Experience

→Investigative Journalist: News experience includes reporting for Kansas City Star, Business Insider, Disaster News Network, Dos Mundos, Business Journal, Pitch Weekly, Shawnee Magazine, Emporia Living, and Osawatomie Graphic.

→ Freelance Writer: Although Jill has worked as a freelance writer and magazine editor for over 20 years with a focus on news, true crime, interviews/profiles, and wellness, five years ago she began traveling North America writing feature articles and a series of guidebooks. Jill’s travel writing focuses on local food scenes, outdoor activities, liquor trends, 50+ travel, train travel, and wellness modalities. Readers of her blog (www.USAbyRail.blog) have come to expect an intimate look at authentic travel experiences.

Learn more about Jill’s writing and publishing background in this interview published in VoyageKC.

Recent projects:

• A frequent contributor to Chilled Magazine, Travel Awaits, Trip Savvy, American Essence Magazine, Evolving Magazine, Bass Angler Magazine, Erickson Tribune, Shawnee Magazine, Field & Stream, and Liquor.com.
• Recently worked with AFAR, Wine Enthusiast, Roadtrippers Magazine, Woman’s World, FIRST for Women, Matador Network, Old Liquors Magazine, Business Insider, USA Today 10Best, Business Jet Traveler, The Expedition, Pennsylvania Magazine, The Spruce Eats, and HuffPost Personal.
• News experience writing for Kansas City Star, Business Insider, Disaster News Network, Dos Mundos, Business Journal, Shawnee Magazine, Pitch Weekly, Emporia Living, and Osawatomie Graphic.
• Agency work: Morning Star Communications, WDS Marketing, BigWing, Matcha, and Porter & Sail.
• Blog content for Roomkey.com, DMEI.org, Rose State College, USAbyRail.blog, and more.
• Created “Top Travel Tips for the U.S. by Rail” video for The Voyage Report.
• Author of The Best of Kansas City: 3-Day Itinerary (Unanchor).

→ Kansas City expert: Jill’s first travel guide, “The Best of Kansas City: 3-Day Itinerary” published by Unanchor.com. It premiered number one in its category on Amazon. As a Kansas City expert, Jill has written about Kansas City destinations for TravelStoke, Travel Awaits, Matador Network, and Porter & Sail.

Other Accomplishments

• Creator and publisher of Evolving Woman Magazine (1994-2000), Evolving Kansas City (2009-present), Evolving Santa Fe (2015-2017), and Eating Well in Kansas City (2010-2013).
• Editor and columnist for Evolving Woman and Evolving Magazine for 22 years combined.
• Extensive experience writing interviews/profiles. A partial list includes authors (Richard Bach, Shakti Gawain, Marianne Williamson, Suze Orman), professional experts, individuals who overcome great adversity (Living Proof syndicated column), and source quotes.
• Content creation for advertising agencies (press releases, feature articles, interviews/profiles, blog posts, App content, and contest entries). Worked with Morning Star Communications, WDS Marketing, and most recently, BigWing, Matcha, and Porter & Sail.
• Created audio and edited an online marketing campaign for paynoadvertising.com. (See testimonial below.)

Testimonials

• “Having outsourced numerous projects, Jill is one of the most professional and enthusiastic writers and editors I have ever worked with. I am very impressed with her prompt response, active engagement to come up with creative solutions and ability to manage projects without supervision. She has effective communication skills and always seeks to clarify instructions. Jill even volunteered to work over the weekend in order to meet my launch date. I am looking forward to working with Jill on future projects and recommend her whole-heartedly.” –Lei Wang, PayNoAdvertising.com
• “Jill contributed several stories to GateHouse magazine as a freelancer and served as an expert for topics in both Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties. She is capable, dedicated and timely, and she produces clean, engaging copy that adds to the overall editorial voice of a publication.” –Katy Schamberger, GateHouse
• “Jill is meticulous at meeting deadlines and producing jaw-dropping results. She has an amazing integrity that is reflected in her manner, her work, and her communication with others. Although I have worked with Jill on multiple projects, her multi-talented nature comes through in all capacities. She can as easily apply creative reasoning as she can detailed follow-through. I recommend her highly. Always.” –Trace Shapiro

Interests

Her personal interests include gardening, kayaking, writing, and cooking. A kayak and paddleboard enthusiast, Jill keeps her Oru or Tucktec kayaks ready for a day on the water. Recently she has gone off-road in both the Mexico desert and in Aruba, kayaked on the Missouri river with the Kansas City skyline as the backdrop, taken a slow travel tour across the Eastern Townships of Quebec, seen the wildflowers in bloom in Texas, taken a ferry across Lake Michigan to hike Washington Island, WI, kayaked in a clear boat on Lake Tahoe, and sat on the beach in Carmel and listened to the waves crash on the bluffs.