During the past 20 years, I have worked consistently as a professional writer, editor, website manager, and designer. I have published more than 400 articles in a variety of publications, including The Business Ledger, West Suburban Living magazine, Village Profile, and other publications.
I have also served as a ghost writer for Fortune 500 companies, including J.P. Morgan Chase, Morningstar, and Fidelity National Financial, through which I published numerous articles, wrote corporate newsletters, and scripted speeches and other materials.
I continue to publish as a professional writer for many reasons. First, it is my field – I was hired to teach professional writing – and I believe that in order to teach these skills to students, I must have an intimate familiarity with the process myself. Second, it has helped me to establish and maintain industry connections, which I can then use to benefit my students in the form of internships and freelance writing contacts. Third, working as a professional writer has helped me better understand the nuances and systems of writing within organizations, both big and small.
For example, I worked as a website writer for Fidelity National Financial – a Fortune 500 company and the nation’s largest provider of title services in the country. When working with FNF, I use a project management system called Basecamp, which I now use in Arches to streamline processes and maintain open lines of communication among all staff members. It is our salvation, and now students are familiar with and comfortable using a project management system, a tool they can now use without reservation in the workplace.
Most of my professional writing occurs during the summer months, with the exception of blogging (I continue to publish 1-2 blog posts per month). To be honest, the demands of chairing and advising a student organization make it difficult to take on large projects during the academic year.
Below is just a small sampling of my professional work, with a focus on work published during the past three years. My CV details a more exhaustive list of professional publications through the past nine years. Please see my reflection letter for more information about my goals in the area of professional development.
DESIGN & LAYOUT
I serve as Chicago Baseball magazine’s art director, page designer, and website manager. I developed the website, www.ChicagoBaseballMag.com, and designed the following issues of the magazine, including several of the ads:
- Chicago Baseball July-August 2016 Issue
- Chicago Baseball June-July 2016 Issue
- Chicago Baseball April-May 2016 Issue
- Chicago Baseball Playoff Issue 2015
- Chicago Baseball August-September 2015 Issue
- Chicago Baseball July-August 2015 Issue
- Chicago Baseball June-July 2015 Issue
- Chicago Baseball April-May 2015 Issue
- Chicago Baseball August-September 2014 Issue
- Chicago Baseball July-August 2014 Issue
- Chicago Baseball June-July 2014 Issue
- Chicago Baseball April-May 2014 Issue
BLOGGING
I am a blogger for Little Lake County, a hyperlocal parenting website serving Lake County, Illinois. I have published the following posts, which reach thousands of readers throughout the region:
- Your Summer Paradise: Yu Kids Island in Vernon Hills
- Summer Reading Clubs in Lake County
- It’s Full Steam Ahead for the 7th Annual Brain Builder Fundraiser
- Beyond the Books: A Look Inside Aspen Drive Library
- Gas Tank Getaway: The Osthoff Resort
- Winter Children’s Theatre Performances in Lake County
- Review of Yu Kids Island
- 12 Shops of Christmas: Long Grove Confectionery Company
PROFESSIONAL WRITING
Below are samples of professional writing materials that I authored:
- Sample Ad Copy for Title Company
- Capabilities Brochure for Chicago Title
- Brand News – Newsletter for Fidelity National Title
- FNF Brand News – Corporate Precepts
- Energy Brochure for Fidelity National Title
- Flyers for Fidelity National Title Group
- Streamline the Sales Cycle: Enable Your Staff (ghostwriter)
- Fast Forward Newsletter for Prairie Capital Advisors
JOURNALISM
Below is a small selection of articles that I have published:
- Chicagoland Business Elite Magazine: “Timeless Treasure- Behind the Scenes at the Merchandise Mart”
- West Suburban Living Magazine: “Connecting in and Out of the Classroom”
- West Suburban Living magazine: “Entertaining with Style”
- West Suburban Living magazine: “Rethinking Gift Giving”
- West Suburban Living Magazine: “Blessed Are the Sick”
- West Suburban Living Magazine: “Cricket Finds Niche in Suburbs”
- West Suburban Living Magazine: “Nature Abounds”
- West Suburban Living Magazine: “Finding an Audience”
- West Suburban Living Magazine: “Practicing What They Teach”
- West Suburban Living Magazine: “Out of This World”
- West Suburban Living Magazine: “Matters of Degree”
- West Suburban Living Magazine: “Wholistic Learning”
- West Suburban Living Magazine: “Give Him His Props”
WEBSITE COPY
I wrote copy for the following websites:
- Fidelity National Financial
- Prairie Capital Advisors
- Pampered Chef (copy on current site is not mine)
FICTION
I have received the following awards for creative writing:
- Winner, Dogwood Fiction Award
- National Society of Arts and Letters Chapter Career Award
- Associated Writing Program’s Intro Journals Project Award Nomination
- Guy Lemmon Award in Public Writing, Professional Writing Division, Indiana University
- Honorable Mention, Jean Shepherd Literary Award
- Nomination, Best New American Voices
- Second place, IUWC scholarship competition in fiction
- Bertolt Clever Literary Award, Indiana University
- National Society of Arts and Letters, Josephine Piercy Memorial Award
- National Society of Arts and Letters, John McCluskey Merit Award
- Honorable Mention, River Oak Review Short Story Contest