Professional Materials

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:

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:

PROFESSIONAL WRITING

Below are samples of professional writing materials that I authored:

JOURNALISM

Below is a small selection of articles that I have published:

WEBSITE COPY

I wrote copy for the following websites:

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