I am a contributing editor at The Establishment. If you're a writer, you can read our pitch guidelines, or contact us at getestablished@gmail.com.
Before that, I was the editor in chief (and founding editor, and managing editor, and copy editor, and art department, and payroll) for Archipelago, a Medium publication. I have also been a full-time editor at Grist and a part-time contract editor at Atlas Obscura.
Before that, I was the editor in chief (and founding editor, and managing editor, and copy editor, and art department, and payroll) for Archipelago, a Medium publication. I have also been a full-time editor at Grist and a part-time contract editor at Atlas Obscura.
And I can also work with you.
I am accepting clients for private editing and coaching. I excel at helping you figure out what you meant to say—whether that means structuring your thoughts, unearthing your thesis, polishing your sentences, scaffolding your argument, or just building something beautiful for you. Got a personal essay in you, but don't know where to start? Trying to make a cover letter stand out? Full of opinions, but not sure how to frame them? Struggling with your dating profile or your wedding vows? I can put the words in your mouth that you always knew were there.
But you don't have to take my word for it.
"Jess is that rare editor who keeps you sounding like you, only better. Her precision and empathy are a combination that any writer would be lucky to benefit from." –Meredith Talusan, BuzzFeed
"Jess is by far one of the most beautiful editors I've worked with. She has the ability to transform your work and the insight to pull for the message from your words that you did not even know you were going for. If I could make her my editor for everything I write, I would." –Carol H. Hood, freelance writer
"Logically, I understand editing is an important part of the writing process, but I still run the risk of vomiting every time anyone dares to make even the smallest of revisions to my work. When I first looked at the edits that Jess had made to the first piece that we worked on together, that feeling went away. On my second pass, I started to see the genius of her changes, how even the most minor tweak improved my work. Her intelligence, instincts, and thoughtfulness have finally made me understand and appreciate the value of good editors in general and her value in particular. There is no other editor I work with that makes me feel safer or less physically ill." –Sarah Kurchak, freelance writer
"Jess can write a killer headline, and any good joke I ever made was actually hers. She has that magic instinct for story ideas that will take off into the traffic stratosphere. She is also one of those rare editors who you want to hand your most important work to. When she figures out how to make a piece better (and she will), not only does she point the way to a path forward, she finds the way to make it the story you intended to write all along." –Sarah Laskow, Atlas Obscura
"What Jess does is a kind of magic: she's able to clearly structure the chaos in your head into a coherent narrative. I've appreciated her insight, intellect, and ability to make illuminating connections across different ideas and disciplines." –Susan Wu, entrepreneur
"Jess is by far one of the most beautiful editors I've worked with. She has the ability to transform your work and the insight to pull for the message from your words that you did not even know you were going for. If I could make her my editor for everything I write, I would." –Carol H. Hood, freelance writer
"Logically, I understand editing is an important part of the writing process, but I still run the risk of vomiting every time anyone dares to make even the smallest of revisions to my work. When I first looked at the edits that Jess had made to the first piece that we worked on together, that feeling went away. On my second pass, I started to see the genius of her changes, how even the most minor tweak improved my work. Her intelligence, instincts, and thoughtfulness have finally made me understand and appreciate the value of good editors in general and her value in particular. There is no other editor I work with that makes me feel safer or less physically ill." –Sarah Kurchak, freelance writer
"Jess can write a killer headline, and any good joke I ever made was actually hers. She has that magic instinct for story ideas that will take off into the traffic stratosphere. She is also one of those rare editors who you want to hand your most important work to. When she figures out how to make a piece better (and she will), not only does she point the way to a path forward, she finds the way to make it the story you intended to write all along." –Sarah Laskow, Atlas Obscura
"What Jess does is a kind of magic: she's able to clearly structure the chaos in your head into a coherent narrative. I've appreciated her insight, intellect, and ability to make illuminating connections across different ideas and disciplines." –Susan Wu, entrepreneur