Meet the Committees

The Publications Committee

Get to know the volunteers who keep ASJA running smoothly

In this new ongoing feature, you'll meet the major players on various ASJA committees. We'll put a face with the name (and perhaps entice you to volunteer, if you haven't already).

Gretchen Roberts (chair)
I've been freelancing for almost five years and have been an ASJA member for two. This year I e-mailed (ASJA president) Russ Wild and said I was interested in publications -- thinking I'd be on the committee -- and he said the committee needed a chair. Even though this is my first volunteer job with ASJA, I've been responsible for different publications most of my working life (haven't we all, though!). Frankly, I'm surprised more ASJA members aren't falling all over themselves trying to get this gig, considering that we're all experts at the work of this particular committee.

The publications committee consists of the chair, who oversees content and final proofreading, and committee members, who volunteer to proof as their schedules permit. To volunteer, please contact me or Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, newsletter editor. We always are looking for more proofreaders to add to our list.

Dara Chadwick
I began freelancing almost 15 years ago, after working as a trade magazine editor for several years. I've written for Better Homes & Gardens, Family Circle, Woman's Day, Parenting and Working Mother, as well as other consumer and trade magazines. These days, I write mostly about health, fitness, nutrition and psychology. In 2007, I wrote the "'Weight-Loss Diary"' column for Shape magazine. I'm currently working on my first nonfiction book about mothers, daughters and body image. Working with the ASJA Publications Committee lets me volunteer my time and efforts to ASJA in a way that works best with my schedule right now. Though I'm taking a break from proofing the newsletter at the moment, I enjoy the "sport" of catching typos and grammatical inconsistencies. Volunteering has helped me get to know others within the larger organization, too.

Ellen Count
Crime writing is my forté (www.ewcount.com) but I call it chilling when our ASJA writing doesn't show off to best effect -- even just entre nous in Confidential, and above all in the Public section. Thrillingly, bloopers are minimal lately, so as a proof'er I look harder at style, and maybe spiff up here or there. Proof'ers, by the way, get to be first to read the newsletter's drop dead content. Help keep the killer copy comin' ... join us!

Paula Dranov
Proofing isn't on my list of all-time favorite pastimes, but it isn't hard either, or very time-consuming. When I joined the publications committee, I learned that proof'ing the newsletter was part of the deal so I'm happy to do my bit. Besides, it provides an advance look at the newsletter, and I get to read articles I might otherwise skim or skip. It's a nice window into what's going on in ASJA.

Mary Ann Fusco
For the past 10 years I've written the weekly "'In Season"' column for the Savor food section of The Star-Ledger newspaper from my desk in Leonia, NJ, where I live with my husband and two sons. In my 30-year career, I've held senior positions at Business Week Careers magazine; Attenzione magazine, which focused on all things Italian; the Journal of Organizational Excellence/National Productivity Review, published by John Wiley & Sons; and in the Information Services Division of Prentice-Hall. I've written for 30+ consumer and trade publications and co-wrote The +10% Principle: How To Get Extraordinary Results From Ordinary People (Pfeiffer, 1993).

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, of Italian parents, I majored in journalism and minored in Italian and Spanish at New York University and have a master's degree in Italian from Rutgers University, where my specialty was the literature of southern Italy. Currently I'm looking for a publisher for my retelling of a Sicilian folktale.

Why do I proofread for ASJA? I care about language.

Toni Goldfarb
Several years ago, almost every issue of the ASJA newsletter was marred by scattered typographical errors. What an embarrassment for a writers' organization! When I saw ASJA's "proofers needed" announcement, I realized this was something I could fit into my unpredictable schedule, without committing to more meetings, phone calls, and day-to-day responsibilities.

Plus, I'd get an early look at all the latest ASJA news. Good gig, friendly editor, no hassles. Try it!

Lisa Waterman Gray
I've freelanced full-time since 2000, shifting to mostly regional and national markets -- and more food and travel pieces -- in 2006. I have written for Delta Sky, San Antonio Express-News/Travel, Better Nutrition, Relish, Santé, Restaurant Startup & Growth, Kansas! Magazine, New Mexico Magazine, Triumph (American Cancer Society), RN Magazine, and Potpourri, A Magazine of the Literary Arts. I like proof'ing because I get an inside scoop on what's happening with ASJA, and I can do it on my own timetable.

Mary Beth Klatt
I fell into proofreading for a living by accident. I was all set to pay for my rent, food and decoupage supplies with money earned from writing, when an agency called me in a panic. "Do you know AP style?" they asked. When I responded in the affirmative, the agency sent me into the jungle of proofreading copy at local ad agencies. Direct mail, cookbooks, and radio commercials, I've edited them all. I think that my younger self, who was all set to major in advertising, would be quite pleased to see how I am paying the bills these days. My older self (who got her degree in journalism)? Well, the jury's still out.

Lisbeth Levine
The former copy editor in me couldn't stand seeing errors in the ASJA newsletter, especially when they involved misspelled names. So I raised my hand to proofread.

I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoy editing -- I find it less stressful than writing. My first job out of college was as a copy editor at The News & Record in Greensboro, N.C.; years later, I was a section editor at the Chicago Sun-Times. The newshound in me relishes getting the scoop on Society Page news, PayCheck, Warning List and the Market Report. Proofing has gotten me to read columns that I might have bypassed otherwise, and some of those are gems brimming with experience and insights.

There are no committee meetings, and Barbara has been very understanding when major deadlines have compelled me to skip an issue or two. Proof'ing the newsletter has proven to be a rewarding break from real work -- in other words, a productive way to procrastinate.

Anne Stuart
I volunteered for the Publications Committee (specifically, to work on The ASJA Monthly) for several reasons. First, the actual hands-on work -- writing, editing, proofreading -- is, of course, what I do professionally anyway, so it comes naturally. Second, because the newsletter communicates ASJA activities and messages to the membership (and, to a lesser extent, to the public), it's critical to make sure that its content is as clear and accurate and polished as possible. Next, many members rank the newsletter as among their favorite ASJA benefits, so it's nice to be associated with something that colleagues like and consider important. And finally: I'm a word geek and I truly enjoy the work.

Susan Weiner
Sometimes typos just jump out and hit me in the face. I like being able to use that skill to help the ASJA newsletter. Plus, the newsletter lets me volunteer at my convenience. Sometimes life as a financial writer-editor for mostly corporate clients can be hectic. The newsletter lets me volunteer at my convenience. This volunteer gig doesn't make me feel guilty when I'm too busy to help.

Kathryn Wilkens
I have been an ASJA member since 2005. My articles and essays have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, ByLine, Writers' Journal, Verbatim and others. I really enjoy proofreading for The ASJA Monthly. I think it's because of the joy of discovery; looking for errors and typos is like searching for shells on the beach. It is rewarding to fix a misplaced apostrophe, a repeated word or a word that is easily confused with another (like gantlet and gauntlet). Proofing is not only fun, it's a satisfying way to contribute to the organization.

I'm president of the Inland Empire Branch of California Writers Club. Besides writing, my other passion is digital photography. Some of my photos are posted at www.pbase.com/katwilkens.