If there’s any particular niche I’ve established over the past five years, it’s writing profiles of successful people. I’ve always enjoyed the approach of learning about someone ambitious, interviewing them about their accomplishments and distilling their inspiring story in a succinct 800-worder.
Thankfully, working with alumni magazines has given me that opportunity to apply that format throughout my career, and this past quarter was no exception. Below check out several profiles I wrote for alumni pubs representing universities such as Princeton, McGill and Indiana University. I also included some of my recent work in The Toronto Star and BBC News, two of my most frequent clients.
Alumni magazines
For my first report in 10 years for Princeton Alumni Weekly, I profiled the prolific author Virginia Postrel, who most notably wrote about the history and impact of fabric. I always knew about the Silk Road but not on other nuances related to the clothing we wear and the civilizations built by what we put on our bodies everyday.
I’m now writing biweekly for Concordia’s alumni portal and I had the pleasure of profiling another author, Sarah Bernstein, who is the only Canadian to be shortlisted for this year’s Booker Prize. If you ever wanted to get inside the mind of a creative writer and what encourages them to hone their craft, you’ll want to read this article.
Still in Quebec, I wrote for McGill’s alumni magazine on an enterprising marine ecologist who has a stark warning for us: protect our seagrass. As he told me, “The seagrass reef protects the shorelines, protects our infrastructure, protects our property, and protects our lives. And this protection becomes particularly important at a time when climate change is raising sea levels and is also leading to increasingly strong storms and cyclones.”
Turning to another alumni mag I often write for, for Indiana University I profiled a podcast executive at Spotify who shared his passion for the audio format and how he thinks podcast will mature in the coming year. As a podcast fan, I’ve always been curious about the decision-makers and trailblazers in the space, and chatting with Jon Cohen was truly a wish come true for me. I have another Indiana U report coming out in 2024 and will share that profile in this blog.
BBC News
Continuing my focus on tech and AI for the Beeb, I reported on a timely tech trend: the use of AI and sensors to help companies with wildfire detection. With the surge of wildfires ravaging forests in both US and Canada, I knew this pitch would be attractive to my editor, and I was excited to report on a topic I knew would be engaging for people tracking this news and those affected by wildfires in their communities.
The Toronto Star
It was my 60th article for the Star in the past three years and it was undoubtedly a fave of mine: interviewing a Yiddish expert in Toronto on how the Jewish language has faded in some circles but has been resurrected in others. This interview with Michael Wex gave me the opportunity to share his take on the history of Jewish Toronto and the role Yiddish played in that legacy. I can’t wait to go on a Jewish Walking Tour when the weather warms up in the spring.
If you’re interested in learning more about what I do as a freelance journalist, or if you have questions about my coaching program for freelance writers, email me anytime!
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