Strategic Communications

Much of my work is for mission-driven organizations and falls somewhere between marketing copy and journalism. These strategic communications (i.e., grant proposals, white papers, op-eds, journal chapters, B2B articles, case studies, press releases, newsletters, book reviews, textbooks, brochures) help organizations stay relevant by telling their unique story. This type of writing typically involves a high level of research, strategy, project-management, organizational, and storytelling skills.

Of note: The actual writing/content is very different across these mediums and clients, but what all this work has in common is that the client required not just a solid writer/editor—they needed an incisive thinker and storyteller to uncover and craft the most powerful narrative they could tell in their chosen medium and at a particular moment in time.

*For proprietary reasons, some of this work can't be displayed online; please email me if you’d like to get more info about the projects I’ve tackled.

Thought Leadership/Content Marketing

Oftentimes, the people inside an organization are too bogged down and “in the weeds” to be able to tell their story/convey their “why,” to an external audience. That’s where I step in: I ask thoughtful questions, conduct competitive research, conduct internal interviews, and apply my writing and storytelling skills to produce the perfect narrative, argument, or persuasive context for the project. This work is often ghostwritten; (meaning, someone else at the organization takes the credit for it) and often done for nonprofit orgs. Examples of this type of writing are: Op-eds, journal chapters, B2B articles, case studies, press releases, white papers, newsletters, and book reviews

Clients include: Caring Across Generations, Hearken, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, and Roanhorse Consulting.

Editing

My first job out of college was at the University of Chicago Press, where I learned core copy-editing skills. Since then, I’ve worked professionally as an editor in many capacities: magazine editor, medical editor, and (currently) the managing editor of a digital magazine. Getting my MFA in creative writing at Northwestern University heightened my editorial skills—and gave me an added level of sensitivity around the process. Editing is both a craft and a deeply humanistic activity: You must understand not only the ins and outs of a style guide but also intuit the client’s “voice” and use emotional intelligence to produce the best possible result. Work I’ve edited includes: Novels, journals, textbooks, articles, videos, web pages, brochures, monographs, and pamphlets

Clients include: American Medical Association, Bitch Media, Columbia College Chicago, Elastic Arts, Gertie Arts, The Midst, National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, Sonnenzimmer, Tides Foundation, Time Out Chicago, and University of Chicago Press.

Grant Proposals

I’ve used my writing, editing, strategic and research skills to create innovative and engaging grant proposals that help organizations fund their important work—whether they’re operating a library organization, providing aid to needy children, installing public art, or remediating brown space in an urban community.

Clients include: American Library Association, Children’s Home + Aid, Hammond Urban Enterprise Association and You Are Beautiful.