From the Publisher

By Elizabeth Valk Long

SUMMERTIME AT THE TIME & LIFE BUILDING MEANS VACAtions and vacant desks -- a perfect time to have some extra help around. Fortunately, each summer since 1977 we have received that help from student interns. The youngsters "provide an energy that is very refreshing," says Debara Thornton-Klein of the human- resources department for all Time Inc. magazines. "It's infectious." In return the students receive a little money and a lot of experience. Since each works at only one magazine, we gather them at regular brown-bag lunches so they learn about the company's various publications. Most are entering their senior year of college and have experience on campus publications.

This year Thornton-Klein contacted placement offices at 42 colleges and reviewed 60 applications for 18 slots on the editorial staffs of our magazines. Her colleague Nancy Walter, who handled applications for the publishing side, sent TIME two interns. Evelyn Jones is in her second summer, taking on a range of tasks for public affairs director Robert Pondiscio, while Nikki Taylor works in the marketing division, analyzing how our coverage compares with that of other magazines.

On the editorial side, we have four interns. Sarah Okrent, who works on graphics and layout for the newspaper at Ohio University, is assisting with those tasks in our art department. An equally appropriate assignment was drawn by Tamala Edwards. Newly graduated from Stanford with a degree in international relations, she is writing and researching for TIME's international editions. Alice Park, who is completing a master's degree in science journalism at Boston University, has reported for pieces on Alzheimer's disease, the human-growth hormone and the genetic basis for homosexuality. Alexandra Lange, from Yale, is assigned to The Week, for which, among other things, she interviewed Senator Bob Dole about David Gergen and phoned 20 bookstores to check how Joe McGinnis' much publicized book on Ted Kennedy is selling.

After her nine weeks at TIME, Park says, "I will never take a magazine for granted. I think people who read a magazine have no idea how much work goes into it." Edwards brings an interesting perspective to our halls, since she filled an internship at ABC-TV News last summer. She's greatly enjoyed her colleagues at both shops, but finds she prefers the print medium to video. "It's just more satisfying. I love words, and with only three minutes there's not much you can say." Sounds right to us.