Interview with Hazel Mekkattukulam

Khayrun Gure: Do you prefer ebooks, print, or audiobooks? Or all?

Hazel Mekkattukulam: I prefer print and ebooks, equally. I enjoy the accessibility provided by ebooks, such as reading in dark mode, increasing the font size, using the search function, etc. I also love the exhilaration I feel when I flip through a tangible book that I am completely enthralled by.

KG: What do you require in a room to stay focused?

HM: I usually benefit from complete silence, except for a calming, classical, Spotify playlist filling my room in the background. Food to snack on is also a plus!

KG: What was the editing process like for you while working on Tessellate?

HM: It was great! I was paired with a lovely author, Eugénie Swzalek, and their work was so refreshing and new for me. I have always been a fan of editing, and being able to go back and forth with an author and make their piece the best version of itself is always a reward. It was so important to get such hands-on practical experience, and the multiple rounds of substantive, line, and copy-editing mirrored everything that the CW&P program taught us.

KG: If you could spend one day with a popular author, who would it be?

HM: It would have to be Madeline Miller. I love her novel, Circe, and the way that Miller incorporates ancient history into her stories is so seamless. I am a big fan of historical fiction. so I would definitely pick her brain as to how she does such a great job of finding a new perspective on age old stories. Also, her writing is splendid; I mean it’s almost like reading poetry. Every sentence, every dialogue--it’s so intentional and so impactful, and you can just tell that she’d mulled over every word over and over again before settling on the final version.

KG: What were some of your favourite parts of being on the Management team?

HM: I quite enjoyed assisting on creating a Master Schedule and getting all the teams to collaborate and settle on individual tasks. Maintaining a budget, aiding other teams such as Editorial with the additional sections of the Anthology, and also being a part of the final proofreading team. As a member of Management, the latter half of the semester was really about helping out the other teams where it was needed, making sure everyone was on track, dealing with any hiccups, etc. It was a collaborative environment and it was also a new type of role for me, so I’m really glad that I pushed myself to try something new!

KG: What do you consider challenges in management?

HM: Some of the challenges in Management definitely had to do with time management. Often, I felt like there wasn’t enough time to deal with everything--or too much time because there were some more low-key weeks where there wasn’t as much for us to do. But overall, I found the whole experience to be quite engaging and educational.