Spit and Spaghetti #16

[The Stage is on Fire] is a page-turner in which, much like life, there are no easy answers and yet each step of the journey yields insight and hope. This work of heart must not be missed!

Melanie Faith

Creative Writing Teacher, Essayist & Poet.

Katie Steedly’s first-person piece [The Unspeakable Gift] is a riveting retelling of her participation in a National Institutes of Health study that aided her quest to come to grips with her life of living with a rare genetic disorder. Her writing is superb.

The Society of Professional Journalists

In recognition of receiving the Dateline Award for the Washingtonian Magazine essay, The Unspeakable Gift.

I thank you … It is the authenticity of your “class notes”; and it is the delicacy and skill with which you present the nuances of classroom life and the actuality of your students’ and fellow teachers’ lives.

Maxine Greene

Philosopher and Education Scholar

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Pitches from Wind and Wall

Aquent — Copy Writer

I am impressed by your Dateline Award for Editorial work with Washingtonian Magazine. Could you share the story behind ‘The Unspeakable Gift’ and what made that piece particularly impactful?

[A sample question posed on the application.]

I am a woman living with Turner syndrome — a genetic condition in which a female is missing all or part of an X chromosome. The syndrome occurs in one of every 2,500 live female births. Ninety-eight percent of babies with Turner syndrome are miscarried. My diagnosis was delivered when I was 15, following a year of pain, blood tests, and questions. It changed everything. I shrouded my diagnosis in silence for years — except when talking with my medical team — until I participated in a study at the National Institutes of Health, one of the few places in the world studying people like me. (I was living in Washington, DC at the time, right down from the National Institutes of Health, and decided to break my silence. Writing “The Unspeakable Gift” — https://washingtonian.com/2013/08/06/the-unspeakable-gift — was my effort to find my voice.

CR Sustainability — Grant Writer

[A portion of the cover letter sent to CR Sustainability.]

I have written successful grants and proposals throughout my career. As a program evaluator, research associate, and contractor, I have participated in the entire grant cycle — from all sides of the funding table. Past successful grants, proposals, and reports have included those to the United States Department of Education, state education and public health agencies, and foundations of varying scope and size. Specific to sustainability-related funding, my experience — across the fields of public health, education, and workforce development, for example — equips me to creatively garner funds for CR Sustainability.

NETWORK — Grant Writer

[A portion of the cover letter sent to NETWORK.]

Creating a healthier, safer, and more just world propels my professional journey. As an applied researcher, I am adept at communicating technical program language to diverse audiences. As a writer, I have developed compelling narratives that effectively articulate impact, innovation, and thought leadership. I bridge research, policy, and practice across diverse contexts to promote social justice, build and sustain relationships, and increase organizational capacity.

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