PROFILE

Writer and editor with more than 25 years of experience, working as a freelance journalist and editorial consultant with a background reporting on environmental, political, social, and urban issues, as well as arts and culture, for print and online media outlets around the world

EXPERIENCE

Freelance Journalist and Editor (Istanbul, 2008–Present)

  • Feature and news reporting for publications including Apollo, Atlas Obscura, BBC, Bloomberg CityLab, The Christian Science Monitor, Culinary Backstreets, The Daily Beast, Deutsche Welle, Discover, Ensia, Equal Times, Hyperallergic, The Independent, IPS, Lonely Planet, Metropolis, MIT Technology Review, Monocle, The National, National Geographic, The New Humanitarian, Politico, Runner’s World, Sierra, Surface, Thomson Reuters Foundation, The Washington Post, and Wired

  • Writing and editing annual reports, case studies, factsheets, newsletters, press releases, video subtitles, and other communications materials for NGOs and corporate clients, including Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), Pact, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

  • Writing and updating print and online travel guides to Istanbul and Turkey for DK Travel, Fodor's, Lonely Planet, TripAdvisor, Zagat, and other publishers

  • Covered environmental news in Turkey and the region as Istanbul correspondent for sustainability website TreeHugger.com, with additional contributions to PlanetGreen.com (2008-2012)

  • Copy-edited travel guidebook and online content for Lonely Planet (2017–2019)

Communications Consultant, UNFPA (Istanbul, 2013–2021)

  • Generated communications and advocacy materials for UNFPA’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Office on topics related to sexual and reproductive health, young people, human rights and gender equality, and population dynamics and development. These tasks included:

    • Producing and editing online news stories, press releases, factsheets, policy briefs, annual reports, op-eds, speeches, brochures, video scripts, and email newsletters for external and internal audiences

    • Creating and implementing social media campaigns for Twitter and Facebook

    • Updating and maintaining the regional website and social media accounts

    • Working as a rapporteur at conferences and meetings

    • Monitoring and reporting on media mentions in the regional press

    • Participating in organizing communications trainings

Editor-in-Chief, Time Out Istanbul in English (Istanbul, 2013)

  • Directed all day-to-day editorial operations, created all issue line-ups, and edited all copy for monthly events-and-entertainment magazine read by Istanbul’s English-speaking residents and visitors to the city

  • Commissioned and edited features and department pieces, regularly recruiting new writers and keeping to a tight monthly budget

  • Supervised the work of an assistant editor, page designer, photographer, and editorial interns, as well as freelance translators

  • Wrote features and department pieces, focusing on current events, art, and travel

  • Managed magazine’s website and social media presence

  • Collaborated with Time Out International staff on special projects

Front Page Editor, Hürriyet Daily News (Istanbul, 2009–2011)

  • Edited front-page news articles, special projects, and other top stories for daily English-language newspaper

  • Worked with writers, reporters, and copy editors to improve their skills

  • Wrote headlines, spots, captions, graphic text, and other front-page display copy

  • Helped create and maintain editorial style guide and editorial consistency throughout the newspaper

  • Contributed articles on environmental issues and other topics

Senior Associate Editor, Sierra (San Francisco, 1998–2008)

  • Wrote feature, news, and lifestyle articles and created feature packages for nationally circulated environmental magazine with 1.4 million readers

  • Assigned and edited articles from freelance writers

  • Created Sierra’s first green-lifestyle department and promoted it through radio and television appearances and interviews with print reporters

  • Created and wrote the primary content for Sierra’s lifestyle blog, “The Green Life”

  • Edited the book Hey Mr. Green: Sierra Magazine's Answer Guy Tackles Your Toughest Green Living Questions (Sierra Club Books, April 2008)

Freelance Journalist and Editor (San Francisco, 1998–2001)

  • Wired.com — Wrote news and feature articles on the politics and culture of technology

  • SonicNet.com — Copy-edited daily music news content, using AP and house style

  • Wrote and edited for other online and print publications

Associate Producer, CNET (San Francisco, 1997–1998)

  • Wrote daily features and a weekly department on education, science, and the arts

  • Generated article topics, created weekly publishing schedules, and assisted in creating a long-term content development plan

Assistant Editor, MotherJones.com (San Francisco, 1996–1997)

  • Assigned, edited, fact-checked, and proofread daily and weekly news articles, columns, features, and other content by freelance and staff writers

  • Researched and wrote news articles, media reviews, and press releases

  • Planned and executed the redesign of significant portions of the website, supervised HTML production, and helped create and maintain searchable online databases

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

  • Extensive social media, blogging, SEO, and online publishing experience on a variety of platforms and content management systems

  • Experienced at copy editing in both American and British English, utilizing a variety of house style guides, including the United Nations Editorial Manual

  • Experienced at editing texts written by non-native English speakers

  • Photography and photo-editing

  • Upper-intermediate Turkish certification

EDUCATION

University of California at Santa Cruz — Bachelor of Arts in Community Studies with a Journalism minor, June 1996; Regents Scholarship, honors in the major