Rachel Zarrell will be reading at the Difficult to Name Reading Series on April 9 at Study Hall.
You've been creating a lot of incredible videos for BuzzFeed, including a recent livestream of making macaroni and cheese that got millions of views. What are some recent videos that you've especially enjoyed putting together?
Thank you! To clarify, I did not make that mac and cheese video, but my team did. I've been really proud of some of the news things we've done, like the "Trump v. Obama: Talking About Women" video, which over 50 million people watched (!). I also had a lot of fun making "How To Avoid A Hug" (though I secretly love hugs). It's exciting when you tap into a new, shareable identity.
You made a pair of videos last November about Democrats and Republicans who defy the stereotypes of their parties. When you're making a video or writing a piece that involves political issues, are you especially careful about how the topic is approached or is the process fairly similar to making a regular video or article?
I generally don't write about politics, but for these videos we wanted to make sure we were representing the gamut of political opinions. We definitely want to be bipartisan in coverage like this, and in making people feel represented by BuzzFeed, no matter their belief system, gender identity, skin color, etc.
You're the weekend editor at BuzzFeed? Do you have days off during the week? Is that kind of cool, like, having the city to yourself for a few days during the week if that's what happens?
I haven't been the weekend editor since 2014! I was a news editor for a while, running our social news desk, and now I'm full-time focused on news video. But when my weekend was Thursday and Friday, it was pretty nice to get to enjoy New York without the typical claustrophobia. Mostly, I spent a lot of time just walking around Soho, people watching and drinking bubble tea.
What can people expect from your reading?
To be reminded of how awful and weird and intense it was to be a teenager.