Hello.

I've been a freelance writer and editor since 1994, specializing in travel, health/fitness and art. While much of my work has been in the national magazine marketplace, I've edited two local publications serving the Madison, Wis., area and written for major newspapers, corporations and Web sites, including seeding a wiki on marathoning. I've also written numerous stories for smart phone customers, and am working on my second mobile travel app. I'm a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW). For the past 15 years, I've helped organize the popular Writers & Editors / One-on-One Conference.

Below are some of my recent clips. Please explore the rest of my Web site to find out more about me and my work.


Melanie
 
   

RUNNER'S WORLD

I'm A Runner (February 2011)

Mike Bettes, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel, 38, Atlanta  

 

I'm A Runner

 

   

AMERICAN STYLE

The House That Art Built (Winter 2010-2011)

Figurative sculpture and an art furniture collection were the real foundations for one suburban Chicago couple's expansive new home  

 

The House That Art Built

 

   

WISCONSIN DELLS

Travel app for iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads (September 2010)

Released in conjunction with Sutro Media, this app contains 125 entries and nearly 1,000 photos depicting prime resorts, attractions, restaurants, shops and festivals in Wisconsin Dells and the surrounding area.  

 

Wisconsin Dells

 

   

MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

Pilgrim's progress (Aug. 22, 2010)

Helpful souls and good omens line the road to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.

 

Pilgrim's progress

 

   

BICYCLING

A Ride With ... Jef Mallett (July 2010)

The 48-year-old cartoonist champions cycling through his popular strip, Frazz, and new book Trizophrenia: Inside the Minds of a Triathlete

 

A Ride With ... Jef Mallett

 

   

AMERICAN STYLE

Pushing the Limits (Summer 2010)

At Bob Cassilly's City Museum, it's good to be slightly out of control

 

Pushing the Limits

 

   

MADISON MAGAZINE

Invasive Species (June 2010)

Olin/Turville Point Park is plagued by an invader: a lascivious human one

 

Invasive Species

 

   

MOUNTAIN BIKE

Inside Line: Whistler, B.C. (June 2010)

Come here for some of the best riding on the planet. But venture outside the bike park for big-mountain epics and fistfuls of mountain bike culture.

 

Inside Line: Whistler, B.C.

 

   

ST. NORBERT COLLEGE MAGAZINE

Running the pilgrim path (Spring 2010)

Adventures for body and soul on the holy route to Santiago de Compostela

 

Running the pilgrim path

 

 

 

   

AMERICAN STYLE

Happily Ever After (Spring 2010)

Children's book author Barbara Joosse and sculptor c.t. whitehouse live enveloped by art and color in their 19th century storybook house

 

Happily Ever After

 

 

 

   

BICYCLING

The Total Package (December 2009)

Cadence 120 Bicycle Works, in Mobile, Alabama, has it all and then some

 

The Total Package

 

 

 

   

BICYCLING

Today's Special / The Simple Approach (November 2009)

Tom Harvey creates innovative meals that don't intimidate the casual diner

 

The Simple Approach

 

   

AMERICAN STYLE

Mr. Zagar's Opus (August 2009)

Isaiah Zagar builds an evolving, sparkling mosaic masterpiece in downtown Philadelphia

 

Mr. Zagar's Opus

 

 

 

   

MADISON MAGAZINE

"Oh, Baby!" (July 2009)

Audrey Edmunds is rebuilding her life after her murder conviction was overturned
WEB EXCLUSIVE

 

"Oh, Baby"

 

 

 

   

BICYCLING

Shop We Love / Express Service (July 2009)

Yellow Jersey in Madison, Wisconsin, delivers speedy repairs for every cyclist

 

Shop We Love / Express Service

 

 

 

   

RUNNER'S WORLD

I'm A Runner (January 2009)

Kimberly Dozier, CBS News Correspondent, 42, Washington, D.C.

