Rhode Island Freelancers Forum

Rhode Island Freelancers Forum is a loose coalition of working professionals in the publishing field. Our organization is casual -- we have no bylaws or officers or dues -- and membership is open to all. Our activities include occasional meetings and lunch get-togethers, and our purpose is to network, converse, and share in the ups and downs of the freelance life. Members can sign up to participate in our listserv. Editors and publishers in search of local talent are welcome to browse this listing. For more information on R.I. Freelancers Forum, contact Bob Curley.

Membership roster

	Tom Ahern is a writer specializing in direct mail, advertising, brochures, fundraising materials (including case statements for capital campaigns), journalism, and, of course, the ever-popular etc. He presents an acclaimed workshop titled "Love Thy Reader/The Science and Secrets of Effective Communications" throughout the U.S. and Canada (see photo). He writes a food column for Rhode Island Monthly magazine as well as feature articles: on affordable housing, the status of women in the Ocean State, philanthropy ("Rhode Island, the Cheapskate State"), and the devastating side-effects of prostate cancer treatments. For more information, go to his Web site or send email.
	Margaret Balch-Gonzalez is a writer, editor, and science teacher with more than a decade of experience in writing, editing, research, project management, translating, publishing, and teaching. Areas of expertise include social sciences, science, culture and society, current events, public policy, business, and technology, specializing in high-quality reports, analyses, proposals, and articles on complex subject matter. Education includes BA in Biology, Harvard University; MBA, University of Rhode Island. Other skills: HTML editing; bilingual English/Spanish. For more information, go to The Project Writer or send email.
	Alice Barrows writes short articles and edits everything from cookbooks to academic papers for businesses, individuals, and organizations. She edits for the Coastal Resource Center and the RI Federation of Garden Clubs NEWS, and is managing director of a waterfront preservation association. Along with hands-on business and conservation experience, her general knowledge rests on a longstanding interest in science, books, boats, light verse and Narragansett Bay. Her specialty is losing the clutter. No boredom allowed! Contact by e-mail.
	Bob Curley writes about travel, health care, politics, and many other topics. In addition to providing daily content to the Join Together website -- which covers addiction and gun-violence issues -- Bob is a regular contributor to travel publications like Business Traveler, Meeting News, and Wedding Style. He also is the author of a travel guidebook, Rhode Island: Off the Beaten Path, and writes a political column for Rhode Island Monthly magazine. In his career, Bob has edited newspapers and magazines, written about everything from banking to computers to mental health, and interviewed everyone from Tipper Gore to Spike Lee. "If I can learn about it, I can write about it," he says. To contact Bob, send e-mail..
	Mary Grady writes about the environment, aviation, and travel. She is a contributing writer for AVweb, an online aviation magazine, and her feature stories have appeared in Robb Report, Yankee, Rhode Island Monthly, Conservation Matters, and elsewhere. She also teaches college courses in environmental science and geography, and she's working on a multimedia project about Narragansett Bay. For more information, go to marygradyonline.com or send email.
	Paul E. Kandarian has been a journalist for 21 years and a freelance writer for six. He writes about all topics, mainly for Rhode Island Monthly, where he's the regular monthly columnist and occasional feature writer, and the Boston Globe. He also writes for a variety of college alumni magazines and has written for Playboy, Yankee, Banker and Tradesman, American History Magazine, medical journals and parent publications across the country and in Australia. Paul said he will write "just about anything for anyone who'll pay me to write ... that's what freelancing is all about." To reach him, send email.
	Ann MacDonald writes about health, medicine, and science (and regularly experiences the symptoms of whatever she is writing about -- an occupationalhazard). She collaborates with physicians on books about health and medicine,and has published articles in the Providence Journal and the New York Times. To learn more, visit annmacdonald.com or email me.
	Kiersten Marek is an editor, writer, and social worker. She founded the website Kmareka.com, along with her husband, Kevin Marek, poet Laura Cherry, and fiction writer, librarian, and essayist Kathryn Kulpa. Kiersten has published fiction online in Pif, The Ampersand, and Amarillo Bay, and she is seeking an agent and/or publisher for her first novel. As an editor for Kmareka, Kiersten looks for writing with passion, curiosity, and journalistic acumen. You may contact her with queries or manuscripts via email.
	Bob Mariani heads his own advertising/creative services firm, The Creative Dept. In 25 years as a creative director, copywriter, and freelance writer, he's worked for clients such as the Hotel Meridien, Fram/Autolite, Chase Commercial Corp. and Rockport. He has experience in all media from electronic to print and outdoor and has won a number of national and regional awards for creativity. Bob works on a project basis and can assemble a creative team when needed. He's founder and president of the Creative Communications Club of Providence and a restaurant columnist for findRI.com and allaboutjazz.com. He has also written sketches for The National Lampoon Radio Show. Send email.
	Alice Stelzer is a journalist, editor and journal therapy teacher with over 20 years experience. Although journal therapy is a newer field for Alice, she is passionate about assisting individuals to live at their potential best by finding an avenue to their creative centers. Her courses include creative writing, creativity, spirituality/self actualization, and autobiographical/memoir writing. This year Alice has taken her message that there is a tremendous amount of creativity within all of us to middle school students through creativity and creative writing courses. As a journalist, Alice writes for four central Connecticut community newspapers. Contact by email.

Thanks for visiting. Last updated April 2003.