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About Me — Miranda Rector
I’m a political activist and organizer, public health professional, and well-rounded nerd. I write about identity, activism, public health, travel, art and pop culture.
The story of calling myself a writer: from unicorns to COVID-19
When I was 10, I watched my step-dad struggle through writing and editing his first book, Screen Plays, and thought: I could do that. That summer, I spent a concerning amount of time at my old Mackintosh typing away at a 17,400 word “novel.” The derivative tale focused on three orphaned sisters discovering a unicorn in their aunt’s house. I will give myself credit for crafting a villain that was nothing short of a new eldritch terror.
Hooked on telling stories, I applied to be a Scholastic Kids Press Corps reporter and started writing for a family friend’s blog Kids Pick Flicks. I worked red carpets and press junkets. I interviewed Wes Anderson and the Jonas Brothers. I got to visit the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab when the Mars Curiosity Rover landed and stayed up till 4am hammering out that story. Later, I wrote about cuts to my high school’s funding, profiles of research scientists, and personal essays about my neighborhood.