Elaine K. Howley is an award-winning freelance journalist and editor based in Boston, Massachusetts. A southern New Jersey native, Howley holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in publishing and writing from Emerson College in Boston.
Specializing in sports, health, and history topics, Howley previously served as publications manager for U.S. Masters Swimming and managing editor of SWIMMER magazine. Her freelance work has appeared in TIME, U.S. News & World Report, AARP.org, Atlas Obscura, espnW, and Outdoor Swimmer magazine based in the United Kingdom. She is a member in good standing of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the Association of Health Care Journalists.
A lifelong swimmer, Howley is an avid marathon and ice swimmer who has completed the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming (solo swims across the English Channel and Catalina Channel and a solo circumnavigation of Manhattan Island) and was inducted into the Vermont Open Water Swimming Hall of Fame in 2018. She was the first person to swim the 32.3-mile length of Lake Pend Oreille in Northern Idaho.
Subjects
Open water swimming, marathon swimming, ultra-marathon swimming, ice swimming, history of sports, history of science
Skills
Writing Credits
5280 magazine
AARP.org
American Archaeology
Association of American Medical Colleges
Atlas Obscura
Buildings magazine
CARA magazine (Aer Lingus inflight)
Chi blog (Athleta.com)
Colby magazine
Environmental Business Journal
espnW
Inked
iAdvance Senior Care
Lucent magazine (American International College)
Medscape
MGH Institute of Health Professions
Mushing magazine
NEM News
Cross Currents (NYC Swim)
Outdoor Swimmer magazine (formerly H2Open magazine)
Priority Press (EORM)
Redivider
Sandpoint Magazine
SMPS Marketer
SWIMMER magazine
Triathlete magazine
TIME
UConn Magazine
U.S. News & World Report
WellesleyWeston Magazine
Book Credits
Coming fall 2021 from CG Sports Publishing
by Thomas Gompf with Elaine K. Howley
”The great sport of diving finally has its story told. And, Olympic bronze medalist, Tom Gompf, is the perfect storyteller. Tom began diving as a youngster and now, decades later, he’s still on the front line. A Life Aloft is about Tom’s passion, which expanded diving from city pools to international venues across the globe. His journey is remarkable and special in so many ways. You will enjoy every minute.” —Micki King, two-time Olympian and 1972 Olympic gold medalist in 3-meter springboard diving.
A PASSION FOR FLIGHT
Back when he was first learning to fly an airplane, Tom Gompf found himself applying terms from his beloved sport of diving to the maneuvers he was mastering. The line began blurring between the two disciplines, and he realized being a pilot and being a diver had an awful lot in common. Both were forms of flying.
Being airborne, aloft, free of the bonds of gravity—that, for Tom, has always been the stuff of life. As an Air Force officer serving in the Vietnam War and a commercial airline pilot for 30 years, Tom knows his way around an airplane. And, as a champion diver who earned the bronze medal in the 10-meter platform diving event at the 1964 Olympics, Tom has found numerous ways to soar physically.
A devoted husband, father, friend, and mentor, Tom’s ongoing work in support of Olympic divers through endless hours of volunteer service and as the “father of synchronized diving” has certainly left an enduring legacy that’s increased opportunities for others to fly, too.
In all things, Tom has sought to climb up to the next rung, offering a hand up to those around him as he’s crept skyward in his lifelong pursuit of high flight. In “A Life Aloft,” Tom reflects back on what he’s learned from pushing himself and the sport of diving to ever greater heights.
Awards, Honors, Appointments
1st place, 90th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, Print/Online Article Category (2021) for “Surfacing an Aquatic Diaspora” published by Outdoor Swimmer magazine under the title “Power and Water” in the February 2021 issue.
8th place, 90th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, Print/Online Article Category (2021) for “The Loneliness of the Black Long-Distance Swimmer” published by Outdoor Swimmer magazine in the August 2020 issue.
9th place, 90th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, Print/Online Article Category (2021) for “The Native Origins of Freestyle” published by Outdoor Swimmer magazine in the March 2021 issue.
1st place, 89th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, Print/Online Article Category (2020) for “The Other Side.”
4th place, 89th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, Print/Online Article Category (2020) for “Torture Swim.”
8th place, 87th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, Magazine Feature Article Category (2018) for “Bewitching Belief.”
6th place, 86th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, Magazine Feature Article Category (2017) for “Supernova Sarah Thomas.”
2nd place, 84th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, Magazine Feature Article Category (2015) for “Bearing Witness.”
10th place, 83rd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, Magazine Feature Article Category (2014) for “Ageless Wonder.”
1st place, 82nd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, Magazine Feature Article Category (2013) for “Tiny Titan.”
8th place, 82nd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, Magazine Feature Article Category (2013) for “Mighty Underdog.”
1st place, 81st Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, Magazine Feature Article Category (2012) for “Greek Goddess of Kitchen and Block.”
As author, unless indicated otherwise.
Contrary to the enduring myth, Africans have always been expert swimmers. Published by Outdoor Swimmer magazine in the February 2021 issue, later awarded first place in the 90th Annual Writer’s Digest Competition (Print/Online article category) under the title “Surfacing an Aquatic Diaspora” https://www.writersdigest.com/wd-competitions/writers-digest-90th-annual-competition-print-or-online-article-first-place-winner-surfacing-an-aquatic-diaspora
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