Kinsee Morlan is the engagement editor at Voice of San Diego, a nonprofit community news website. Before moderating a Zócalo panel discussion about the arts in San Diego—“Will San Diego Ever Become a Great Art City?”—she talked in the Zócalo green room about urban hiking, her two boys, and Beyoncé.
What’s your favorite podcast?
I was just listening to “Serial” on the way up here. That’s pretty cliché, but I like all the good ones.
You have two boys. What three words would they use to describe you?
“Poop,” because one of them is 3. “Mom.” And “fun,” maybe? I want to be the fun one, much to the bewilderment of my husband.
How do you describe to people what an “engagement editor” does?
I engage with readers, both through social media platforms and IRL—a.k.a. in real life. And I bug people to write for us.
I’ve heard you like “urban hiking.” Where do you like to urban hike?
I used to live in Tijuana, and I lead urban hikes there.
You’ve volunteered in hospice care. What inspired you to do that?
A weird obsession with death. I feel like I’m not alone in that. People don’t talk about it. I’m not religious. I just want to get up-close and personal with death.
You’ve worked in radio as well as print. Have any differences between the two surprised you?
With print, you shape the story a little more yourself, internally and stylistically. With audio, you’re just taking what people said—though you definitely can add in tone, and feeling, and emotion. I think in all of journalism, you’re hoping to paint a picture in someone’s head. In print and audio, you just have different tools to do that.
What got you into covering art?
I was a painter in high school, so maybe failed artist syndrome? No, I took art history in college and sort of fell into that beat and never left.
You’ve lived in San Diego for a long time. If you had to move out of California, where would you go?
Mexico City. It seems like that’s where the art world is gravitating right now.
Who would you prefer to take out to dinner: Beyoncé, Rihanna, or Lady Gaga?
Definitely Beyoncé. I don’t even have to think about that.
What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done this week?
I had to go and look for tissues because some snot was running down my nose. That happened like a minute ago.