A writer lives in awe of words for they can be cruel or kind, and they can change their meanings right in front of you. They pick up flavors and odors like butter in a refrigerator.

~ John Steinbeck ~

 

My writing career goes back to the early 1990s, when I wrote a bimonthly column in Japanese for the Kyoto Shimbun while running a résumé-consulting business and freelancing as an announcer and Japanese-English translator and interpreter.

Recent writing projects include press releases, brochures, annual reports, and other corporate documentation, as well as features and service pieces for magazines and trade publications.

My work has appeared in the publications below and has been broadcast on CBC Radio.

National

• enRoute
• Reader's Digest
• The Walrus
• The Canadian Encyclopedia
• youngpoets.ca (online magazine)

Regional

• Alive
• Canada's Healthy Living Guide
• Kansai Forum
• Pacific Golf

Trade

• Canadian Retailer
• Flavours
• The Toastmaster
• West
• Westworld Alberta
• Westworld BC

Below are some samples of my work:

An Upstream Battle, The Walrus, May 2007 [available for reprint]
If you're not a New Westminster Salmonbellies fan yet, you will be after you read this article on the 'Bellies and their quest for their 25th Mann Cup. For more on the Salmonbellies, and on lacrosse in general, check out my lacrosse blog.

Blood-Donor Dogs (4.7MB MP3 file), CBC Radio, January 2007
For this radio documentary, I collaborated with my dog Hank, a fun-loving, people-loving American Staffordshire Terrier. Click on the link to hear how Hank fared when he donated blood for the first time.

Sushi: On A Roll, Flavours, Fall 2004 [available for reprint]
Here's a piece on my favourite food—sushi. I conducted many of the interviews for this article in Japanese. 

The White Line Through Hell, The Walrus, October 2005 [available for reprint]
While researching this article on the 2005 Badwater Ultramarathon—which features Canadian runners Ferg Hawke, Monica Scholz, Matt Sessions, and Ray Zahab, as well as many other amazing athletes—I fell in love with Death Valley, California.

How Sweet It Is, Canadian Retailer, March~April 2007 [available for reprint]
One of the perks of the trade—interviewing the owner of a chocolate factory.

Learning From Each Other, The Toastmaster, April 2006 [available for reprint]
A profile of three very talented speakers and what they can do.

Caveat Venditor, Reader's Digest, 2006 [available for reprint]
A short and fun piece on what not to sell at garage sales.

Lacrosse, The Canadian Encyclopedia, current [available for reprint]
In the fall of 2006, I shed some new light on the history of lacrosse, dispelling some of the myths surrounding the sport.

Full Disclosure, November, 2007
Since 2006, I've been writing and editing copy for Klein Lyons electronic and hard-copy newsletters as well as for their website and other corporate documentation.

Brochure for BotanyJohn.org [jpg], 2008
BotanyJohn.org is a Virtual Museum of Canada exhibit for which I was the plain-language editor and proofreader. I wrote the copy for this brochure.