A stickler for the rules, Justin Loughrey prides himself on consistently following every standard operating procedure by the letter. His first post-college job found him working as a quality-
Writing, Editing and Technical Communication
“Use the right word.”
Oakland native Lia Mezzio says her mother—an English major who taught her early on to love reading, writing and languages—“was fond of saying that with a thesaurus in
A career in the trades renovating homes, to a new one as a speech pathologist, and then to work in editing. That's Megan Rupert’s career journey. The commonality is that each requires strong
Think about your daily life: You write texts and emails to friends, family and colleagues. You make comments and posts on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter (or whatever that becomes now that it’s X Corp
The technology that we know today was in its infancy when Scott Barney headed off to college. A career in communication wasn’t in his sights either.
Professional Sequence in Editing and Professional Sequence in Technical Communication graduate Amber Fischer grew up in Boulder, Colo., attended Colorado State University and earned a degree in
In March 2020, my UC Berkeley Extension class shifted suddenly from a live classroom-based course to one held via Zoom. Although I initially found the platform challenging, I soon realized that
For Natalie Lynn Harrison, finding her path in life via non-traditional educational opportunities is not something new.
Neither is getting creative to get her writing out into the world.
Sure, you can ask Siri or Alexa to tell you a joke, add something to your grocery list or set a timer. You can even have your Tesla drive itself. The future of AI is here and it’s trickling down
Milly Vega already had more than 10 years of professional writing experience under her belt when she enrolled in our Professional Writing Program. She had worked as a communications technician, a
Maria Heintzinger has never been to Mars, the planet.
Maria has always lived in the surrounding communities of Pittsburgh and graduated from Mars Area High School. For college, she chose
“I would not have applied to nor been accepted to an M.F.A. program if it weren’t for the instruction I received through the Certificate Program in Writing,” says Lisa Riddiough, who graduated
Every year, students in and graduates of the Certificate Program in Writing, along with students in our visual arts programs, have the opportunity to submit their creative writing or artwork for
Electing to take nonfiction writing classes while working toward an international relations degree at Grand Valley State University, Kathryn started to gain experience that would later solidify as
Adelle Brunstad’s passion for writing and telling stories that promote change started in her early adolescence.
While she’s only 19, Adelle doesn’t consider her lack of business experience
When I first contacted Certificate Program in Writing graduate and author Bill Truran, he had just heard back from his editor about his first manuscript since finishing the certificate. And how
You could say Tracy Locken partially owes her career direction toward freelance editing to a junior high school choir—and her tween daughter.
Writing essays and short stories may not be on Nancy Tompkins’ career path. But it is now part of who she is.
How does an art curator and events assistant end up in a writing and editing career in financial services? Well, for Alison Kranz, it was by way of two internships in Sacramento.
“As is common with many English teachers,” Barbara says, “I thought of myself as a teacher who might have been a writer if my life path had led me there instead of into the classroom. I had
Early on, Stephanie Martch knew that a combination of science and writing would make up her career path. What she didn’t know was that a proficiency in editing would be the skill that would
Cathleen Small is enthusiastic about teaching.
That enthusiasm and ability to engage a class stems from her experience teaching freshman composition while pursuing her master’s degree in
Specialized Program in Professional Writing graduate Helen Schultheis has a “great love for storytelling, and a knack for educating and entertaining consumers.”
This is not surprising:
You started a piece of fiction or nonfiction in a recent writing class or workshop, and since that course has ended, so has your writing. What are the next steps to keep your work-in-progress from
Introduction to Writing Fiction and The Craft of Reading instructor Marc Schiffman, M.F.A. (Ph.D. equivalent), has taught a variety of writing and literature courses over the years for the
When you take published poet Clive Matson’s Exploring Creative Writing course, you get an opportunity to experiment and discover your writing potential in a safe and supportive learning
Not many people would think the roles of baker, musician and editor are all connected. But for Harlow Carpenter, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, life is all about
For as long as she can remember, Aliceanna Stopher has always been writing. At a young age, she wrote to keep herself occupied. Later on, she attended creative writing classes and an intensive art
North Carolina–based Elizabeth Bobst is more of a “rule-fudger than a rule-follower.”
