45, Writer & Editor
Why She’s Interesting: There’s barely a topic that author, journalist and editor Annie Zaleski hasn’t written about. Contributions to publications such as Cleveland Magazine, Rolling Stone, NPR Music, The Guardian, Alternative Press and Oberlin Alumni Magazine have broadened her portfolio beyond measure.
“A” For Effort: Zaleski’s passion for authoring started with an assignment in the second grade. “Everyone in the class did, like, one paragraph. I wrote four.”
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Foundational Text: More than writing, reading drew her in. “I remember [teachers] giving me the Little House on the Prairie books and saying, ‘Hey, why don’t you go read in the corner and hang out?’ I remember loving those books. I was always the kid who would get the stack of books out of the library, devouring things and ignoring everything else going on around me.”
A Cheeky Obsession: Zaleski’s true love lies in music publications, one of her earliest inspirations being Alternative Press Magazine (where she later worked as managing editor). “It was the January 1995 issue with Bad Religion,” she recalls of the first hard copy she owned. Her favorite artists, though, reside across the pond, as she admits she bought the American rock band’s cover issue for a feature on Brit rockers Suede and Oasis.
What, Like it’s Hard?: The author’s seasoned pen stems from a seasoned education, evident in Zaleski’s English degree. “I went to Harvard [University],” she humbly admits. “I wanted to see if I could get in, which sounds ridiculous. You never think you’re going to Harvard.” Upon admission to the school, she considered a career in computer science, having a background in coding and HTML, but the stint quickly ended by her first semester. “I took a very advanced calculus class. I got a B-minus, which to me, was like the end of the world.”
7: The number of books Zaleski has authored, including well-researched analyses of Lady Gaga, Duran Duran, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. The book on Swift — Taylor Swift: The Stories Behind the Songs — recently hit both the New York Times and USA Today best seller lists.
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