 

I'm A Runner

 

 

 

   

AMERICAN STYLE

Arts Tour: No Place Like Home (October 2008)

Kansas City's not-so-underground art scene

 

Arts Tour: No Place Like Home

 

 

 

   

CONTINENTAL

Follow the Red Brick Road (August 2008)

Ditch the bike path for a run back in time

 

Follow the Red Brick Road

 

 

 

   

SHAPE

Venture Out: Top Trips for Water Lovers (July 2008)

Go ahead, get your feet and everything else ― wet on your next getaway. These five vacations will help you burn calories while you stay cool

 

Venture Out: Top Trips for Water Lovers

 

 

 

   

SweetTea JOURNAL

Kids Rule (Spring/Summer 2008)

At Camp WaterColor, every day is kids' day

 

Kids Rule

 

 

 

   

CONTINENTAL

Playful Paths (March 2008)

Reawaken your inner child with a run along Santa Rosa Beach's hidden footpaths

 

Playful Paths

 

 

 

   

RUNNER'S WORLD

I'm A Runner (January 2008)

Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop, the Episcopal Church, 53, New York City

 

I'm A Runner

 

 

 

   

AMERICAN STYLE

Heartland Awakening (December 2007)

Seventy artists in an old mattress factory are turning heads in Omaha 

 

Heartland Awakening

 

 

 

   

Y LIFE

Sugar Shock (September/October 2007)

If you're like most Americans, you eat more than double the amount of sugar that health experts recommend. Before you grab your next meal, read this. 

 

Sugar Shock

 

 

 

   

RUNNER'S WORLD

Light-Footed (August 2007)

Can a laser therapy cure heel and arch pain? 

 

Light-Footed

 

 

 

   

SweetTea JOURNAL

Into Plein Air (Summer 2007)*

More than twenty artists captured Florida's Forgotten Coast on canvas during the ten-day inaugural "paint-out"

 

Into Plein Air

 

*Won 4th place, Best Magazine Article, 2007 Mark Twain Awards, Midwest Travel Writers Association (MTWA)

 

   

SHAPE

Venture Out: 5 Cities With Big Outdoor Appeal (July 2007)

These active getaways boast all the perks — chic restaurants, art galleries, and shopping ― and it's so easy to exercise outside

 

Venture Out: 5 Cities With Big Outdoor Appeal

 

 

 

   

PARENTING

Is Your Child Ready to ... Get a Job? (June 2007)

 

Is Your Child Ready to ... Get a Job?

 

 

 

   

GOLF CONNOISSEUR

Buddha's Guest (January/February 2007)

A two-day stay in a Korean temple opens the mind and frees the spirit

 

Buddha's Guest

 

 

 

   

RUNNER'S WORLD

I'm A Runner (January 2007)

Bruce Dern: Actor, HBO's Big Love, 70, Pasadena, California

 

I'm A Runner

 

 

 

   

SweetTea JOURNAL    ranked one of 2006's "31 Notable Magazine Launches" (out of 850) by  Media Industry Newsletter.

 

Secrets of the Florida Chautauqua (Fall/Winter 2006)

For nearly fifty years, residents and visitors of DeFuniak Springs have learned about everything from decorating porcelain to the intricacies of modern opera, thanks to the Chautauqua Movement

 

Secrets of the Florida Chautauqua

 

 

 

   

COUNTRY LIVING

Highland Heather (October 2006)

A familiar sight in Northern Europe is now an element in American gardens

 

Highland Heather

 

 

   

AMERICAN STYLE

Arts Tour: Stepping Up to the Plate (October 2006)

Columbus believes its strong commitment to the arts will help put the city on the map

 

Arts Tour: Stepping Up to the Plate

 

ROBB REPORT VACATION HOMES

Sundara Inn & Spa, Wisconsin (August/September 2006)

 

Sundara Inn & Spa, Wisconsin

 

RUNNER'S WORLD

Tricks of the Trade (August 2006)

The goal: Run strong all summer long

 

Tricks of the Trade

 

COUNTRY LIVING

Your Garden: The Fragrance Factor (July 2006)

Look beyond color and shape to find a garden's most appealing feature: its scents

 

The Fragrance Factor

 

COOKING LIGHT

Enlightened Traveler: There's No Place Like Kansas City (May 2006)

This Midwestern town is sizzling
 

There's No Place Like Kansas City

 

SweetTea JOURNAL

On a Wing and a Prayer (Spring/Summer 2006)

Spend a day at this museum, and you'll leave with a new appreciation
of naval aircraft — and the people who fly them.

 

 

On a Wing and a Prayer


 

NATIONAL WILDLIFE

Turn Your Yard Into a Red Zone (February/March 2006)

It's easy to identify northern cardinals by their distinctive traits — most notably the male's fiery plumage; if you live where they do, it's also fairly easy to woo the birds to your garden. 
 

Turn Your Yard Into a Red Zone

 

 

PARENTS

Manners Makeover (February 2006)

Does your preteen need a refresher course in etiquette?
 

Manners Makeover