Authors: Grace Li and Vrinda Iyengar
We are pleased to share our interview with Musing Spirit as the next installment of our Student Spotlight Series!
Q1: Please introduce yourself and Musing Spirit.
I’m El Batoul, the EIC and founder of the Musing Spirit blog. My blog is a place for all thoughts. It leads with the motto “I write what I think of”, which is meant to encourage young people not to suppress their ideas but to express them freely.
Q2: What led you to start Musing Spirit?
The ambition to write and express oneself was what led me to start Musing Spirit. Conversations with friends made me realise that everyone has unique ideas yet nowhere to place them, and I wanted to create that place for them.
Q3: What editorial guidelines or values guide your editing process?
When editing, we must be certain that the piece isn’t heavily influenced by a person other than the writer; social media, propaganda, etc. We also don’t allow pieces that go against basic human rights and social norms. Many might think this is what we mean by ‘expressing themselves freely’ but it isn’t. Your ideas shouldn’t incite anyone to be harmed or put at risk. We will preserve this style by sticking to the morals and beliefs this blog was built on from the start.
Q4: Why are young editors important in shaping contemporary literary spaces?
In my experience, young editors offer fresh perspectives that are lacking in established institutions, and this is done by emerging literary genres and other experiential forms that might be overlooked. They also contribute by making a strong, diverse presentation by committing to raising voices for underrepresented backgrounds—including writers of colour and those with non-traditional experiences.
Q5: Which pieces would you recommend, and why?
The first piece I would recommend is “Gratitude”; it was the first-ever piece published on the Musing Spirit blog, and it was the first step to this journey. It is also a piece that discusses an idea that I haven’t seen discussed before. The second piece is “the comfort of self-expression in English”. This will be relatable to everyone whose native language isn’t English and yet uses it mainly to express themselves.
Thank you so much to Musing Spirit for being on this interview with us! Be sure to visit their Substack here: https://musingspirit.substack.com/, and their blog here: https://musingspirit1.blogspot.com/
The Megaphone 