Fran Severn

Salisbury, MD USA
33 Years Experience

Professional Experience

A freelancer with the ability and interest to write about everything from a school for butlers in London to an engineering analysis of a dam collapse. My primary interest in travel and lifestyle, but I love writing for the trades because there is so much neat 'stuff' out there. I am fascinated by the unending variety of wisdom and wonders of the world. My business card reads "Eclectic Adventures & Traveler's Tales." That sums it up.

Expertise

Coordinator 8 YearsReporter 20 YearsWriter 30 Years

Specialty

Business (general) 20 YearsLifestyle 25 YearsTravel 25 Years

Industries

Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines 30 YearsMagazine - Local/Regional magazines 27 YearsMarketing (in-house) - Small to mid-sized corp. cl 15 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

  • Maryland Life (1-2)
  • Smithsonian Air & Space (1-2)
  • Recreation News (10+)
  • Chesapeake Taste (3-5)

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

  • Am. Brd. Quality Assurance Physicans (1-2)
  • Insight Travel Guides (3-5)

Awards

AP Radio Documentary on Teenage Suicides; NATJA Honorable Mention "Going, Going, Gone!" (Chesapeake Life); "Smoky the Bear" award for coverage of KY forest fires

Associations

International Food, Wine & Travel Writers; US Dressage Federation

Other Work History

Author, "Art Drives on Delmarva;" PR Director, MD Office of Tourism; Consultant to Talbot County (MD) Office of Tourism; Community Relations Director, Upper Chesapeake Health System; Owner "Quick Trips Motor Coach Tours"

Technical Skills

Sony Vegas Editing; Adobe, Windows, and Canon Digital photo editing.

Foreign Language Skills

I speak British, Australian, and American English.

Computer Skills

Proficient in Word; comfortable with Vista's eccentricities

Equipment

HP Pavilion PC; Canon Rebel XSi; Flip Video; Sony Digital 8 Handicam;

References

Connie Yingling, PR Director, Maryland Office of Tourism; Nadja Maril, Editor, Chesapeake Taste: Holly Smith, Maryland Life; Joe Sugarman, Editor, Style Magazine; Marvin Bond, Editor, Recreation News Magazine; Debbie Dodson, Director, Talbot County Office of Tourism; Astrid deRidder, Insight Travel Guides; Kimberly Gorman, American Board of Quality Assurance & Utilization Review Physicians

General

Going, Going, Gone!
(Chesapeake Life Magazine 1/1/2000)
The weekly auction in Crumpton, MD is legendary for its size (3 auction areas), its length (9 am until sunset), its draw (dealers from as far away as Texas), and its longevity (since 1963). This piece won an Honorable Mention in the NATJA Travel Writing Contest.
The Games People Play... and Play...and Play
(Baltimore Jewish Times 7/27/2026)
A fun piece about people who meet weekly to play their game of choice: Mah jonng, poker, pitch. There's some professional insight as to why people develop these long-term associations, with the profiles of the groups illustrating the principles.
Luging and Lovin' It
(Recreation News 7/27/2026)
First person account of trying both ice luge and street luge. Too much fun to be legal!
Distinct Features
(Avid Editiing 7/27/2026)
A look at creative ways Avid clients are using their product. This piece focuses on a production house in Ottawa, Canada that is using the product to move from commercial and advertising work into feature film.
Sneeze Souffle
(Delta Sky 7/27/2026)
First-person account of participating in a clinical trial of a vaccine for cat allergies. Sure, clinical trials are important, but when you are hooked up to a device that measures the amount of dander in the air, then locked in a room with several shedding cats while techs watch to see if you can still breathe, it's not your average medical experiment. Only at Johns Hopkins!
George Washington Ate Here
(Recreation News 7/27/2026)
It's a dark and gloomy night in Valley Forge. GW, LaFayette, and Von Steuben discuss where to eat. George worries about his teeth and there's this question about American Express Cards... Most of the places they discuss still exist and still serve visitors, tourists, even Tories.
Something to Remember Us By
(Niche Magazine 5/1/2000)
A look at the world of corporate gift-giving, primarily gifts from the high-end 'craft' world. Niche is a magazine for owners of high-end craft galleries.