English Senior Spotlight: Catherine Frisch

Catherine Frisch is an English major on the literary and cultural studies track with minors in creative writing and secondary education who is pursuing a career in book publishing.

What was your favorite English class?

It’s hard to pick just one class, but I have always enjoyed taking Professor Michael Olmert’s classes. I've taken four of his classes during my time at UMD. I've been in two of his screenwriting classes, and it has been both fun and challenging to learn how to write a screenplay.

What other programs did you participate in at UMD?

I have been a very active member of the UMD community. For all four years of college, I was in the Beta Phi chapter of Alpha Delta Pi, and during my sophomore year, I was the director of philanthropy. I was also a member of CIVICUS, a two-year invitational living and learning program that empowers students to become active and engaged citizens through diversity courses, community service and scholarship. I recently graduated from the Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House, which is a living and learning creative writing program. Additionally, I am the vice president of the Chi Tau chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English honor society.

What do your summer plans look like?

I will be attending the Summer Publishing Institute at NYU, which is a month-long program in New York City. By the end of it, I will receive my publishing certificate. After that, I hope to go into the publishing industry. I specifically want to go into the book side of the industry, working in either editorial or marketing.

How did you become interested in book publishing?

I have always been interested in creative writing. As I completed my creative writing courses, I started to become interested in the process of publishing a book. In order to learn more about the publishing industry, I joined the Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House, which has been an invaluable experience for me. I wrote a chapbook of about 40 pages of contemporary short and flash fiction pieces, and I had the opportunity to make strong professional connections with my professors and their connections in the publishing industry. One of my professors, Associate Director Dolapo Demuren, has been extremely supportive of my desire to enter into the industry. He has helped me to make connections in the publishing industry and to get into NYU.