanted to go to a women’s college and to be in an environment where I felt like I had the space to find my voice. So when I heard that Perugia Press is a place that uplifts women writers, I was excited to learn more, and even more excited to have the opportunity to work at Perugia. 

Q: How do you see poetry fitting into your life as you move forward?

A: Whether I am going to readings or just sitting down and writing, poetry is always going to be part of my life. I believe poetry is all around, and is embedded in so much of my creative voice. I’m especially looking forward to all of the poetry classes at Smith to finish my poetry concentration, as well as all of the amazing readings sponsored by The Boutelle-Day Poetry Center.

Editor’s note: It was a joy to work with Alexandra Zook this winter – a great match was made between Smith, Alexandra, and Perugia Press! Thanks to Jean Blakeman for conducting this interview, to Smith for funding the internship through Praxis, to Matt Donovan for helping to connect us with Alexandra, and to Alexandra for all your wonderful work.