Résumé

 

Paige R. Penland

paige@paigerpenland.com

 

Objective

Author and editor with extensive experience researching, writing, editing, and publishing articles and books on a variety of subjects, in particular travel, automotive, and science. Seeks freelance writing and editing opportunities.

 

Achievements & Skills

Writer
Created original articles, weekly and monthly columns, interactive quizzes, fun horoscopes, and effective advertisements for a variety of websites, magazines, newspapers, catalogs, and other media, including Carl’s Cars, Chickclick.com, Custom Auto, Fabula, Homeandabroad.com, Kink, Kitchen Sink, Lowrider, Lowrider Arte, Lonelyplanet.com, Minitruckin’, La Opinion, The Petopian, Popandpolitics.com, SF Weekly, Street Beat, Truckin’, Zia Sports, and more.

Authored or contributed to eight books

 

Editor
Supervised several books as lead editor, taking Lonely Planet’s Miami, Los Angeles, and Cuba from acquisition to publication.

Managed the monthly political and music departments for Lowrider magazine, coordinating more than 20 freelance and staff journalists and photographers, assigning stories, and working with designers and advertisers.

Comfortable with the Associated Press Stylebook, Chicago Manual of Style, and several custom style manuals.

 

Online Content Management
Contributed to Lonely Planet’s award-winning website as a member of the New Media Team, managing the World Guide, producing special content for licensing, creating digital travel guides for Palm Pilot, and moderating the Thorn Tree online travel forum.

 

Publisher
Produced Iguanacaste Publishing’s popular travel guide A Week or Two In Nicaragua, working with freelance artists, editors, cartographers, designers, and printers, managing publicity, and establishing and maintaining a lucrative distribution network of retail stores, hotels, and other outlets in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

 

Miscellaneous Skills

Fluent in Spanish, able to communicate in French and Miskito.

Well-traveled in Europe, Asia and the Americas, with extensive experience in Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, England, Ireland, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, the United States, and Vietnam; lived in Central America for three years.

 

Capable of navigating quickly and efficiently through regions with poorly developed infrastructure, armed militias, endemic tropical diseases, and linguistic/cultural barriers.

Good photographer capable of delivering high-quality, if not award-winning, photos as slides or digital submissions.

 

Books

Nicaragua-El Salvador I (Lonely Planet Publications, 2006) As lead author, researched and wrote original text for all of Nicaragua as well as the introductory and overview chapters.
A Week or Two in Southwest Nicaragua (Iguanacaste Publishing, 2005) Researched, wrote, published and distributed this well-received independent travel guide.
Costa Rica (Lonely Planet Publishing, 2004) Co-authored update of Lonely Planet’s most popular title covering the Americas.
Santa Fe & Taos I (Lonely Planet Publishing, 2003) Sole author of this first edition guide.
Lowrider: History, Pride, Culture (Motorbooks International, 2003) Author of this critically acclaimed look at America’s lowest and slowest automotive movement.
Driving California Highway One (Lonely Planet, 2003) Worked closely with publishers and designers to author the flagship product for one of Lonely Planet’s successful new lines.
Alaska (Lonely Planet, 2002) Co-authored update.
Florida (Lonely Planet, 2002) Co-authored update.
   

Work History

1/05-present: Publisher, Iguanacaste Publishing, Liberia, Costa Rica
2/02-present: Freelance Writer/Editor
3/99-2/02: Online Content Writer, Lonely Planet Publications, Oakland, CA
9/98-3/99: Editor, Lonely Planet Publications, Oakland, CA
8/95-6/98: Writer/Editor, Lowrider magazine, Park Avenue Publishing, Pomona, CA
4/95-8/95: Managing Editor, Street Beat magazine, Park Avenue Publishing, Pomona, CA
7/94-1/95: Managing Editor, Zia Sports magazine, Albuquerque, NM

 

Education 
BA, History; minor, Biology; collateral field, Studio Art
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, 1994