This page focuses on bylines from my earliest days as a journalist to present. I have a dented Bankers Box in my garage overflowing with old newspaper and magazine clips spanning more than three decades. I’m sentimental and can’t send them to the trash just yet. I know many journalists who have lost their bylines due to technology and media outlets going out of business. I am one of those, too.
Ghost journalism.
My first byline was with The Burbank Leader (ceased publication April 2020). It was a paid internship and with that first paycheck, I had my sights on a lime green beach cruiser. That purchase ate up my entire check, but it was so satisfying.
I was a real professional now.
As an editor at San Diego Parent magazine, I created local regional content for a national magazine chain, edited, shot photographs and managed freelancers. It never felt like a job. I had the privilege to interview Tony Hawk in my final national profile for the publication. Another favorite interview was Father Joe Carroll. He’s the namesake for Father Joe’s Villages in San Diego and passed away in 2021.
In the early 2000’s, freelancing opportunities were abundant. I wrote articles for Kids’ NewsDay, which was a fundraiser each October for Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego. Meeting the families and children was phenomenal. I can’t express how powerful this is and the journey these families and brave patients face.
Stringing for the San Diego Union Tribune, with magazine supplements and business news, kept me busy.
Other freelance articles have appeared in The Southern Cross, the official newspaper of the Diocese of San Diego. An exhilarating assignment was meeting Sr. Helen Prejean at the University of San Diego. Another memorable story had me interview a San Diego relative tied to Saint Andre, the first Canadian to receive this honor. The article got picked up by the Catholic News Agency, now under the EWTN News umbrella.
Current bylines can be read here:
Sunsets, Wildlife and Limited Care: Challenges of Aging in Place in Rural America | The Daily Yonder
What Every Grant Professional Wants Nonprofit Executives to Know (blueavocado.org)
Journey of a Comic Book Master
Project saves 200 lives in 20 years – Scripps Ranch News
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