I’m not surprised that I adore copy editing Streetlight Magazine. It’s a wonderful marriage between my slightly obsessive-compulsive tendencies and my love of reading. Perusing numerous pieces of writing while searching for extra spaces, improper italicization and the incorrect use of dashes is something I could do all day long.

While I admit I get irrationally excited every time I find something to fix (especially since it doesn’t happen that often), my favorite part of the job is that I’m reading from varied genres.

As an English major I spent my share of time with the Greats—Shakespeare, Twain, Austen and Woolf—but over the past few years I’ve found myself exchanging the masters for quick-read thrillers and mysteries. So when I first started with Streetlight I was nervous about all of the non-fiction—what if I couldn’t get through it? What if I started to read and lost focus, imagining grocery lists and weekend plans? How could I possibly spot a misused hyphen if I couldn’t even get through the piece?

To my delight, instead of a wandering mind I have newfound interest in non-fiction work. I’ve loved reading about the artists, learning their processes and being introduced to their muses. The non-fiction is much more entertaining than that which I was required to read in school (most likely where I began to avoid it in the first place). The poetry has reminded me of the love I’ve always had for the music the written word can hold. Blogs present a special kind of insight into their writers, a quick peek into their worlds.

The more Streetlight I read the more I want to read—works of every genre and every subject. I have jumped down the rabbit hole of past issues for more poems and stories and interviews, not to copy edit but just to soak in the beautiful words.

–Emily Littlewood

Emily Littlewood lives with her dog Animal and husband Jason in Harrisonburg, Va. After getting a degree to teach English, Speech and Theatre, she began working in banks. She is currently working back toward her passion, becoming the new-ish copy editor for Streetlight.