Resume

Skills
Advanced daily reporting and writing. Experience covering religion, crime, courts, local government and schools at a metro daily. Have also done investigative and enterprise work, as well as online and multimedia work. Have extensive experience reporting and writing features for newspapers and magazines, and have developed a passion for food writing.

-Read my clips by clicking on the appropriate category under the navigation bar.

-Read my blogs: biscuitpower.com and New River Notebook

-See my multimedia productions:

Audio slideshow: Getting ‘back to basics’ with Blacksburg, Va., herbalist Lauren Cooper

Video: Making flour the old-fashioned way at Big Spring Mill in Elliston, Va. 

Video profile: Blue Ridge Baby Cheesecakes

Audio slideshow: Green living: Affordable housing in Blacksburg’s historic district

Audio slideshow: Hokies at Home: Virginia Tech band

Audio slideshow: Setting an example: Blacksburg couple takes small steps in movement to keep Mother Earth “cool”

Awards
2008 Edible Communities scholarship and writing contest
-Won a special mention award for essay “Wilt sallet: rediscovering a once proud mountain tradition.” The contest is held in conjunction with the annual Symposium for Professional Food Writers at The Greenbrier in West Virginia.

2004 Landmark Award for Excellence in Journalism for feature writing
-Won second place for a portfolio of 10 features, including stories about the revitalization of the historically black Mt. Airy United Methodist Church in Riner, Va., and a profile of the first female general manager of the Hotel Roanoke, who inspired her community when she was diagnosed with cancer.

Employment history
2004-Present, Blacksburg reporter, The Roanoke Times, New River Valley bureau, Christiansburg, Va.
-Covering 7-member town council, local politics, features, investigative and project stories in a university town of 45,000. Have also covered major crime stories, a Congressional election and a case before the Virginia Supreme Court. Also write food stories and columns for the features section. Have produced audio slide shows and shot video to accompany stories.

1999-Present, freelance writer
-Reported for Southern Exposure, an investigative news magazine, and Appalachian Voice, a news tab, both published in North Carolina. Covered issues such as new research into the workings of slavery and its legacy in current race relations, conversion of old Virginia tobacco farms into an organic vegetable cooperative in far Southwest Virginia, a movement by the Virginia Indian Tribal Alliance for Life to gain federal recognition and various other issues and events across Virginia.

2002-04, editorial assistant, The Roanoke Times, New River Valley bureau, Christiansburg, Va.
-Covered religion, arts and entertainment and general assignment in a 4-county area. Coordinated two large community events calendars for a zoned tab and various other clerical jobs. Served on the company-wide Council for Leveraging Difference, a committee implementing diversity initiatives.

2000-02, assistant online editor, Roanoke.com, Roanoke, Va.
-Administered travel, business and arts and entertainment Web sites for Roanoke.com; reported and edited various stories and columns. Served on the newsroom Diversity Committee.

1998-99, adjunct English instructor, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
-Taught first-year rhetoric and composition classes.

1996- 2000, library reference assistant, Virginia Tech library, Blacksburg, Va.
-Taught classes in Internet and database research methods and staffed reference desks in sciences and technology, social sciences and humanities.

Education
1996 Master’s in English, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
1993 Bachelor’s in English, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.