Judith Antelman

Poet. Writer. Editor. As a wordsmith with an educational and professional background in writing and communications, I am a razor-sharp copy editor. I have always had a passion for words and wordplay. My fervor for language and grammar has followed me to every editorial project, where my priorities are writing that pops, writing that flows, and writing that gets it right. I never edit to advance my agenda. I edit to help you. And I know when to edit copy and when to leave it alone. When we work together, you can be assured I will always deliver accuracy while maintaining your original voice. I am focused and dedicated, but also collaborative and an astute listener. Please tell me what you require and I will respectfully adhere to your guidelines.

For more than two decades, I have worked as a copy editor in myriad industries including arts, education, finance, healthcare, life sciences, journalism, and publishing. My background includes copy editing print and digital material from tech to travel, finance to food, politics to poetry, and endless topics encompassing cultural trends and the arts. I have written house style guides, thus my knowledge of various styles—including Chicago Manual of Style, AP Stylebook, The Economist, AMA Manual of Style—is flawless.

I listen carefully so we can establish the end goal. We navigate together from opening lines to final words. A partial list of my digital and print copy editing/writing services:

Creative Writing

• Book-length manuscripts
• Memoirs
• Nonfiction
• Poetry collections

Corporate Writing

• Branding
• Financial research (white papers)
• Journals and magazines
• Resumés
• Social media
• Travel pieces
• Financial white papers and research

In May 2021, I earned an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. So what, right? MFAs are ubiquitous. The number one reason I pursued this—later in my professional life—was to expand my own voice, style, and poetry knowledge so I may apply it to my professional work as an editor. And I did. I improved on my editorial expertise during these two intensive years of poeming and writing. I understand writers. I understand poets. We all create, but to a different meter.

During my time at The New School, I studied Topics in Pedagogy and Teaching Writing to Writers. Thus, I now design poetry workshops uniquely tailored to different ages and writing backgrounds. At the height of the pandemic, when classrooms transitioned to classZooms, I started teaching poetry to middle and high school students. I also taught adults who had not written a word in decades. I still teach and the same students keep returning, as well as new faces who wish to learn how to poem. How can this be helpful to your professional objectives? This translates to storytelling in the branding, marketing, and public relations industries, thus if you need a creative storyteller to communicate any messaging, I am your writer.

When not editing and writing, I play classical piano and peruse stacks in new and used bookstores. My first poetry collection, The Pugilist’s Daughter, was published May 2022 by Blue Jade Press, LLC.

More information: View PDF file

Years in the field: 20
Years freelancing: 20