Disclosure: Most of my blogging can be found over at On Our Minds @Scholastic. The opinions stated on this blog, though, are all mine and are not in any way affiliated with the companies for which I work.
So, hello! What you need to know: I live in Brooklyn and work full time in children’s publishing at a dream-come-true kind of job. I’m also a YA author, represented by Amy Tipton of Signature Lit.
What you only sort-of should know: I grew up on the shores of South Jersey and every day I miss the sand between my toes, but only the cold sand, because the beach in winter is pretty much my favorite thing ever. I then graduated from The College of New Jersey in 2001 (magna cum laude, English, Women’s & Gender Studies) and moved to the NYC area (too many apartments to count, folks). Sometimes I think I will never leave New York…and other times I think, Why on earth have I stayed so long? This constant battle of wills is exhausting.
What you should definitely care about: I volunteer for Girls Write Now (former 3-year mentor; chair of the advisory committee; member of advisory board). It’s an amazing organization that deserves your (yes, your!) support, and you should check it out. (I was even named 2009 Corporate Mentor of the Year, which is exciting, but it was really all due to my amazing former mentee!)
Writing & Speaking – Professional
As a communications director, currently for Scholastic and previously for Reuters, I speak often about social media for business use, including on panels hosted by:
- AEP’s Content in Context (June 2013)
- 2013 Audio Publishers Association (May 2013)
- Publishing Perspectives – Reaching Readers Book Marketing Conference (May 2013)
- 2012 Social Media World Forum
- Ragan’s PR Daily Best Practices Summit
- Digital Book World 2012
- Farleigh Dickinson University’s 2012 Executive Lectures Series
- 2012 Publishing Business Conference & Expo
- 2010, 2011 BlogWell conferences
- 2010, 2011 Social Media Business Council events
- 2011 Social Media World Forum
- New York Women in Communications 2011 Student Career Conference
- The Author’s Guild, and more
Writing – Creative
- I’ve ghostwritten and managed editorial rewrites for two best-selling teen series.
- Occasionally, I write narrative nonfiction; here’s my piece for PopMatters.com on Tori Amos and feminism; and check out my article in LBI Living Magazine (click on “LivingLBI2010” issue; scroll through to page 42, and zoom in by right-clicking.) and my recent feature on SheWrites.com for National Poetry Month.
- I’ve edited two anthologies for Girls Write Now, which are available on Amazon here and here.
- I was a featured poet on the Gallery of Writing for New Jersey — you can access the poem, a sestina, here.
- I also spent some time as a book reviewer for the blog yareads.com; you can find my reviews here.
Media
Sometimes people interview me! I know, it’s so weird.