A Fascination with Language

 

When I was four, my nine-year-old brother was teaching me to read.

 

He asked me what words formed in my Alpha-Bits cereal. He wrote the names of my toys on the actual toys. He even made phonics homework and had me identifying consonant clusters!

 

And so began a lifelong love of language. I studied book publishing and editing in college and went on to get a master’s degree in applied linguistics with plans to teach adult ESOL.

 

Instead I became a freelance writer. For over 18 years, I researched and wrote consumer health content in a wide range of specialties, including neurology, urology, nephrology, and oncology. I was especially interested in health literacy and plain language (and I still am).

 

Writing is wonderful, and I still do it from time to time. However, over the past several years, I’ve moved more in an editing and proofreading direction. It’s always been rewarding to help others shape their own writing and get their messages out into the world.​​