Editorial Freelancers Association
Member Profile
Clare Counihan
Counihan Editing
I provide the following services:
- Developmental editing: big-picture attention to content, addressing argument, analysis, organization/structure, engagement with sources, and authorial tone;
- Copy editing: detailed attention to your writing, including sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, consistency, typos, and citation formatting; and
- Website review: beta use of a new or overhaul of an existing website, evaluating for clarity and coherence and testing all the links
I completed my dissertation in black diaspora fiction and postcolonial theory at the University of Michigan. After five years in a teaching-intensive tenure track position (where I taught a lot of first year writing), I earned a postdoc that enabled me to complete my monograph. At the end of the postdoc, I chose to leave faculty life (blame frigid winters and a perpetually dismal job market). I then worked in higher ed in a staff role and in non-profits. Along the way, friends (and friends of friends) asked me to take a look at this chapter or read that article draft. At the same time, I served as the Editor of the Center for Art and Thought, a web-based non-profit creating a space of dialogue and convergence amongst students and scholar. Through working with the amazing scholars and artists there, I realized how much I love using my editorial eye to bring writers fresh perspective and clarity.
Who I am as an editor:
Even for those of us who love it, writing is hard; for the rest of us it’s hard and painful. But we all deserve support. My role as an editor is to help you clarify your argument and prose, no matter where you are in the process, so that you cross the finish line with your sanity and ego intact. An equally important part of my job is to reflect back to you your ideas and help you to see again how good they are (because maybe you’ve forgotten or maybe you’re just so done).
As a former (recovering) academic, I understand the stress of writing, whether under a tenure deadline or not. Whether helping you integrate reader reports for a publisher or supporting your foray into publishing in English with ESL, I bring fresh eyes and perspective to your work, along with a commitment to enhance your voice (and meticulous grammar). I am your cheerleader–without the excessive cheeriness.
I’ve published articles about black diaspora and African literature, and in addition to my research areas I bring to bear contexts of black women’s and transnational feminist theory and gender and queer studies. I primarily work with writers in the humanities and qualitative social sciences, but I welcome writers from all fields!
Choosing an editor is a big decision: you are entrusting your ideas (ego, even!) to someone you may not know, and you are inviting that person into your intellectual and professional journey. But working with an editor is an investment. Financial, yes, but also in the quality and clarity of your writing. I want you to be a better writer going forward because you have worked with me.
Email: counihanediting@gmail.com
https://www.counihanediting.com/
More information: View PDF file
Years in the field: 12
Years freelancing: 3
Clare Counihan
I provide the following services:
- Developmental editing: big-picture attention to content, addressing argument, analysis, organization/structure, engagement with sources, and authorial tone;
- Copy editing: detailed attention to your writing, including sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, consistency, typos, and citation formatting; and
- Website review: beta use of a new or overhaul of an existing website, evaluating for clarity and coherence and testing all the links
I completed my dissertation in black diaspora fiction and postcolonial theory at the University of Michigan. After five years in a teaching-intensive tenure track position (where I taught a lot of first year writing), I earned a postdoc that enabled me to complete my monograph. At the end of the postdoc, I chose to leave faculty life (blame frigid winters and a perpetually dismal job market). I then worked in higher ed in a staff role and in non-profits. Along the way, friends (and friends of friends) asked me to take a look at this chapter or read that article draft. At the same time, I served as the Editor of the Center for Art and Thought, a web-based non-profit creating a space of dialogue and convergence amongst students and scholar. Through working with the amazing scholars and artists there, I realized how much I love using my editorial eye to bring writers fresh perspective and clarity.
Who I am as an editor:
Even for those of us who love it, writing is hard; for the rest of us it’s hard and painful. But we all deserve support. My role as an editor is to help you clarify your argument and prose, no matter where you are in the process, so that you cross the finish line with your sanity and ego intact. An equally important part of my job is to reflect back to you your ideas and help you to see again how good they are (because maybe you’ve forgotten or maybe you’re just so done).
As a former (recovering) academic, I understand the stress of writing, whether under a tenure deadline or not. Whether helping you integrate reader reports for a publisher or supporting your foray into publishing in English with ESL, I bring fresh eyes and perspective to your work, along with a commitment to enhance your voice (and meticulous grammar). I am your cheerleader–without the excessive cheeriness.
I’ve published articles about black diaspora and African literature, and in addition to my research areas I bring to bear contexts of black women’s and transnational feminist theory and gender and queer studies. I primarily work with writers in the humanities and qualitative social sciences, but I welcome writers from all fields!
Choosing an editor is a big decision: you are entrusting your ideas (ego, even!) to someone you may not know, and you are inviting that person into your intellectual and professional journey. But working with an editor is an investment. Financial, yes, but also in the quality and clarity of your writing. I want you to be a better writer going forward because you have worked with me.
