Summary:
I have been a journalist for more than ten years. I have written for both general-interest and special-interest audiences and in a wide range of genres, from hard news to profiles, opinion to service-oriented pieces. I have a particular interest in urban issues, political activism, economics, the environment, parenting, and sex/sexuality, but I have covered a wide spectrum of topics and am always interested in delving into something new. I have particular interest and experience in the fields of community development and affordable housing and frequently take on extensive research and writing projects on a consultant basis in those fields.

Experience:

Consultant and Freelance Writer and Editor: 1999–present.

I've done numerous writing and research projects (policy reports, technical assistance material, briefing papers, internal research memos, newsletter articles) for organizations including: National Housing Institute, PolicyLink, Living Cities, NACEDA, the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, the Honest Weight Food Co-op, and the Independent Press Association.

My freelance journalism has appeared in Babble.com, Metroland, City Limits, E Magazine, Planners Network, Real Money (now Real Green), and Shelterforce. For more details, see my clips page, or send me a request for hard-copy clips.

I also do wide range of copyediting projects for publishers, institutions, and individuals: academic books and journals, trade books, reports, Web sites, proposals, and more. See my editing page for more.

News Editor, Metroland: August 2003–May 2006.

At this newsweekly, I was responsible for the news and lead-feature sections. This included editorial planning; writing features, news, service-oriented articles, and arts pieces; editing all parts of the paper; and managing two staff writers, freelancers, and interns. I also began my ongoing biweekly column, Looking Up, which won a first-place 2006 Altweekly Award.

Project Director, Urban Homesteading Assistance Board: June 2002–July 2003.

As part of the senior staff of this nonprofit, I handled all the communications needs of the office, including writing, editing, and distributing an e-mail newsletter for supporters and press; writing news updates and co-op profiles; webmastering and some grantwriting.

Managing Editor, Shelterforce: March 2000–March 2002.

I managed the entire editorial and production process for this national community development magazine. This involved keeping track of developments and trends in the field; writing frequent feature articles; editing all parts of the magazine; and coordinating outside writers, staff, designers, printers, and advertisers to bring each issue together. I also served on the EPA’s taskforce on smart growth and affordable housing.

Assistant Publisher, Shelterforce: September 1998–March 2000.
Editorial Assistant, Shelterforce: June 1997–September 1998.

Education:

Mediabistro: Fact-finding seminar, Summer 2002; Copyediting seminar, Winter 2003; Humor Writing for Journalists, Winter 2003; Online copyediting class, Winter 2007.

Pratt Institute, Graduate School for Planning and the Environment: classes in urban planning, 1998-2000.

Oberlin College: BA in environmental studies and biochemistry, 1997.

Related Experience:

Served as a judge for the 2004 Pennsylvania Press Association Awards.

Founded the Sex-Positive Journalism Awards.