In The New Yorker

What an honor. 14. A freshman at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids. And in the pages of the Feb. 2, 2009, New Yorker magazine.

That's where Molly Brown of Cedar Rapids found herself quite by accident after attending the Midwestern Ball in Washington D.C. after President Barack Obama's inauguration January 20. (See my Ramblin' column in today's Gazette.)

Molly helped her mother, Cedar Rapids attorney Sara Riley, on the Joe Biden campaign by making signs. Her family is very active in politics with grandfather Tom Riley being a former Iowa legislator. That's how they all wound up at the inauguration ceremonies.

During my chat with Molly I learned more about her than I had room for in the newspaper column. She's active in dance three nights a week, working on everything from jazz to ballet except hip-hop. She writes for the high school newspaper, The Surveyor, and says she'll be writing about the photo experience for its next issue. Molly likes writing shorter pieces but doesn't know if she could ever write a book.

While politics can be fun for a while -- Molly enjoyed the Joe Biden-Sarah Palin debate -- she doesn't think it would fit her style. "I don't think things work out when you try to please everyone," she says.

After the trip to Washington D.C., Molly spent a few days in New York City that included a couple of Broadway plays -- "You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush" staring Will Ferrell which she said was "hillarous" and the musical "In the Heights" which is still selling out. Makes sense since Molly would love to become a Broadway actress.

In New York she also went shopping with friend Jessie Jensen, who lives in New York, and toured the New Yorker offices after her older brother, Ryan, suggested she tell the magazine's caller who told her she'd made the magazine, that she was in New York City.

While at the New Yorker offices, Molly enjoyed the "fun" room that included bowls of fun sized candy bars and was intrigued by the couch stacked high with books sent in for review that nobody seemed interested in picking up. Authors hoping for reviews would be very disappointed.

Molly didn't see her photo, however, until it came out. But she's very happy with it after first seeing it online and then in a printed version of the magazine as her mother bought several copies in Eastern Iowa.