Meet the Senior Writer

For this week's Meet the Team introduction, we'd like to introduce another one of our incredible Senior Writers, Jonathan Chan !

• What motivated you to join Spheres of Influence?

I've always been interested in politics and international affairs since I was young, so joining SOI seemed like a perfect opportunity to explore this interest. Plus, it meant that I would have an audience to share my thoughts and analyses with.

• What have you gained from the role?

Writing with SOI has taught me a lot about writing. It's easy to write, but producing a good piece that strikes a balance between being interesting and not being overly complicated is a formula that you really need to practice. In addition, I've also learned a lot about positively taking feedback. Part of being a writer is accepting that the first draft of your article is going to look very different than the final published version, and that there is always a way to improve your writing - that's why the editors are here!

• What is your favourite article to date, and why?

My favourite article to date would probably be the piece I did on Bosnia. Bosnia was a topic that I always wanted to do an article on, and it was really great to have the opportunity to write about it.

• What do you want to work on most as part of SOI?

Event planning, even though it's technically not part of the senior writer's purview. It's been fun to explore different ways of approaching underreported news issues around the world that aren't text-based, and I hope to be able to work on more Spheres events in the future!

• What’s one thing not many people know about you?

I?am learning German currently!