The talented team of response writers make our world at Odyssey go round! Using our response button feature, they carry out our mission of sparking positive, productive conversations in a polarized world.

Each month, we'll highlight a response writer on our homepage. For May, that writer is Emily Templeton, a recent graduate of Miami University. She's been writing for Odyssey since her freshman year of college! Read on to hear her story.

Want to stay creative and earn some extra cash this summer? Become a response writer! You’ll get to choose your own topics and write one response a week to one of our top trending articles. Your work will be featured on our homepage and in our weekly Overheard on Odyssey newsletter. Plus, for your first 10 articles, you’ll be compensated by HQ at $10/response. Email glorie@theodysseyonline.com to learn more.

Hi there! My name is Emily Templeton and I am a response writer for The Odyssey Online. Although I became a response writer in December of 2022, I have written for Odyssey since my freshman year at Miami University in Oxford, OH. I recently graduated from Miami with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and writing response articles has been a great creative outlet for me. I was so excited when I received an email about the response writing opportunity because I’ve always loved learning about others’ experiences and fostering dialogue in a virtual environment!

Each week I’m given three to four articles to choose from, related to different topics I’m interested in or have experience with, like studying abroad, body positivity, sustainability, traveling, and relationship building. The topics that I’m able to choose from are often things that I’m passionate about in my daily life, so writing about them allows me to express my thoughts and relate them to others. I like to read each article before writing my response to get a sense of what I can add to the conversation and examine the intent that the original author had with their idea. After I decide on what I want to write about, I usually draft my title, subtitle, and then the article itself! I find that as I write my response, the idea I have for the article changes so it’s great that Odyssey is flexible and open to creative choices. Then I save my draft to Odyssey, add any photos that I would like to include, and bam! It’s that easy.

Being able to see my responses published on Odyssey is an incredible opportunity. It allows me to witness the connections that people make with my content and be a part of a supportive and productive community of writers. Sharing my response articles on my Instagram allows me to connect with my friends and family as well as those outside of my close social network. For example, after writing a response article about the importance of supporting sexual assault survivors year-round I received a message on LinkedIn from an advocate based in Connecticut that provides technology that increases access to resources surrounding sexual harassment. They showed appreciation for my efforts in raising awareness and that interaction truly meant so much to me as I realized the importance of sharing your thoughts on an issue. My goal has always been to emphasize positivity and growth in my work so being able to see that my work is making a positive difference in different communities has been a great joy.

Being paid for my responses was a great reward for taking part in one of my favorite hobbies since the beginning of my college career. I’ve always loved learning about new things and writing about topics that I’m interested in so receiving compensation for something I’m passionate about has been a great opportunity! The flexibility and support that Odyssey offers throughout the writing process are unparalleled and I have had so much fun growing in this role throughout the past six months. I’m so grateful to have response writing as a hobby going into post-grad life and look forward to writing about a variety of topics in the future!