Will Write for Shoes

I have a problem: I have a passion for fashion and I'm determined to experience all the wonderful things the South has to offer so I can shut up all the folks who claim there's nothing to do here but tip cows. Why is this a problem? Being stylish and being social require money and I'm a teacher, which means I have no money! So help a sister out and hire me for some freelance gigs. Just take a look at all the awesome stuff I've done in the past: 

JAVACIA HARRIS BOWSER

(Javacia N. Harris)*

javacia (at) gmail (dot) com

 Objective: To secure a freelance writing job with YOUR company or publication.

Related work experience

Race & Diversity Blogger, Feb. 2013 - present

WBHM.org, the website for Birmingham's NPR station WBHM 90.3

Freelance writer, Fall 2003 – present

Various publications

I have pitched, reported, researched and written features, news stories and/or personal essays for the following publications:

• USA Today glossy publications such as Modern Woman and Go Escape magazines
• Hispanic Executive, national magazine focused on Latinos in business and entertainment
• Profile, national business magazine based in Chicago, Ill. 
• Magic City Post, online community news publication based in Birmingham, Ala. 
• Clutch, online publication for young women of color
• Weld for Birmingham, weekly newspaper based in Birmingham, Ala.
• Birmingham Magazine (monthly lifestyles magazine based in Birmingham, Ala.)
• Skirt, a monthly magazine for women
• Underwired, a monthly magazine for women (based in Louisville, Ky.
• Heart & Soul, a national health and fitness magazine for women of color
• Urbanham.com, a lifestyles website for black professionals of Birmingham, Ala.
• Birmingham Weekly, a weekly lifestyles publication based in Birmingham, Ala.
• ELDR magazine, a national lifestyles magazine for active seniors
•  East Bay Monthly, a California-based magazine
• The Berkeley Daily Planet, a community newspaper in Berkeley, Calif.

Staff writer, June 2005 – July 2009

The Courier-Journal's Velocity Weekly, Louisville, Ky.

At this lifestyles magazine targeted toward readers in their 20s and 30s my duties included:

• interviewing local residents, officials and entertainers and nationally-known celebrities
• reporting and writing feature articles, blogging and writing a bi-weekly column
• representing the publication at events and on local TV news and radio stations
• contributing feature stories to Velocity’s parent publication, The Courier-Journal, and Her Scene, a seasonal women’s magazine published by The Courier-Journal
• building professional relationships with local business owners, artists and newsmakers
•  taking photographs for some stories

Other work experience

English instructor, August 2009- present

Alabama School of Fine Arts, Birmingham, Ala.

• Instructor of early American literature for 10^th grade students
• Instructor of world literature for 8^th grade students

Education

Master of Journalism, May 2005

University of California, Berkeley

Bachelor of Arts in Communication & Information Sciences (Journalism), Dec. 2002

Minor: English, concentration in Creative Writing

University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa)

Other skills/specialties

• social media marketing
• event planning
• fitness writing 

Related Honors and Awards

Society of Professional Journalists (Louisville) Third place for magazine feature writing, 2007

National Association of Black Journalists scholarship recipient, 2004

Birmingham Association of Black Journalists scholarship recipient, 2005

Chips Quinn Scholar, Summer 2002

My Life as a Superstar Intern 

Reporting intern, May 2004 – August 2004

The Seattle Times, Seattle, Wash.

• Reported and wrote stories for the Metro desk, health team and the Snohomish County bureau

Reporting intern, May 2003 – August 2003

Associated Press, Louisville, Ky.

• Reported and wrote stories for the AP print and broadcast wires
• Edited stories for the wires

Editorial/Web intern, Jan. 2003 – May 2003

Health magazine, Birmingham, Ala.

• Assisted editors with research for the print magazine
• Reported and wrote stories for Health.com

Editorial intern,  Aug. 2002 – Dec. 2002

Randall Publishing, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

• Wrote for three trade publications for professional truck drivers —Overdrive and Truckers News magazines and the Web site, eTrucker.com. Duties included interviewing drivers, reporting and writing stories, taking photographs and attending different events to network with drivers and potential advertisers.

Reporting intern, May 2002 – Aug. 2002

The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.

• Reported and wrote stories for the Metro desk and Southern Indiana bureau.

References and writing samples are available upon request.

*My writing published before 2010 is under the byline Javacia N. Harris.