More About Me
I wrote my first story in third grade—and haven’t stopped writing since. It’s how I process the world. As an adult, I became a freelance journalist so I could chase the stories that piqued my curiosity. I was sure if the subject grabbed me, it would grab someone else, too.
Whether or not I was right, the belief powered me forward. It’s what helped me overcome very deep doubt that anyone would want to read an essay about a military wife’s solo-parenting travails during her husband’s wartime deployment. But I submitted that essay, which was published by the New York Times’ Modern Love column—and it paved the way for my memoir, Standing By: The Making of an American Military Family in a Time of War (Penguin Random House).
Because my memoir headlined during the Iraq War—and was one of the first stories of that conflict by a military spouse—many opportunities to write essays, op-eds, articles, and book reviews came my way. As an author, I was also, to my great surprise, the subject of other writers’ stories—a perspective that humbled me and changed my own writing. I redoubled my efforts to portray the topics that interested me and the people I interviewed with all of the complexity and nuance that I granted myself, and knew to be true of my own difficult situation.
Telling hard stories clearly—without sacrificing detail, humanity, or humor—became paramount.
I found the opportunity to do that in an unexpected place. At the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC), development projects change lives, communities, and markets, but results are hard to capture in a way that appeals to mainstream readers. I was primed for the challenge. As a consultant on the corporate communications team, working closely with internal staff on large-scale corporate campaigns and strategies, I told the stories of people who benefitted from development finance.
Over 16 years—sometimes on mission teams reporting from places like Barbados, Brazil, Mongolia, and Senegal—I wrote hundreds of feature stories, newsletter articles, annual report pieces, and other content. Several stories received industry recognition and were among the most highly-ranked stories on the World Bank Group’s website.
The feedback confirmed for me that readers respond to even the most specialized content if presented jargon-free and in compelling, relatable language. It sparked a desire to keep challenging myself. I welcome additional clients with this same challenge: bring me your toughest topics. Let’s create something inspiring.