Oh, hey. I'm Gretchen Kalwinski, a writer, editor, and crafter of content.
A bit about me: Early in my career, I worked as a copyeditor and arts and culture writer and editor. More recently, I’ve tackled copy and content strategy for organizations like Glantz Creative, Crate & Barrel, Walgreens Boots Alliance and Blue State Digital, worked as a copy manager/director for Fortune 100 brands, and dabbled in UX writing. This hybrid of marketing and publishing experience gave me a great foundation for helping organizations find their authentic narrative.
Work History
I earned my B.A. in Communications from Indiana University, and my career began with an editorial assistant position at the University of Chicago Press. I soon went on to help edit publications like Feminist Response to Pop Culture and Venus Zine.
My first big cover story was for the Chicago Reader, about an exotic feline rescue center. Then, as a features editor at Time Out Chicago, I wrote and edited culture, arts, and lifestyle stories ranging from festivals to spas and travel.
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In 2007, I co-founded the now-defunct Chicago literary website Literago.org with Eugenia Williamson which won accolades from Lonely Planet and Chicago Magazine. In 2010, I transitioned from journalism to copy. I also won a Ragdale Artist Residency for fiction and began an M.F.A. in creative writing at Northwestern University. During the next few years as a senior copywriter at TransUnion, I wrote B2B copy. In evenings, I worked on my own writing, wrote literary blog posts for Triquarterly, and attended classes for my master's degree.
ABOVE: At a creative writing residency at Ragdale, circa 2009.
After completing my MFA studies in 2014, I struck out as an independent writing and communications consultant. Since then, I have tackled business, travel, and lifestyle stories (for Orbitz, The-Midst, and The Dodo) and marketing projects for Crate & Barrel, gravitytank (later Salesforce), and Blue State Digital. At content agency Imagination, I wrote/edited for a B2B project management publication, producing features, planning social content, and supervising other editors. In 2024, I served as Managing Editor of women’s health site The-Midst.com, significantly optimizing their content and workflow processes during my term. I’ve also held in-house creative team copy managerial roles at Walgreens and the American Medical Association (as Copy Director and Senior Copy Manager, respectively).
View my copywriting portfolio →
View my resume →
View my communications portfolio →
I’ve spoken, consulted with, and been on panels for orgs like the Chicago Artists Coalition, WBEZ, Printers Row, Northwestern University, Chicago Tonight, Bad at Sports, and WGN Radio.
Want to work together?
Fill out a quick form about your needs or just email me at gretchenkalwinski@gmail.com.