THE WRITING LIFE

My work as a writer and a creative professional has been rich with meaning, depth and humanity.

I started with journaling and poetry. I was 5 years old when I wrote in my first diary about how cute the New Kids on the Block are. As a child, I loved research projects for school, reading literature and history, and going to libraries and bookstores. At 13, I wrote my first poem, it was about a death in the family. I am a first-generation college student, and I was lucky to be encouraged to follow my heart. I studied English in college, which morphed into studying newspaper writing. After that, I have pivoted in the face of economic challenges, industry challenges, life changes and dream changes. I will always be a writer in some capacity, but I do so in different ways now.

Some assignments have been just plain fun. I drove a giant tractor on an open field in rural Minnesota. I flew from an aerial yoga swing. I watched a cream corn wrestling match. I modeled for a gossip column in a small town. I went on Twin Cities Live once to promote an event for the magazine where I was the editor in chief. I wrote and edited stories about cars, fashion, style, beauty, music and culture. I also wrote about glittery ice cream and multi-million-dollar homes. I interviewed and photographed sweet, hilarious and insightful children. I visited local, regional and state parks (including one created by well-known artist and professor Tony Caponi). I edited columns by an astrologer and a psychic medium. I cracked jokes and swore at the computer screen past midnight with coworkers while eating pizza on election nights. I wrote press releases about a yoga studio and its unique work run by a corporate leader and author. When I worked in downtown Minneapolis and the north loop in Minneapolis, I took the light rail sometimes. I had seasons of my life where I sometimes biked to work, in Minneapolis and in Winona. I’ve gotten to travel, as well; from NYC to Los Angeles to Las Vegas to Washington D.C., I am lucky to have gotten a chance to explore the United States, and it was usually for journalism conferences and fellowships. Unfortunately, the Dutch I learned at the University of Minnesota hasn’t come in as useful as I had hoped it might (it was a fun fact when I wrote about a St. Cloud company with Dutch ties, though). But overall, being a writer means I got to do a lot of fun things.

Some assignments have required grit. I’ve written about murder, sexual violence, fraud, embezzlement and other crimes. I’ve chased down facts about tornadoes, floods and fires. I’ve also written about lawsuits, leadership failures, broken promises, company closures and business layoffs. Doing all of this at times required difficult conversations, as well as calls to lawyers for consultation. Being a writer means staying connected to and telling the truth, even if it’s hard.

I’ve landed in some prestigious places, too. So far, I’ve accepted more than a dozen awards and honors for my work, including from the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication for the Frank Premack Award and the national Society of Professional Journalists. I traveled to Columbia University on a New York Times Foundation fellowship and to Washington D.C. for an economics reporting fellowship from the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism. I met, took classes from and became mentored by Pulitzer winners, seasoned investigative reporters and editors, and other expert journalists across the country. I began my career at The Minnesota Daily, where I was the editor in chief during my senior year; that involved meeting regularly with the president of the University of Minnesota, as well as leaders from the Star Tribune, the Pioneer Press and other prominent institutions. For stories, I frequently visited the Minnesota State Capitol, where I once spoke at a meeting to promote freedom of information. At the height of the Great Recession, I covered housing (among other beats), conducted investigations and wrote series about the economic crisis for a daily newspaper in the fifth largest metro area in Minnesota. There, I also worked closely with esteemed economists to edit their economic reports and to share their expert views of the economy with readers. I helped my Pulitzer-winning friend with website design and promotion for his music in Cyprus, Kuwait, England the United States. I’ve met, interviewed, wrote about and worked with famous and infamous musicians, politicians, business leaders and yogalebrities. I also collaborated with well-known journalists, authors, media personalities and public relations experts. I sat in the VIP row at a fashion show put on by one of America’s most influential nonprofits. I’ve written marketing communications for a corporation with an office in the United Kingdom, and I collaborated with people in corporate offices of Canada and Mexico, as well. I also wrote about and for global corporations with offices or headquarters in Minnesota. During these roles, I have written for audiences as large as 200,000 and I supported multimillion-dollar sales pipelines. The life of a writer can be exciting.

Some assignments have been extremely heartbreaking. I sat alongside two families whose house burned down as I interviewed them and shared their experience. I interviewed survivors of a massive bridge collapse, 10 years after the collapse. I also met a family whose daughter was murdered and listened to their reflections about how they have carried on with their lives, despite the tragedy. I also wrote about the many losses that stemmed from the Great Recession, including in my own industry and even at my own employer. I am deeply honored to have been chosen to know and share these stories (and so many others). I thank each person who I interviewed for trusting me.

I’ve also watched democracy crumble in the United States, and that has been devastating as both a citizen and a writer. I’ve witnessed the collapse of the media industry. I even wrote about layoffs at my former employer. Newspaper reporter is now considered one of the worst jobs in the country, based on environment, income, outlook and stress. I started my career at a precarious time in the economy (2006, right before the Great Recession) and over time I have pivoted as my life and the world changed (as life and the world do). Writers have long struggled with how to make money, but it has become far more challenging in recent years as democracy declined and technology changed. It’s become even harder to be an author.

I’ve also met countless dreamers who inspire people to live better lives. From entrepreneurs to artists to psychics and priests, as well as nonprofit leaders and change makers, I’ve met many people with wonderful dreams who are working to make the world a better place. Certain people are simply wired to change the world. They inspire me deeply. It is important to dream and work toward goals. Hope is necessary fuel for souls. I feel optimistic about the future, and I look forward to seeing where my writing life takes me next.