A longtime educator—from middle- and high-school English teacher, to college admissions reader, to
Like Marie Coreil, you might already have a long, satisfying career in one industry when you suddenly find yourself wanting to pursue something new. For 23 years, Marie had taught medical
For many, summer reading lists conjure up memories of a list you received at the end of the school year and needed to complete by the start of the next (Berkeley freshmen, this is for you: reading
On Thursday, March 27, 2013, Ken Mandelkern had an aha moment. It was after supper, and he was on the couch reading A Farewell to Arms as his kids slept upstairs and his wife, Annie,
What kind of story can you tell with just 100 words? Turns out, you can write stories that are complete with plot, written with care and still within that limited word count. And Lynn Mundell,
“I remember being unable to sleep one night—and thinking about the various inadequacies of the job I was working at the time—and somehow realizing that writing was something I had been denying
More than five years ago, Vincent Chu took an important step toward officially becoming a writer: enrolling in The Craft of Writing, a required course in the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program
Jane Anne Staw may be the Bay Area’s horse whisperer for writers. A successful writer herself, Staw has served as a teacher and writing coach for hundreds of people through her private classes, at
“Nay, an I tell you that, I’ll ne'er look you i' th’ face again: but those that understood him smiled at one another and shook their heads; but, for mine own part, it was Greek to me.”
“It wasn't just one single moment that I had this cataclysmic kind of thought; it was more that I had a calling my whole life and then I finally yielded to it."
—Extension Honored
When Thomas Farley enrolled in Creative Nonfiction Workshop, he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. Already a published writer of nonfiction for magazines, newspapers and websites,
“He is such a naturally talented teacher that I bet a knitting class with him would be fun and informative,” a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Writing student wrote in one of Daniel
“Write what you know.” Every time I speak to one of our writing graduates, this is the first piece of advice I hear for someone to beat the odds and get their work published. Another piece of
Few people find inspiration when they receive a rejection letter. But for instructor Alan Schroeder—a writer who began pursuing the genre of children’s picture books on a whim—rejection letter
"I can't get a job if I don't have experience, but I can't get experience if I don't have a job." Writer Lorna Walsh became well aware of this catch when she switched gears to embark on an editing
You’ve taken a creative writing course and now you have a collection of stories or a memoir or a novel. You’ve decided that being a writer just might be your calling. So how do you go about
Not everyone is cut out to fully commit to higher education at 18 years old. Or at 22. Or even at 54. But what UC Berkeley Extension Honored Instructor Jane Anne Staw finds great about her
Fade in: It is a crisp winter day in Northern California. Discussing the dream of “making it big” is award-winning independent filmmaker and UC Berkeley Extension instructor Megan Siler, who
Many writers dream of one day being published. Not many people aspire to call themselves an editor. Yet editing is a competitive field, and the skills required to be a successful editor are very
As part of your education in the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Writing, you have the opportunity to share your prose with the community at large in "Ursa Minor," the student arts and
National Novel Writing Month is a literary event in which writers pen a 50,000-word novel during the month of November—and it can be one of the most exciting challenges a writer can undertake.
Now in the thick of University of San Francisco's M.F.A. in Writing, post-bacc writing grad Rose Heredia reflects on the good preparation for graduate school that she received at Extension.
You'd think writers would excel at filling out graduate school applications and submitting personal essays, right? Even if your writing chops are top-notch, you'll want to make sure you are fully
Poets Studied and in Conversation instructor Laura Walker recently published "story," a collection of poems about how we form the stories we tell ourselves.
Getting her writing published didn't come easily to Lisa Riddiough. Rejected by agents and editors for a children's picture book, Riddiough found herself needing a formal program to strengthen her
Not only is Lorna Partington Walsh enhancing her creative writing by learning the ins and outs of editing, she’s also helping other editors launch their careers in the field.
For Professional Sequence in Technical Communication graduate Dianna Bautista, it was during her final year of studying biochemistry and cell biology abroad that she realized she wanted to pursue
After a short career break from being a software engiener, Sreevani Sreejith re-emerged with a career change to technical writing.
It takes a leap of faith to follow your passions—especially when you're an undergrad and have to declare a major. Aisa Valenzuela never faltered in her faith in writing.
In the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Writing, Laurie Blanton is gaining new tools and structure to finesse her psychological fiction novels.