EDUCATION
Postsecondary
York University
Bachelor of Arts with Honours (Creative & Professional Writing)
2004–2009
Ryerson University
The Nature of Narrative (class)
2012
Seneca College
Student Development and Student Experience (class)
2014
Keyword Creation for Canadian Independent Presses
I created keywords for multiple Canadian presses for a study on the effectiveness of metadata enhancement. (The study is published as: Effects of Keywords on Ebook Sales and Discoverability in the Canadian Context.)
The books that I created keywords for saw an average glance view increase of 381%.
Bibliographic Metadata Repair
Bibliographic metadata is easy to get wrong, and when it's wrong books get lost in the cracks.
I repaired 500 titles to ensure each one is available and searchable.
SEO & METADATA PROJECTS
eBOUND Canada (2018, 2019)
My focus was on preparing metadata and keywords to optimize our clients' online content. I worked on a variety articles across a spectrum of industries, including: dentistry, inbound / general marketing, marijuana dispensaries, sales (B2C, B2B), retail currency solutions, IT, blockchain, cyber defense/security, and more.
SEO Article Specialist
Westman Editorial (2017-2018)
I provided writing / editing / storytelling support to my colleagues across Student Affairs:
Community Manager
I was the Community Manager for the former RyersonStudentAffairs.com—soliciting, brainstorming, supporting, line/copy editing, and preparing content for posting. I worked closely not only with RyersonSA's staff, but guest writers from institutions across Canada and the US.
Storytelling Consulting
I consulted on integrating the elements of storytelling into Student Affairs projects, adding engaging content for a variety of audiences including students, staff, faculty, and campus partners.
I used my writing, editing, and storytelling skills/experience to support colleagues and students to tell interesting and engaging stories about their work, experiences, musings, ambitions, and goals, through a variety of mediums (including blog articles, social media, press releases, presentations, and grant proposals).
Workshops
I created and ran several workshops on writing for colleagues, which included a broad range of storytelling skills:
How to write engaging blog articles.
How to edit your own work.
How to recognize and integrate the elements of narrative (character, plot, setting, conflict) into your projects.
WRITING
I wrote a variety of articles for the #RyersonSA blog, on topics ranging from identity, "Reports Worth Reading", transitional experiences, personal/professional reflection, process, humour, community, and—for one fateful Movember—my beard...
Storyteller:
Content & Communications
Ryerson University 2014–2017
EDITOR-in-CHIEF, MacMedia
McLaughlin College, York University
2007–2009
During my time at university, I became involved with MacMedia, one of York’s student-run, college papers.
I started by submitting articles to the publication in my 1st year. The following year, I was one of only two people (the second being an editor on staff) to have an article in all 8 monthly issues. In my 3rd year I became an editor on staff, continuing to write for each issue while also editing submissions to the Arts section. Finally, in my 4th/5th years, I was elected to be Editor-in-Chief, where I continued to write monthly, edit articles, and organize & lead the editor team.
That Friend who edits
My entire life...
I’ve always been called upon by friends, co-workers, supervisors, and family to “take a quick look” at essays, birthday cards, letters, pitches, break-up texts, nominations, speeches, short stories, and more.
If it’s written down, at some point a person I know has asked me to pull out my editor’s cap and give it a once over. One may think that over the years I’d start to get tired of it, but in truth, my passion to share stories extends to helping others share theirs. I enjoy editing and I’ve never shied away from sharing that skill.