Inside Scoop: Careers in Writing

Do you have a talent and passion for writing, but are not sure how to pursue it as a career? Do you want to know what it really takes to become a successful writer? Whether you are interested in creative writing, publishing, technical writing, PR/communications, or blogging, the Career Center's Inside Scoop: Careers in Writing event is for you. This event will be held on Monday, October 3, 2016, from 12:00 to 1:00 PM in the Commons, Room 331. Come meet a panel of local professionals to hear how the launched their writing-based careers. Panelists will include:

Seth Sawyers (UMBC '95) is a writer whose creative nonfiction and fiction has appeared in The Rumpus, The Millions, Salon, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Sports Illustrated, The Baltimore Sun, and elsewhere. An editor at the Baltimore Review and a former adjunct instructor with the UMBC Department of English, he is at work on a novel. He also works as a sales writer for a healthcare firm based in Columbia.

Jamaila Brinkley (UMBC '05) spent ten years writing technical documents for government clients before retiring to use all of her pent-up creativity to write fiction and raise her family. She is the author of historical romance with a hint of magic. Her first book, Thieves' Honor, was released in May 2016 from Soul Mate Publishing.

Stephanie Shaffer (UMBC '13) is a former English and French double major, Writing Fellow, and Writing Tutor at UMBC. Now, she is an editor at iJET International, which provides intelligence-driven, integrated risk management solutions that enable multinational organizations to operate globally with confidence.

Megan Hanks (Lehigh University '11) is now the STEM Communications Manager at UMBC. She held a full-time internship at a public relations agency outside of Philadelphia and then went to work for a different public relations company. She got her first official job at a membership organization for physicians where she did public relations, media relations, and internal communications.

This is a great opportunity for students interested in pursuing writing beyond the classroom as a potential career. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Kacie Lawrence, Acting Associate Director of the UMBC Career Center, at klawrence@umbc.edu. No registration or RSVP is required.

Posted: September 30, 2016, 7:56 AM