Listen, some of us know what we’re going to do from the age of six. We live lives aligned to a core desire that haunts us, inspires us, compels us.
And others…well, we know we are looking for magic, but the question of where to find it takes us all over the map.
I’ve been an adjunct professor and personal assistant, a light opera company member and retail manager, a speculative fiction writer and PhD historian. But my magic, it turns out, was waiting for me at home, at my desk, where I build and untangle stories.
In 2022, I launched Lodestar Editing & Coaching to celebrate that magic, finally bringing all my skills together in one place.
When you hire me, you’ll get my organizational mindset, classroom acumen, and professional writing and editing expertise brought to bear on your project, whether that’s an academic monograph, a folklore-inspired short story, or you–a work in progress as a writer, determined to find publication.
“Alex has engaged with my work with a thoughtfulness and sensitivity that I have been consistently impressed by. They always take great care to root down to the thematic core of my stories and to understand my creative intentions, offering precise and useful feedback that have helped to strengthen my work.”
Isha Karki, Clarion West ’19, PhD Candidate, London
You’ll also reap the benefits of my training. I earned my PhD in modern British history and science and technology studies (STS) from the University of Illinois in Chicago. There I edited hundreds of student and colleague projects and also completed the teaching track option, earning a certificate in the philosophy and practice of teaching history. Following my PhD, I attended the incredible Clarion West Writers Workshop here in Seattle, where I honed my speculative fiction narrative craft and learned how to professionally critique fiction. And most recently, I’ve completed the Editing Certificate out the University of Washington.
Taken together, my life skills, my education, and my interests uniquely position me to work on your projects with empathy, keen insight, and good humor.
I’ve put down the map, and I’m here for you. In fact, there’s no place else I’d rather be.
(Except maybe the forest.)
Lodestar Editing & Coaching 