Stephanie Anderson Witmer

Harrisburg, PA USA
Website: http://www.stephanieandersonwitmer.com/
Contact

Professional Experience

I write about health, wellness and lifestyle topics for magazines and websites. My work has been published in Redbook, USA Today, Good Housekeeping, Women's Health, Prevention, Parade, Yoga Journal, Civil Eats, Daily Parent, Better Homes & Gardens, Forbes Travel Guide, and more. I've created brand content for Bed Bath & Beyond, UPMC, GoodRx, Electrolux, Volvo CE, CORT, Fig Industries, Capital Blue and more. In 2007, Chronicle Books published my cookbooks, KILLER PIES and KILLER CHILI. I'm a former magazine managing editor and teach college-level writing and journalism courses. I tell stories that are compelling and well-crafted but also cleanly written and strongly reported. I freelance full time, and I'm always looking for new projects, large or small, national or regional. I'd love to work with you. You can reach me at StephanieAWitmer@gmail.com.

Expertise

Writer
25 Years
Editor
16 Years
Copywriter
10 Years

Specialty

Food
25 Years
Health
20 Years
Lifestyle
25 Years

Industries


Academia Teaching
18 Years
Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines
15 Years
Magazine - Local/Regional magazines
25 Years

Total Media Industry Experience

25 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

DailyParent.com (10+), USA Today/Studio Gannett magazines (10+), The Penn Stater alumni magazine (3-5), Women's Health magazine (3-5), ExplorePAHistory.com (copyediting) (3-5), Central Penn Parent (3-5), CivilEats.com (3-5), Better Homes & Gardens (1-2), Redbook (1-2), Central PA magazine (10+), Food & Wine (1-2), Country Sampler magazine (6-10), Masthead Media (10+), Prevention (10+), Yoga Journal (10+), Parade (3-5)

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Electrolux (10+), Parragon Books (6-10), ExplorePAHistory.com/WITF, Inc. (3-5), Fig Industries (copywriting & proofreading) (10+), Downtown Carlisle Association (PA) (1-2), Keybridge Communications (copyediting) (1-2), Creative Vision (1-2), Volvo (1-2), Yoga at Simply Well.com (copyediting) (1-2), Capital Blue (10+), Bed Bath & Beyond (3-5), CORT (3-5), Hertz (3-5), UPMC (3-5), GoodRx (3-5)

Other Work History

blogger, freelance writer, freelance editor, copywriter, copyeditor, proofreader, fact-checker, managing editor, online magazine founder/editor, cookbook author, writing instructor/professor

Technical Skills

blogging, AP style, magazine design, digital storytelling, copywriting, fact-checking, proofreading, editing, reporting, content marketing, research

Computer Skills

Mac, Windows, MS Office Suite, Dreamweaver, HTML, Adobe Creative Suite, SoundSlides, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, UI/UX

Equipment

MacBook Pro laptop, printer, DSLR camera, fax machine, scanner, copier, podcasting equipment, digital voice recorder, iPad, iPhone, Adobe CC

Awards

Gold Award for feature-writing, International Association of Business Communicators (2001); nominated for CRMA Feature-Writing Award (2001); nominated for PSU English Dept. Teaching Award (2005)

Associations

Society of Professional Journalists, American Society of Journalists and Authors

Showcase

FOOD + ENTERTAINING

Great pie spots from around the country
A family favorite: Christmas chocolate-crinkle cookies
How to use the whole plant --- scraps, peels and all
New takes on the classic
Recipes and ideas for food that kids will actually want to eat
Throw a great gathering in no time flat
A cheesemonger's advice for picking the perfect cheese and wine to create an amazing cheese course
Vinegar, or shrub, cocktails are arguably one of the oldest of the vintage-cocktail trends, dating back to the Colonial era. They fell out of fashion for many, many years, but they're back---and tastier than ever.
Short profile of artisan cheesemaker Kristian Holbrook of Doe Run Farm (Pa.)
Versions of homey favorites that are elevated enough for a dinner party or special occasion but still deliciously familiar
A round-up of unusual ice cream flavors, including candied bacon and duck fat caramel soy sauce
One company is making ergonomic tools for women farmers.
Green Heron Tools makes farming tools for women
Ideas and recipes for planning a more "the-more-the-merrier" kind of Valentine's Day
Raspberry-rhubarb pie from Cascadia Bakery in Victoria, BC, Canada
Getting kids to eat their veggies, starting with the summer's bounty of squash and zucchini
A look at Easter food traditions, including a family recipe of my own.
Lobster has a reputation for being decadent and fancy, which may spook some home cooks into attempting to make it themselves. You don't need to leave it to the pros - just keep it simple.
Food article about Harvest, a environmentally focused, local-foods restaurant in Hershey, Pa.
Sometimes couples want to keep the wedding part of a wedding to themselves and throw a reception later. Here are some tips to avoiding hurt feelings and social faux pas in the process.
Old-fashioned apple pie from The Little Pie Company, New York City

