I am a Seattle-area editor and writer with a background in history, journalism, philosophy, mythology, archaeology, and music. I have a BA in History, four years of post-graduate work in Journalism, and an MA in Early Celtic Studies.
Editing
After earning a BA in History, I began editing at the daily college paper while studying Journalism at the University of Houston. I have worked as both an editor and a writer for magazines, software companies, marketing firms, a law firm, an encyclopedia, and academic publishers. I own an independent editing company specializing in academic and nonfiction copy editing. I perform all levels of editing, from proofreading to substantive line editing. I specialize in bringing order to disorganized text and forging respectful author-editor relationships. For more information about my editing background and services, visit my business website, Gallant Editorial Services.
Writing
I began writing fiction in the mid-1990s, starting with screenplays and eventually moving on to playwriting. I studied playwriting with Elizabeth Heffron and Stuart Spencer and participated in master class retreats at Hedgebrook with award-winning writers Theresa Rebeck and Robin Swicord. I started writing poetry in 2012 and have studied with poets Kelli Russell Agodon, Susan Rich, Elizabeth Austen, and many others.
The Arts
I studied and played classical guitar for many years and took classical voice training for more than 10 years. I performed onstage in Seattle with a number of theater companies, singing in Gilbert & Sullivan operettas and musicals, performing Shakespeare, and participating in the Seattle Fringe Festival. I was president of the board of DramaQueen, a nonprofit theater organization dedicated to promoting women playwrights. With writer and director Karen Kinch, DramaQueen produced the SWAN Day event at ACT Theatre in Seattle in March 2012.
Spirituality
I have been a student of metaphysics since I can remember, first being taken with the ancient Greek philosophers. In the 1980s, I studied with William David at the Esoteric Philosophy Center in Houston, Texas. In Seattle, I continued learning about meditation practices and became acquainted with Norse mythology and shamanic practices, including the traditions and rituals surrounding the Northern European practice of Seidr. I studied Seidr and other traditions with Betsy Bergstrom in Seattle and Annette Host of the Scandinavian Center for Shamanic Studies. I currently study tarot with Radleigh Valentine and mediumship with Heather Hildebrand, among other teachers.
Civic Engagement
I have been a member of the League of Women Voters since 2016 and worked with the LWV of Seattle-King County on a number of projects at the local level until 2019 when I was elected to the LWV of Washington Board of Directors. On the state board, I was Communications Portfolio Director until 2021 and am currently the off-Board Communications Director in charge of League newsletters and social media. I also edit public-facing documents for the LWV of Washington.