Making Good Ideas Happen: Stephy Shenk

Melissa Zimmerman

How many editor types do you know who wear jeans adorned with pink and black zebra–striped pockets? If you are involved with Seattle Writergrrls, you might know one: Stephy Shenk, Facilitating Editor of the online Zine. She met with me to talk about how several years in the editing business prepared her to take on a leadership role with the Writergrrls Zine. It wasn’t hard to get past her bold fashion statement s and into her thoughts about her work experience, role with the Zine, and its bright future.

Stephy’s editorial career has spanned three major cities. Out in New Orleans, she interned at a literary society, wrote for the Gambit Weekly, and developed the TAMbalaya Magazine’s entertainment calendar. While in San Francisco, Stephy became an assistant editor on a local business directory. Although she enjoyed both cities, she decided to seek her fortune in the competitive writing/editing industry of Seattle.

Arriving in Seattle during the 1999 World Trade Organization riots, Stephy wasted no time in picking up freelance work as a technical copyeditor at Microsoft. At last she was gaining solid work experience in the editing field. “I felt like I won the lottery!” she says. The job helped her to acquire valuable technical skills but Stephy often felt isolated due to the autonomous nature of her work. Her next freelance gig, copyediting for Amazon’s online computer/internet book reviews and descriptions, was similar but offered an added benefit: free books!

Several months later, she was back at Microsoft, taking the next step up in her pursuit of editorial happiness. Now a technical editor, she was part of a collaborative team, offering her opinions and ideas, and writing material for a marketing website. The meetings and interaction with the team were very appealing to Stephy’s gregarious nature; now she wants to continue this interactive and social aspect in future editing work and has discovered that the Zine has given her just that opportunity.

Initially, Stephy wanted only to write for the Zine, and Zine meetings were a place where she could offer her ideas in a supportive setting. Since the Zine is purely a volunteer effort, she realized that people could “fall into their niche” without budgetary or job description conflicts. She soon found herself yearning for a leadership role. When the Facilitating Editor position opened up, Stephy’s gregarious nature and familiarity with the Zine’s development made her a natural choice.

Stephy says her role as Facilitating Editor is mainly about communication. She leads idea meetings, communicates to the entire group of volunteer writers and editors via e-mails, advises and mediates, and provides an important liaison to the Writergrrls Steering Committee. Additionally, she is the point of contact for people not involved with the Zine – the ‘public relations’ person. “It feels like I don’t do anything,” she laughs, a sure indicator that her role draws upon her natural talents.

She tries to maintain the supportive, nurturing atmosphere of the Zine by encouraging new writers/editors but also moderating the flow of information among the members. Who better to facilitate such an endeavor than someone who takes joy in making good ideas happen?

Stephy acknowledges that the Zine is still relatively new, undergoing much change with each quarterly issue. She and the rest of the leadership team often talk how to give newer members the tools and support they need to develop writing and editing skills. Stephy envisions more writer showcasing, tips of the trade, and networking opportunities in the Zine’s future. She’d like to make it more exciting for volunteers to stay involved, and also strengthen the educational period for new contributors.

Not least of all, Stephy and her team are toying with ways to reach a broader Zine readership. Stephy is energized by the possibilities and it’s clear that she’ll play an influential part in the publication for quite some time. Zebra stripes and all.

Melissa Zimmermann is a just–starting–out freelance editor whose favorite word is "perspicacious."