In the beginning:
Writing has always been a source of expression for Cheryl – from the earliest of years to now. She grew up in Colorado and at one point participated with a live poetry group who would perform anywhere who would have them. A fun poem she used to read regularly was:
Armed with both a bachelor’s degree in English and an MBA, she set her sights on Los Angeles where she was the VP of Marketing for a handful of financial institutions over the many years there.
During that time, creativity was one that needed to be “on-demand” in the advertising side of marketing. Writing newsletters, catchy slogans, annual reports, all of which took up a great deal of time. This was all prior to the archival process today of … the World Wide Web. She produced a “white paper” on the economics and pricing structure of credit cards and traveled that year making presentations (with a slide projector) to other senior officials in the industry. But then there was the more fun side at that time.
During that time, creativity was one that needed to be “on-demand” in the advertising side of marketing. Writing newsletters, catchy slogans, annual reports, all of which took up a great deal of time. This was all prior to the archival process today of … the World Wide Web. She produced a “white paper” on the economics and pricing structure of credit cards and traveled that year making presentations (with a slide projector) to other senior officials in the industry. But then there was the more fun side at that time.
The Darker (and fun) days:
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One Los Angeles summer, Cheryl had a group of friends who were either screen writers (such as a recipient of the Nicholls Screenwriting Fellowship), novelists, or creative directors. Writing became a source of entertainment. They would “don” a different personality and write poems or short essays and the group would have to use detective work to solve who the actual writer was. It was this “alter ego” that opened a way to approach dark subjects with a degree of anonymity. One such example about the darker side of a child’s life is "Escape" which you can see to the left. It was a winning entry in the second issue of Latitudes, the Guild's Online Literary Review. |
The dark phase produced a lot of work, but receded, and a more prominent direction in teaching college and providing marketing campaigns took over for quite some time. Cheryl also studied photography and became certified as a commercial photographer. Teaching college led to online instruction --- way back in 1999 when the online learning was quite new. She became a trainer for other faculty and a course designer which also allowed a move to Hawaii without losing any work.
It is only recently, as Cheryl approaches retirement, the desire to return to writing has once again become a priority. She is a member of both Hawaii Writer’s Guild & Lihue Poet Society on Kauai. She is also still an online college instructor, writing tutor for Colorado State University, and the Distance Learning Coordinator for McKinley School for Adults – Kauai Campus. She is not yet retired.
Current Work:
Cheryl was selected in the Hawaii Writer’s Guild Latitudes magazine for a flash short story: His-n-Hers. Link: https://www.hawaiiwritersguild.com/his-n-hers-story.html .
Then again in early 2022, Cheryl was able to have two of her poems published in Hawaii Writers Guild's 3rd edition of its literary journal, Latitudes. You can see them here or go directly to https://www.hawaiiwritersguild.com/missin-you.html .
Also, Cheryl recently published an experiential essay after visiting her first fully legal marijuana dispensary on a trip back to California. She enjoys writing with a humorous slant in these types of stories.
Link: https://cannatechtoday.com/americas-new-normal/?preview_id=6338
In early November, 2023, Cheryl's latest story, Escape from Christmas Island, was picked up and published in the magazine "WitCraft." See it at the link below:
https://witcraft.org/2023/11/15/escape-from-christmas-island/?fbclid=IwAR1v0qqkQnfQCskwuKO5AM5KvnUU0qno6FIl3sE1c3pqEYVycrv4jdtLDKM
Future days:
Cheryl would like to pursue publishing the collection of poetry she has amassed over time, continue writing in the cannabis industry, and has had a couple of ideas for books percolating. She would ultimately like to combine writing and photography in some way as well as continue work on her first novel.
She can be reached at [email protected]
It is only recently, as Cheryl approaches retirement, the desire to return to writing has once again become a priority. She is a member of both Hawaii Writer’s Guild & Lihue Poet Society on Kauai. She is also still an online college instructor, writing tutor for Colorado State University, and the Distance Learning Coordinator for McKinley School for Adults – Kauai Campus. She is not yet retired.
Current Work:
Cheryl was selected in the Hawaii Writer’s Guild Latitudes magazine for a flash short story: His-n-Hers. Link: https://www.hawaiiwritersguild.com/his-n-hers-story.html .
Then again in early 2022, Cheryl was able to have two of her poems published in Hawaii Writers Guild's 3rd edition of its literary journal, Latitudes. You can see them here or go directly to https://www.hawaiiwritersguild.com/missin-you.html .
Also, Cheryl recently published an experiential essay after visiting her first fully legal marijuana dispensary on a trip back to California. She enjoys writing with a humorous slant in these types of stories.
Link: https://cannatechtoday.com/americas-new-normal/?preview_id=6338
In early November, 2023, Cheryl's latest story, Escape from Christmas Island, was picked up and published in the magazine "WitCraft." See it at the link below:
https://witcraft.org/2023/11/15/escape-from-christmas-island/?fbclid=IwAR1v0qqkQnfQCskwuKO5AM5KvnUU0qno6FIl3sE1c3pqEYVycrv4jdtLDKM
Future days:
Cheryl would like to pursue publishing the collection of poetry she has amassed over time, continue writing in the cannabis industry, and has had a couple of ideas for books percolating. She would ultimately like to combine writing and photography in some way as well as continue work on her first novel.
She can be reached at [email protected]
