Defector has unfortunately reached the end of its time with our amazing interns, Heather Chen and Owen Lewis. Here they are for a last sign-off.
Owen Lewis: Hi Heather! Owen Lewis from Defector here. I was wondering if you would have time for a joint blog regarding memories from our internships this summer? I can write any time that works for you.
Heather Chen: Hey, Owen. It’s great to hear from you! I’m available right now, actually. What’s up?
OL: We made it! Much has happened in our time here—your American girl doll won the Stanley Cup; cycling’s Belgian brat now has two gold medals. I will miss so many things about these 12 weeks, like the insights of the superb Defector commentariat and having my byline so close to some of the best writers on the planet. But I don’t want to sound too sincere too soon here, so I’ll pass the baton to you. What are you feeling?
HC: Personally, I’m still stuck on the perfect theme week we came up with: Kazuo Week. I had my blog about Kazuo Shiraga’s blood-like painting, and I hear your favorite author is Kazuo Ishiguro. What a loss!
OL: Readers will just have to lament what could have been! But you’re leaving a legacy here: Defector now has their theme week idea for 2025. Interns don’t just cycle through impostor syndrome; they leave behind little treats to be enjoyed in the future.
While I’m on the topic of impostor syndrome, I remember reading your hysterical Matthew Tkachuk blog at the very beginning of the summer and realizing I had to write out of my shoes to avoid you thoroughly kicking my ass.
HC: That’s how I felt about your pigeons blog! I’ll leave this up to the business guys, but maybe interns should come in pairs now.
OL: Definitely. The writing industry’s never been healthier. (Laughs into a sob, eats ice cream) I do think the motivation of writing alongside the incredible Defector staff was real, though, and maybe pushed us to try some new things. Looking at our intro blog, you mentioned that you were joining as a new “hockey heathen,” but you covered so many topics. I even ventured outside the tennis cave a bit more than I expected to.
HC: Yeah, I didn’t expect to blog about surfing twice this summer! At this rate, expect to see me riding waves at the 2028 LA Olympics. Owen, what’s the craziest thing you experienced here?
OL: Honestly, maybe getting to write about Pua, the pig from Moana, for The Cipher. It wasn’t even a full blog, but writing about something so marginal—the impetus was this shared obsession a friend and I have with the Pua stuffed animal—was a gift. Only at Defector. What about you?
HC: Probably when Roth asked if I would like to take home one of the cardboard cutouts of him sitting in the office. I said no, like a sane person. When I told my roommates about this later, they were mad, not because they know who Roth is, but mostly because they like the idea of having a cardboard cutout of a man staring hauntingly out of their apartment window. I might need to backtrack on that “No” to save my personal relationships.
OL: Before we lock the door of the Defector office—any advice for future interns?
HC: If you’re trying to lock the door at the office, you have to wiggle it back and forth a bit while turning the key because sometimes the latch isn’t lined up quite right. Also, sources say that throwing your hat into the ring for this temporary work placement is a decision one tends not to want to renege on: Interns are said to be rich green leaves stemming from their learning from their short-term contracted position at a website said to be the last good website on the Internet, much like an oasis in a desert, the last chip in the bucket, and the last standing building on a landscape shaken up by reverberations throughout the media sphere.
In all seriousness, it was such a privilege to be mentored by the editors and writers here.
OL: Sources say it’s dusty in here.
