Professional communication and editing

My part-time work for a local church includes posts to social media, “MailChimp” email campaigns and updates to the church blog. The spirit of connecting people with information and resources infuses my work with the church, and is consistent with my work in the field of library service.

As administrative coordinator of Religious Explorations for Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, I post notices to Facebook and also email to subscribers with MailChimp email list management.

In addition to posting announcements about upcoming events, I curate links to resources that may be of interest to constituent families. In keeping with my ambition toward librarianship, many of these resources are books:

• Good books can help children realize it’s OK to be whomever they want, that they don’t have to fit into narrowly-prescribed ideas about being a “boy” or a “girl.” But books that break boy stereotypes can be much more difficult to locate than those busting stereotypes for girls. At “Romper,” Tricia Lowther compiles nine children's books that empower boys to display gentleness, empathy and nurturing.
• These 13 children’s books, selected by Buzzfeed communty user “emeynardie,” remind children to be kind to others “in creative and appealing ways.”
• “Families are often the earliest place of learning, especially for young children.” As the public conversation grows about transgender identity and inclusion, the Unitarian Universalist Association offers resources to start conversations about gender identity with children and youth.
• For the U.K.’s Guardian, “Children’s Book Doctor” Julia Eccleshare recommends books to connect children with the natural world.
• Here’s a compilation by Kate Etue of “12 fantastic children’s books” that address prejudice in age-appropriate ways. Etue also offers guidance for making your own selections when browsing your library or bookstore.
• At Call and Response/UUA Blogs, Susan Lawrence raises a thought-provoking and timely question, “Is Children’s Literature Too White?” This essay doubly resonated with me, both as Religious Explorations administrative coordinator for RVUUF and as an aspiring librarian who is, herself, a member of an “invisible” minority demographic.

I also work for RVUUF as its web content editor. I solicited, created and edited content during initial population of the church website, and now I maintain and update the site with current information. Many of these updates take the form of posts to the church’s blog.