Chats with KOS Alumni: Part 2

Since we launched back in September 2019, we have met so many amazing creatives and inspiring advocates for change who have been involved with the KOS editorial team behind the scenes. We reconnected with KOS Alumnus Bianca Breen and Jeanne Carlos to hear more about how KOS provided them with the knowledge to develop their career and how we played a vital role in their professional journey.

What was your position and how did this role benefit other areas of your study/ interests?

BB: I’m in Perth on Whadjuk Noongar land. I’m a writer, very involved in the YA community, working at The Literature Centre in Fremantle, and currently volunteering at Love Oz YA, and YA for WA. I was an editor for KOS from 2020-2021.

JC: I had experience in admin and other parts of being a writer. The one thing I hadn’t really had exposure to was being an editor. So when the opportunity came up with KOS I checked out the magazine and saw how socials were going and it just felt like a really good team to work with. I eventually became a KOS editor and writer!

Image Courtesy of Bianca Breen

What sparked your interest in volunteering with KOS?

BB: I had Sarah as my mentor through LaTrobe, she just opened my eyes to the power of volunteering. She also encouraged me to apply for KOS. It came at a time where I was looking for experience in a professional writing scene. A lot of the stories we were writing at the time were around the pandemic (in which we were living through) but it was focused on the positive and the good, and it was such a brilliant light in the darkness

JC: I came from a creative writing background and this was journalism, this was non- fiction. I felt that I learned a lot from the angles that people were taking with their stories…I would always come back to Natalie’s consent patches story and a few others to find inspiration for the articles I worked on.

What did you enjoy most about being involved with KOS?

Image Courtesy of Jeanne Carlos

BB: Getting to know the people we were writing about. I had no idea that the people we were interviewing (community changemakers) even existed. To have the opportunity to learn about these people first hand - by being the person to interview them - was such a privilege and humbling experience. So many pieces have stayed with me - like LaMama Theatre, Form, and Youth in Philanthropy pieces where I learned so much from the interviewees that were valuable for the piece but also those conversations that didn’t make it to the final edit were so eye opening. It was beautiful, it literally felt like a big warm hug.

JC: ​​I enjoyed working with everyone. It was very fulfilling just being able to help others shape their articles to be the best that it can be, and also putting in the work to write my own. Journalistic writing had a bit of a learning curve but I enjoyed learning from how others made their articles. There always felt like there was something to do and that you were always connected with everyone else.

What have you been up to since your time at KOS magazine?

BB: My creative life in WA! I started the job at the Literature Centre which is such a big part of the WA writing community, it’s lovely to work with the local creatives. Volunteering with Love Oz YA and building out YA for WA (creating a community in WA for young adult writers).

JC: I took a step back from KOS because of real-world changes. I moved into my own place and had my perspective changed on everyday living and had to put my attention on other things. Most recently, I am getting into online communities where people are pitching their novels and manuscripts, that they were writing and sharing all their ideas. I was also lucky enough to attend the National Writers’ Conference. I’ve written only a few chapters of my own manuscript, but there’s a lot of notes! It was just good to come back to that online writing community again.

Image Courtesy of Pexels

How did your time at KOS inform your advocacy work? What advocacy areas are you involved in now?

BB: I love how The Young Writers Collective, and more broadly The Literature Centre,provides young people from both metro and regional Western Australia with the opportunity to connect with and learn from established writers in the genres and styles that they’re interested in.

JC: With the articles that I did work on, the majority of them were in support of the LGBTIQA+ community and with promoting pride. At work right now, there is a working group among the employees that enables the council the opportunity to support the queer community. Before KOS, I was happy to just promote as I am quite an introverted person. But KOS taught me that there are so many opportunities to actually go out there and support.

What advice would you give to students wanting to work in the creative “media” industry?

BB: Reach out. Just do it. Who cares if you have experience? Like, I am so surprised at how many people are so willing to take you on, and the power of cold calling. If you want something like being professional, make sure that it’s something that you are interested in, it aligns with what you want, but just reach out and go for it.

JC: Apply for anything, even if you think it’s not going to help you with your ideal career because you never know where it would lead to. I never thought I would be that interested in journalism, and I actually applied for KOS on a whim. And in the end I was actually able to offer quite a bit. Don’t limit yourself to what your career could be.

WORDS: BIANCA BREEN, JEANNE CARLOS & SARAH RAMANTANIS
PHOTOGRAPHY: BIANCA BREEN, JEANNE CARLOS & PEXELS