Selected Writings
Professional Writing
Personal Writing
As a writer, I have produced content in a variety of styles, from academic to humorous, beginning with my undergraduate work in Art History, and leading to my current job writing copy for TripAdvisor. With a degree in library and information science and experience working at reference desks and archives, I am able to conduct detailed research and fact-checking using libraries, databases, and Internet resources.
I am an avid, if not obsessive, user of the Internet, and have been blogging under several different screen names, most of which are best forgotten, since 2003. I have been a member of many blog and forum communities, and enjoy participating and engaging in Internet-based discussions.
Professional Writing
Copy Writing
As a writer for TripAdvisor, I have created original content that appears on the live site, as well as in TripAdvisor publications. I have researched and written descriptions for hundreds of destinations, including forty world capitals and over eighty popular North American cities. In addition, I have researched, fact-checked, edited, and generated copy for over a hundred downloadable travel guides, examples of which can be downloaded using the following links:
Brussels Fall/Winter Destination Guide (pdf)
Undiscovered Caribbean (pdf)
Top Ten Bets for Bargain Travel Guide (pdf)
Some examples of my writing for the site and the guides follow. Each of was tailored to meet a specific set of requirements, depending on the assignment.
Located on the island of Guadalcanal, Honiara was built on land that saw some of the bloodiest battles of WWII. Now the capital and base of tourism to the beautiful Solomon Islands, this city offers something to satisfy the desires of history junkies, nature lovers, shoppers, and everyone in between. Spend your days picking up crafts at the outdoor markets or exploring the Botanical Garden’s orchid collection, and your nights eating coconut crab and playing Pacific Poker, two local specialties.
Join the local ghosts in a walk through the historic district of Fredericksburg, Virginia, a city that claims to be one of the most haunted locales in the United States. With a long history dating back to pre-Colonial times, and a legacy of slavery and war, it is no wonder that so many unhappy phantoms wander the streets. Visit the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, marking the spot of four bloody Civil War battles, or Ferry Farm, the boyhood home of George Washington.
Every year, the USARPS Championships determines the best American player of Rock Paper Scissors. Organizers claim the game is over six million years old, more popular than soccer, and responsible for the winning of the American Revolution, so clearly there’s a lot at stake when competitors with nicknames like “Wicked Fingers” battle for the title and the $50,000 prize.
All TripAdvisor content © 2008 TripAdvisor LLC All rights reserved.
As the online resource developer for the Learning & Teaching Office at Ryerson University, I am responsible for researching and updating the Resources page for the LTO website. Since starting at Ryerson, I have cleaned up numerous pages, added new resources, and implemented metadata and search capabilities.
I am also responsible for producing monthly issues of Best Practices an education newsletter aimed at the faculty and teaching staff of Ryerson University. I designed the layout and graphics and research and write the material contained in each issue. January 2010 marked our inaugural issue. A complete archive of all issues can be on the past topics page.
Blogging
As a blogger for Shameless Magazine, a Canadian feminist magazine for "girls who get it," I am responsible for writing concise and entertaining posts aimed at informing and engaging young women interested in feminism and critical thinking. I am responsible for writing about media, pop culture, and advertising in an entertaining and thought-provoking manner. My posts use a tone that won't alienate teen readers while simultaneously inviting a discussion of complex topics and ideas. You can access all my posts on my profile page. Some excerpts follow:
Note to Ad Execs: Women Like Beer: How can we get the alcohol industry to stop degrading women in order to sell booze? Things I’ve tried so far that haven’t worked: Writing nasty letters to marketing departments, passionate blogging, adbusting, ranting to anyone who will listen. Things I’m not willing to try: Boycotting booze.
Dudes and Dating Shows: Hey MTV, why don’t you try making a bisexual dating show that doesn’t look like one of Hugh Hefner’s wet dreams? Or how about just calling your buddy show what it is and getting rid of all those women in bikinis that are always standing around in the background? I assure you, no one is paying attention them. Why not learn the same lessons that 20 years of Real World fans have absorbed, and start treating women and queers with respect?
Before There Were Blogs: Way back in the day, before the internet came to dominate my life, I was into zines. Even now, after years of blogging, I still miss the time when a page layout was completed using scissors and a glue stick, and when the chick who could beg, borrow or steal the most alone time with a photocopy machine was the most popular girl in the room.
Personal Writing
Canadian Club: Your Mom Had Groupies is a participatory fake ad campaign that I started as a way to protest the sexist Canadian Club ad campaign, "Damn Right Your Dad Drank It." The project received 17 additional submissions from readers and attracted the attention of the marketing department at Beam Global, the manufacturers of Canadian Club. "Your Mom Had Groupies" has been featured in Time Out Chicago, Shameless, Racialicious, and the f-word.
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