Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, Freelance Writer/Editor (www.writerruth.com)
Experience
Going on 40 years of experience in writing, editing, proofreading, desktop publishing, speaking/training and more on a wide range of topics, professions and industries; for magazines, newsletters, newspapers, websites, non- and for-profit organizations. “I can write about anything!”™ Active networker. Details at:
Awards
6 awards from the Missouri Professional Communicators (MPC) affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW), which make me eligible for the national NFPW awards, to be presented at the 2025 conference in the fall:
First place in Feature Story: online publication for an IABC-STL blog post about “Celebrating Creativity Among Colleagues” and Columns: personal opinion (bylined, not editorial) for an On the Basics post about “Just the facts, ma’am!” at my An American Editor (AAE) blog
Second place, Feature Story: online publication, for a Cat Writers’ Association blog post about “What a Difference a Cat Makes”; Columns: personal opinion (bylined, not editorial) for “The business of a business plan” and “Generalist vs. specialist,” both for AAE
Third place, Specialty Articles: business, for “Connection is the Essence of Membership Value and Networking Success” for the IABC/St. Louis blog
APEX – feature writing
EFfie (Editor’s Forum) – feature writing, newsletter editing
International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)/DC – feature writing; Communicator of the Year
Washington (later American) Independent Writers (W/AIW) – Philip M. Stern Award for service to freelancers
IABC/Baltimore – feature writing
IABC/District 3 – feature writing
Professional affiliations
*NAIWE — Networking member of Board of Experts, Member of the Month, webinar presenter)
*American Society of Copy Editors (ACES) — conference workshop presenter on freelancing, editing & proofreading, websites; newsletter contributor)
American Independent Writers — newsletter editor
*American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) — Freelance Cohort co-chair
Association for Women in Communications — Rochester, NY, chapter president and newsletter editor
*Brighton Schools Alumni Association (BSAA) — newsletter creator, media contact, webmaster, BSAA/BHS Alumni Hall of Fame member
*Cat Writers Association (CWA) — secretary and blogger
Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) — Rochester, NY, and St. Louis chapter coordinator; national newsletter editor emerita; workshop presenter; 2005 conference coordinator; speaker at several national conferences
*Encampment for Citizenship Alumni Association — creator, communications chair, webmaster
International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) —past member, St. Louis, DC, Baltimore chapters; past international conference and committee member, onsite newsletter editor; past international magazine feature writer; 2010 Heritage Region conference speaker
National Association of Black Journalists-St. Louis — webmaster; high-school workshop committee member
*National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) — 2024 conference co-coordinator and speaker through Missouri Professional Communicators (MPC), New Mexico chapter member
*Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) — national conference speaker about freelancing; Freelance Community secretary, webinar presenter, “How-to” publication editor and contributor
Society for Technical Communication (STC) — “Freelance Basics” blogger, webinar and workshop/conference presenter on freelancing, editing & proofreading, websites
*Currently active
Education
MA studies, Journalism (Ford Fellow), University of Missouri-Columbia
BA, Comparative Literature/General Studies, University of Missouri-St. Louis
BA studies, Comparative Literature, Indiana University-Bloomington
Regents diploma, Brighton High School, Rochester, NY; AP English (5), French (3)