Tracy Zollinger Turner

 (614) 329-1658

writearm.com

tzt@writearm.com

 

Professional Experience

 

Freelance Writer & Editor, Writing Instructor July 2001-Present

-        Official Columbus ÒStorytellerÓ for the KnowledgeWorks Foundation, actively researching, identifying issues and composing written projects about urban high schools as they undergo large-scale educational reform for print and new media. May, 2004-Present.

-        Arts, entertainment, feature story and news contributor for a variety of publications, including the Columbus Alive, Citysearch.com, bankrate.com, Hotchalk.com, Columbus Dispatch and others.

-        Associate Editor of Dialogue: The Art, Architecture, and Design Journal of the Heartland. Sept. 2002-Jan. 2004,

-        Instructor of ÒWriting Poetry in Response to Art,Ó a seminar for gifted students in the Westerville School District, May, 2002.

-        Instructor of class in Feature Writing, Thurber House Literary Camp, Summer 2002.

-        Copywriter, editor and web site designer for several state & local businesses, including the American Massage Therapy Association of Ohio and Meyer-Jabara Hotels.

-        Contributor, smART Kids, an educational magazine about the visual arts for children.

 

Senior Editor, columbus.citysearch.com September 1999-July 2001

-        Assigned, edited and wrote service journalism pieces about leisure, dining, the arts, sports and entertainment in Columbus.

-        Managed daily content for the local site and its partnership with MSN.com.

-        Tracked page view and newsletter statistics to gauge reader interest in content and develop more informed editorial judgment.

-        Managed Associate Editor and multiple freelance writers.

-        Led the siteÕs growth from 15,000 to 750,000 page views per month.

-        Member of national Editorial Advisory Board.

-        Winner of several internal company awards.

-        Consistently led the national network in overall growth for a local site.

 

Freelance Writer, Editor & Radio Producer January 1997-September 1999

-        Regular arts, entertainment, feature story and news contributor for the Columbus Dispatch, Columbus Alive, Ohio Magazine, office.com, Dialogue and WCBE public radio station/Infohio Network.

-        Editor of Columbus Bride and Cincinnati Weddings magazines.

-        Web site copywriter, editor and designer for several state & local businesses.

 

Staff Writer, Columbus Guardian August 1993-December 1996

Arts, entertainment and news feature writer.

Coordinated photography and collaborated with Art Director on layout of all stories.

Coordinated and laid out weekly calendar listings.

Edited short arts stories, a weekly music column and various seasonal guides.

Worked in a collaborative environment to plan the editorial content for weekly issues, write eye-catching headlines and create well-designed covers.

 

Staff Writer, Suburban News Publications August 1992-August 1993

School and city beat reporter.

Produced 10-15 stories per week.

 

Awards

 

Silver Wilmer Shields Rich Awards, Council on Foundations, 2007, ÒMost Likely to Succeed: Real-life stories of progress in five redesigned urban high schools,Ó ÒTo a Higher Degree: Real-life progress in four early college high school,Ó ÒPrimer: Telling Stories of the Human Side of School Reform.Ó

 

Silver Wilmer Shields Rich Awards, Council on Foundations, 2006, ÒSmall Moments, Big Dreams: Real-life stories of progress in five redesigned urban high schoolsÓ

 

First Place for Best Local Political Series, The Association of Alternative Newsweeklies' Annual National Awards, 1996.

 

Education

 

            Hampshire College, 1988-1992

Bachelor of Arts degree  - American History & Literature/Creative Writing

The Ohio State University, 2003-2004

Graduate non-degree courses in creative nonfiction, literary journalism and folklore field research.

 

Skills

 

Writing

I have written literally hundreds of feature articles for publication, mostly on the subjects of art, education, travel, parenting and music, as well as several about health, technology, business and legal issues. I am a strong interviewer with solid organizational and research skills.

 

Editing

As an editor, I can assist with deeper, structural organization, or recast existing copy for publication in other mediums (print, web site, audio, blog).

 

Web site design/maintenance

Throughout my career, I have felt it important to always remain in touch with the possibilities and constraints of the various media in which my writing has appeared. In addition to mastering layout and publishing software programs for print publications, I learned to hand-code HTML early on so that I would be able to publish directly online. I am proficient in several photo-editing programs, but prefer Adobe Photoshop. I have designed a few basic web sites, including my own, writearm.com.

 

Software

Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress, BBEdit and multiple FTP programs. Able to work with multiple photo editors, blogging platforms, word processing programs and web editors. Working knowledge of HTML code, ability to work with CSS and Java. Some audio/video editing experience with CoolEdit, Garage Band and iMovie.