5Q with the HQ: Editor-in-Chief Carley Eschliman
Carley Eschliman, our new Editor-in-Chief (EIC) for Fall 2018, was interviewed by former EIC Zachary Lee. Carley is a junior majoring in both Atmospheric Science and Communication. Read her latest article, “Dignity Among the Dead Men,” in our Spring 2018 issue and her stellar blog piece, “The major(ity) issue: Seeking unity in uniformity” here!
Zachary Lee (Z): Congrats on getting the new position! It is amazing that you get to lend your unique and creative abilities to the canon of past Claritas Editor-in-Chiefs. What excites you the most about your role? What are your concerns?
Carley Eschliman (C): I think that I’m most excited to get to work with our staff in a new capacity. My past role was Managing Editor, which mainly entails nagging people to make sure that they’re keeping on schedule. But being EIC means that I’ll get to take some time to look at the larger picture and see how the journal is stitched together from a different perspective. One big concern of mine is following Zachary Lee as EIC. His issue last semester was really great, and I want to make sure that this next issue is just as good as his issue!
Z: On a similar note, what are you most looking forward to for Claritas as a whole this upcoming year?
C: I’m excited for our launch party and our distribution! We’re really going to hit the campus as a whole this semester and try to expand our readership. I think it’ll be cool to see people pick up our journals, especially people who may have not heard of Claritas before.
Z: I really enjoy the theme for this upcoming issue; the act of consuming is so normalized that people rarely consider the effects, sometimes negative, of not controlling one’s appetite. How do you think Claritas can uniquely contribute to this conversation? Why does Claritas’ presence on campus become more important now than ever?
C: I think that the Christian tradition has some pretty interesting things to say about consumption. I mean, look at the book of Ecclesiastes… Solomon consumes just about everything in attempts to find fulfillment and ultimately settles on the fact that God (and God alone) can provide true fulfillment. I think that Claritas, the only Christian journal on campus, can be a voice providing this Christian perspective in a very consumption-driven time. As more and more people are getting burnt out trying to consume everything, hopefully our issue can point them to larger, ever-enduring truths.
Z: What have you been reading lately? Any articles or books you recommend for those who are interested in getting involved or who want to think critically about their faith?
C: I start off each day by reading the New York Times daily briefing… or, at least, the articles that interest me! Most of the articles that catch my eye have to do with social science research, especially psychology. It’s interesting to me to see scientific evidence back up things that I already know to be true from the Bible (like this article that talks about how self-control can be improved if you simply remove temptation). In regard to books about faith, I cannot recommend enough Tish Harrison Warren’s Liturgy of the Ordinary if you’re trying to have your faith be a part of your entire life. If you’re interested in learning more about Christianity and are from a non-Christian background, Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller paints a beautiful picture of Christianity as it ought to be.
Z: Okay, last one: if you had 24 hours of free time, what would you do?
C: I’d take a really long nap, watch a new movie that I’ve been meaning to see, and then probably go insane from boredom.