Jen Anne Becker

I wanted to be an editor. That's all I knew when I started college in 2012. I had no idea if that was a practical goal, or whether I wanted to edit books, magazines, newspapers, or a combination of the three. I just knew that I had a love for words and a passion for working with words to create a document or manuscript that was the best version of itself.

Fast forward eight years, I found myself in a Publishing Practicum class at the University of Iowa where the professor addressed each of the nine students as "Editors." We were THE Editors of the 4th Annual Iowa Chapbook Prize! I was an Editor! It was only a semester-long gig, but I felt like I'd finally made it.

During that semester I applied and was accepted into the Denver Publishing Institute where I gained more in-depth knowledge and experience with copy editing, proofreading, and marketing from professionals in the publishing industry.

I continue to participate in conferences and other learning opportunities and am a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), Professional Editors Network (PEN), and ACES: The Society for Editing. Contact me at Jen@JabberEditorial.com with information about your writing and editing needs and how I can help you. 

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Thank you for visiting 500 Words!

This blog has no set topic or theme, so the subject matter will vary from post to post. The point of the blog is to write intentionally rather than to share about a specific topic. As mentioned in my first blog post, the inspiration for this site came from hearing Carl Klaus, professor emeritus at the University of Iowa, speak in Fall of 2019. In sharing about his early career, he explained that writing regularly was an important habit to help build a writing career. Since he preferred to write creative nonfiction, he set a goal for himself to write a 500-word essay every day. Though it took me several months and a time of self-quarantine to finally start writing regularly, at least it is a beginning. I hope other writers can find inspiration from this as well. No matter what your preferred genre, write daily, as often as possible. Make writing a habit.

A Student/Professor Affair in Fact and Fiction - River Teeth Journal

Sarah Cheshire’s chapbook, Unravelings, published in 2017 by Etchings Press, is a work of creative nonfiction in which the author blurs facts so creatively that it is difficult to know what is fiction and what is truth. The only part readers can be sure is entirely made up is the Title IX document woven throughout the story. Cheshire tells us in the prologue that she created the Title IX report and its narrator or subject to make sense of a distorted memory involving her and a professor, imagini
Image by John Hain from Pixabay

Growth Requires Change Requires Growth Requires Change

...but it was not because he didn’t care about those people. He was weary of hearing complaints from friends who never tried to do anything to change their circumstances.
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Every secret of a writer's soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.

Virginia Woolf

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My name is Jen Anne Becker. I have a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English & Creative Writing on the Publishing track from the University of Iowa and a graduate certificate in Publishing from the University of Denver.

While at the University of Iowa, I served as Managing Editor for two class project publications where I participated in acquisitions, ensured deadlines were met, and assisted the Editors-in-Chief with promoting the release of each respective publication. Also, during my time at The University of Iowa, I was an Editorial Assistant for The Iowa Review where I read submissions and made recommendations to the Editors. In addition, I had the privilege of being an Editor of the 4th Annual Iowa Chapbook Prize where I worked with a team of Editors to select nine winners for the Spring 2020 Iowa Chapbook Prize. Each Editor then worked directly with their chosen author to oversee the editing, layout, and design of the winning author's chapbook.

Publishing Industry Professionals offered instruction and advice to students of The Denver Publishing Institute from their own career experiences. Hands-on learning opportunities such as writing reader's reports, editing, proofreading, marketing & publicity, and book design helped reinforce instruction and experience obtained at The University of Iowa.

Moving forward, in January 2022 I will begin a graduate program at the University of Denver, working toward an MA in Professional Creative Nonfiction Writing. During this time, I will consider Independent Editing, Proofreading, and Writing opportunities, where I will use my skills to help other writers produce their best work. Please use the contact form below to let me know how I can help you.

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