Professional Portfolio
I've written countless articles and features for publication as a crime and safety reporter for a regional newspaper, a staff writer for a university public relations office, and a communications manager for a nonprofit with a 35-year history. A few of those articles are listed below, along with various projects tackled as a writer- and editor-for-hire. Local, regional, and national publishers have distributed my writing and my ghostwriting; several projects and pieces were recognized with statewide and national awards.
Contract Writing & Editing
Jackalope Stories by Jake Nickens
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The Politics of Language: Byrhtferth, Aelfric, and the Multilingual Identity of the Benedictine Reform by Dr. Rebecca Stephenson
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Freelance Writing
- "Timeless Textiles: Kordal Studio," BayouLife Magazine, September 2019
- "5 Compelling Reasons You Need to (Finally) Write Your Story," TheWriteLife.com, May 2017
- "Uniting for a great cause: Jody Stratton and the Children’s Coalition," The News-Star, March 2017
- Content writing for WordAgents
Career Writing
- Most promotional content on UNO's Research News page, January 2019-April 2022
- "How Economic Development Works in St. Tammany," NaviGATOR, September 2018
- "Certified Sites Foster Growth," Inside Northside Magazine, November 2016
- "Workforce development, equipping job-seekers for future idustry," Inside Northside Magazine, July 2016
- "In Development," Inside Northside Magazine, November 2015
- Articles for The News-Star while working as the crime & safety reporter (most archives lost in August 2014 software update)
- Many of ULM's features and press releases for local news media, January-September 2013
Poetry
- "At Bay" forthcoming in Ellipsis: A Journal of Art, Ideas, and Literature, Vol. 49, 2023
- "Estranged" forthcoming in HOOT, a postcard review of mini poetry and prose
- "Everything, the Crumbs" in Backchannels Journal, Poetry Edition, April 30, 2023
- "Grandmothers" in The Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle, Vol. 88, April 2013
Awards & Honors
Poetry
Publishing
Professional
Personal & Scholarly
- 2023 Vassar Miller Poetry Award, Honorable Mention, University of New Orleans, March 2023
Publishing
- DartFrog Book of Distinction, DartFrog Books, September 2017
- 2017 EPIC eBook Awards Finalist in Fantasy/Paranormal Fiction, Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition, March 2017
Professional
- O. Ray Cornelius Scholarship, Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association, November 2017
- Award of Merit, Southern Economic Development Council Communications Awards, Medium Div, July 2015
- First Place Investigative Writing Award, Louisiana/Mississippi APME Professional Contest, Division II, June 2015
- Second Place Best Investigative Reporting Award, LA Press Association Better Newspaper Competition, Div I, June 2015
- Silver Award for Institutional Relations Program/Project, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, April 2014
Personal & Scholarly
- Premio Gabriela Mistral, Sigma Delta Pi: National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, April 2013
- Student Worker Team of the Year Award, University of Louisiana at Monroe, April 2012
- Outstanding Student Award in English, College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, May 2011
- Undergraduate Best Essay Award, English Department at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, December 2010
- Undergraduate Best Essay Award, English Department at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, December 2010
Speaking Engagements
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The Ouachita Parish Public Library invited me to give a 15-minute, grant-funded talk to teenagers involved in its summer reading program on June 19, 2017. My presentation "Self-Publishing: It Started in High School" focused on the writing process, self-publishing, and methods for remaining motivated as a young writer. Approximately 15 students between the ages of 13 and 21 attended. Excerpts from the presentation can be viewed on YouTube. |