ABOUT ME
I grew up on the salty shores of Maine, daydreaming, journaling, devouring books of any kind (but especially coming-of-age novels, from Jane Austen to Judy Blume), and living for Sassy or Seventeen to land in the mailbox. While I'd often sit on my tree swing and compose magazine stories in my head, I never dreamed about a career in writing, exactly. But once I got to college, joined the school newspaper and began putting my writing out into the world, I knew I'd never stop. During two internships, one at The Boston Globe, I began collecting local and national newspaper bylines. As an on-the-ground correspondent, I got to cover a plane crash, a hurricane, and Al Gore's visit to a local classroom during his presidential run. During my time as a Globe intern, I also became the first college student to win the New Hampshire Press Association Rookie of the Year award.
Newspaper reporting was an incomparable training ground, but the second I got my journalism degree, I took off for New York City—the dream of being a writer at a big-name, glossy women's magazine having finally taken shape. My route there wasn't exactly linear. I ended up coding business articles at Dow Jones financial newswires (gotta take what you can get!), then became associate editor for two fashion trade magazines. While nobody I knew had heard of these magazines, I got to travel to trade shows around the world while honing industry skills, like how to wrestle a rolling rack into the trunk of a cab during rush hour in midtown. I also got to write, write, write, and climb the ladder quickly; at age 27, I became editor-in-chief of the iconic childrenswear magazine Earnshaw's, where I managed a staff of editors, oversaw all aspects of production, and planned/hosted an annual runway show.
That job was a dream in many ways (including: my own office overlooking Herald Square—with a Sephora downstairs!). Yet deep down, I still wanted to know what it was like to work at a big-name newsstand magazine. Thus, when I was offered a research editor position at Martha Stewart Living, I saw my chance. There, I was immersed in a new word of creativity, perfection, and absolute obsession with detail. I was low woman on the masthead, but I offered to write articles in a pinch whenever the editors needed me. And when Martha Stewart launched Blueprint—a brilliant publishing experiment that magazine lovers talk about to this day—I got the job of staff writer. This felt like my big break, and I got to help create fresh, funny, smart stories that sounded different from anything out there at the time.
I thought I'd never leave Marthaland, but Glamour came calling. The executive editor had read one of my funny Blueprint articles on a plane, and I was summoned to Conde Nast to interview for an open beauty writer position. This was the big time, and I definitely didn't have the hair or heels for the job—but I got it. I went to work in the hallowed halls of Four Times Square during the heyday of magazine journalism. Conde Nast was said to have show ponies and work horses, and I was proud to be one of the latter (even while eating dinner at my desk at 9 p.m.). In addition to writing for the magazine, I helped launch the brand's web presence via one very popular blog.
I eventually left Glamour to go freelance, and have had the opportunity to write for so many more of the publications and brands I grew up admiring, and to deepen my expertise across topics. These days, I particularly love writing first-person essays, health features, and profiles of interesting homes and spaces—especially in Maine. After decades in the NYC metro area, I recently moved back to the salty coast with my husband and three kids—my grownup version of living the dream.