FEATURES + PROFILES

Profiles of 4 fearless women: Mindy Budgor, Anna Chatten, Niki Nakayama and Rebecca Chopp
Tattoos provide healing power for breast cancer survivors
A short profile of the indie-folk trio Vulcans, the WXPN Voices pick for Fall 2013.
Short profiles of the winners of the magazine's kids' photography contest
Profile of David Rees, creator of the cult-fave, critically acclaimed comic strip "Get Your War On"
Feature about the Carlisle Indian School, a boarding school for Native American children. Won IABC Gold Award for Feature Writing. Nominated for CRMA feature-writing award.
A summer camp for kids grieving the loss of a parent, sibling or other family member
A look at some of the Corps' most unusual jobs and the six compelling people who do them
Treatment for breast cancer often means surgery, and women find their bodies irrevocably changed as a result. No one understands this better than a survivor herself. Here are 4 women, all breast cancer survivors, who created companies to meet the specific needs of a woman's body after breast cancer.
Profiles of 4 fashion/jewelry designers who live and work outside of NYC, the world's fashion capital
Many elementary, middle and secondary schools are integrating some form of farming or gardening into their classrooms and cafeterias. The chance to connect kids more closely with science, technology, engineering and mathematics — disciplines known as STEM — and other educational concepts as well as to the food they eat is among the reasons why.
Q&A with Seattle filmmaker/musician/juggler Greg Bennick

HOME + GARDEN

Corral clutter, make a meal plan, and more
A tour of the kitchens of two restaurateur couples
An inside look at a funky city warehouse-turned-loft & the super-stylish couple that inhabits it.
Integrating emerald, Pantone's Color of the Year pick for 2013, into your home and wardrobe
No more cubicles and no more overhead fluorescent lighting. Design your home office right.
Kid-friendly room and closet design
What's one of the quickest, cheapest and easiest ways to freshen up your space? A new coat of paint!
Professional organizers offer their tips for getting your home and your time streamlined in the new year.
A roundup of Easter craft ideas from around the web
A Pennsylvania family and their English-style cottage prove that less is sometimes more.

PARENTING + FAMILY

A web round-up of kid-friendly Thanksgiving recipes and other fun holiday diversions
Four tips for raising more confident kids
A roundup of the best Valentine's Day crafts and treats for kids
Your pet's well-being depends on how carefully you keep toxic substances out of reach. Here's how.
The challenges and triumphs of single parenting
Roundup of spook-tacular (yep, I said it) Halloween ideas from the web
In a perfect world, our children would enthusiastically comply with requests to clean their rooms and eat their broccoli every time we asked. Alas, we parent in the real world, where our appeals may more frequently be met with a "No way!" instead of the cheery "OK!" we crave.
Roundup of great gift ideas from around the web
Tips from photographers for getting perfect family photos
A web round-up of fun (and spooky) Halloween activities to do with the kiddos
It's this time of year, when all of the attention is on gifts and holiday feasts, that parents can introduce children to the concepts of gratitude and giving.
Profiles of 5 mompreneurs who are making life easier for other moms
Choosing the right doctors for your child
Planning guide for kids' birthday parties

HEALTH + WELLNESS

ABOUT 40% of men and 24% of women in the US frequently snore. Several categories of over-the-counter products claim to be able to silence the racket, as long as the snorer shows no signs of sleep apnea (high blood pressure, daytime fatigue, or gasping or choking during sleep). Apnea should be treated by a physician, says Nitun Verma of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine; OTC aids won't help. "Things that fix apnea also fix snoring," Verma says, "but things that fix snoring may not fix apnea." A regular snorer tested four types of devices; here's what he found.
Food experts -- Mark Bittman, Melina Jampolis, David Kessler, Brian Wansink and the Real Food Moms --- weigh in on the easiest ways to improve you & your family's eating habits
It's not just you: More people are suffering from allergies than ever before. The advice these doctors give their closest pals can help you get relief and enjoy spring again.
The benefits of exercise -- in particular, prenatal yoga -- during pregnancy
As the title says, migraines are more than just headaches.
A look at the possible promising benefits of aspirin

TRAVEL

Tips for traveling with kids by car, by train and by plane
A destination guide for the Laurel Highlands region in Pennsylvania

BOOK REVIEWS

A review of Amanda Stern's novel "The Long Haul" (Soft Skull Press, 2004).

ESSAYS

I was invited to be a guest blogger on novelist Rebecca Rasmussen's blog, for which I wrote about motherhood, writing and finding some time for myself.

General