Hello, readers! Here we have another “Meet the Editors” post for this October! Today we learn more about Zakiya Cowan.
Zakiya Cowan is currently a sophomore at Lewis University. She is majoring in English: creative and professional writing, with a minor in Spanish. She is also the Student Worker for the University’s English Department.
Zakiya believes her love for reading and writing developed from learning how to read at a young age. Over the years, as she studied different types of literature and methods of writing, she knew that English was her passion. In her free time, when she’s not volunteering at PAWS or going to concerts, Zakiya loves to listen to music, read, and watch Netflix. Some of her favorite television shows include Shameless, The Office, and Workaholics. Zakiya hopes to one day work for a publishing company and play an important role in the book-making process. She also hopes to become a published author herself and see her work on the shelves at Barnes and Noble.
Who are you and what is your role in the Jet Fuel Review?
My name is Zakiya Cowan and I am an Assistant Managing Editor for the Jet Fuel Review.
What book might we find on your nightstand right now?
If you were to look on my nightstand, you would find Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen or Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.
If you had the chance to co-write with one author, who would you choose? Why?
If I had the chance to co-write with one author, I would choose John Green because he has this way of capturing his audience, and when reading one of his novels, you can’t help but get invested in the characters’ lives.
Describe your perfect reading atmosphere.
My perfect reading atmosphere would be a very quiet, warm, and quaint coffee shop. That way there would be some background noise, but not too much to distract me.
What might your personal library look like?
My personal library would consist of novels from every genre, ranging from a vast number of time periods.
If you could “re-make” a poorly written movie that was based on a book, what movie would it be?
If I could “re-make” a poorly written movie that was based on a book, I would probably “re-make” Twilight. Looking back on it, Twilight was not necessarily the greatest book, but it had millions of devoted fans worldwide. I just don’t think the movie gave the book the justice it deserved.
What piece of literature can you reread over and over again?
A piece of literature I can reread over and over again is the poem Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou.
Give us a quote from your favorite (or any) book/movie.
“Remember kid, there’s heroes and there’s legends. Heroes get remembered, but legends never die. Follow your heart kid, and you’ll never go wrong.” – The Sandlot
If you were invited to have coffee with any fictional character, who would you most like to meet? Why?
If I were invited to have coffee with any fictional character, I would most like to meet Amy from Gone Girl. I would love to get into her head and actually figure out, psychologically, why she is the way she is.
Share your top five favorite pieces of writing (anything included, be it movies, books, etc.).
My top two favorite movies of all time are The Sandlot and Remember the Titans. My favorite short story, and probably the creepiest one I’ve ever read, is “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. My favorite novels include The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma.
Join us next week for the next editor!
