Morgan Vega's Blog

I’m gonna cut to the chase: read banned books, and fight censorship.

My employer Penguin Random House (PRH) was named as a TIME’s most influential company of 2025 for battling book bans and protecting the freedom to read. It’s honestly the topmost reason I’m grateful to work at PRH, as working for a publisher that has values that align with my own (and take action on those values) is crucial to me.

Get to Know Me: Penguin Random House Employee Edition

PRH defends books in court, partn...

In case you missed it, I work at Penguin Random House, and I’m an employee ambassador.

New Job Announcement! (Plus Donate to the Freedom to Read Foundation with Me)

Get to Know Me: Penguin Random House Employee Edition

The ambassadors have a book club, and our first pick was The Compound by Aisling Rawle. I’d heard it pitched as Love Island meets The Hunger Games, so I was intrigued and looking forward to picking it up.

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ICYMI: Not only do I work at Penguin Random House, I’ve recently been selected as an employee ambassador.

Get to Know Me: Penguin Random House Employee Edition

So for my first ambassador responsibility, I’m excited to share that Penguin Random House is celebrating Book Lovers Day with free bookish merch!

Buy a book today on Book Lovers Day, August 9, 2025. Submit the form with your purchase info, and if you’re one of the first 2,500 people, you’ll get to pi...

Announcement: I’ve been selected as a Penguin Random House employee ambassador!

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I’ve been on quite a career journey, so to now work at the #1 book publishing company in the world doesn’t feel like real life. Someone pinch me.

Here’s an introduction to me as a publishing professional and Penguin Random House employee.

March 10, 2025

Also, ch...

I went to the beach post-marathon, and let me tell you, I needed the getaway. Ocean waves are truly my brain’s hard reset.

Top 3 Audiobooks I Read While Training for My First Marathon

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I read 5 books while laying in the sand and trying to fix my runner’s tan. My ratings and reviews are below and also up on The StoryGraph!

I also picked up one of...

I went to the beach post-marathon, and let me tell you, I needed the getaway. Ocean waves are truly my brain’s hard reset.

Top 3 Audiobooks I Read While Training for My First Marathon

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I read 5 books while laying in the sand and trying to fix my runner’s tan. My ratings and reviews are below and also up on The StoryGraph!

I also picked up one of...

I did it. I ran my first marathon.

Last month, my little sister and I ran the Jackson River Scenic Trail Marathon together.

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We trained for 6 months, we ran almost 400 miles, and I listened to 7 audiobooks while running.

5 Audiobooks I’m Reading While Training for My First Marathon

Here are the top 3 audiobooks I read while training for my first marathon. (Thank you to the Libby app and ...

Back in December, I shared 3 Reasons Not to Romanticize Working in Publishing and that I had left my supposed dream job in publishing. I job searched for almost half a year while working part-time and picking up freelance editing gigs.

Now, I’m thrilled to announce that I have a new job at Penguin Random House!

If you would’ve told me that one day I’d work for PRH, I wouldn’t have believed you. I’m incredibly grateful, especially to the women in publishing who’ve mentored me, advocated fo...

I barely read last year.

On top of all the horrors going on (and still going on) in the world, I quit what I thought was my dream job, and I lost motivation for most of my passions. Reading included.

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I’m off to a better start this year, though.

I reactivated my account on The StoryGraph, set my reading goal to 100 books, and plan to document my reading journey—starting now! Especially becaus...

Last week, I started training for my first marathon.

My little sister and I are running the Jackson River Scenic Trail Marathon together in June.

I ran cross country in middle and high school, so I’m used to racing 5Ks/3.1 miles. (Below is a picture of my high school cross country team from over 15 years ago. I’m in the green sweatshirt, and my little sister is the one beside me with the snacks.)

I started running again 5 or so years ago. I still remember the first week into my retu...