» The writer’s brain unraveled: On writing and thinking
  • The writer’s brain unraveled: On writing and thinking

    January 6, 2009 Uncategorized cfladmin

    I’ve been reading a lot of writing by writers lately. Most recently, I enjoyed a post by a prolific blogger and Twitter-er, Chris Brogan, called “Cultivating a Writing Habit” and I chased that shot with an equally inspiring elixir — a post by my friend Beth about Creative Writing Under Pressure. 
    Maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s all writers in general, but there’s something about the process of writing that I find fascinating. Thinking about writing leads to thinking about thinking. And when others talk about writing — about their own personal writing habits and rituals — I learn a little something about how they work and how their brains work.
    Chris Brogan’s brain does not work like mine. He can apparently sit down at any moment, rip open an ink-filled vein, and let words spill all over the pages without feeling a lot of pain.
    Beth’s brain works a lot like mine. It’s kind of like a cat. If I want to have a good experience writing, I have to convince my brain that it is writing because it wants to write. You can’t force a brain like mine into doing any writing that it doesn’t want to do and expect anything less than a painful outcome. And who wants to write when the fur is flying and the claws are out?
    Beth’s blog explores some of the ways that she prods, cajoles, tricks, and negotiates with her cat-writer brain. She does other things and waits for the ideas to come to her. Make no mistake, that girl can write on a deadline, all right — I saw her do it plenty of times in college. But that kind of writing just isn’t the same as the kind of writing that comes from a brain that tells you it wants to write.
    I am the same way. I wait for the ideas to fall from the heavens and spend afternoons chasing after them with a butterfly net. I usually catch enough to start most any assignment. But when I’m forced to write and I have little inspiration, I turn to reading to jump-start my brain.
    Chris Brogan and I are alike in that way. He loves to read. And he is absolutely right that great writers are even better readers. I especially love to read writing by writers for writers.
    Good writing is a relief to read. Great writing is fun to read. But brilliant writing — poetry and prose for true logophiles – that sings to a different part of my soul. I’m talking about writing like you’ll find in Catch-22, a book so loaded with irony that it spills right over into the sentence structure.
    One of my favorite writers is William H. Gass. His essays are not for the faint of heart. They are intellectual beefsteaks – chewy, delicious, time consuming and worth the effort.  I stumbled across his writing in Harper’s, where I read his essay “In Defense of the Book: On the Enduring Pleasures of Paper, Type, Page, and Ink” and nearly wept with joy at the exercise (indeed, folks like Stephen Schenkenberg have rightfully credited Gass with turning reading into an aerobic activity).
    After reading that essay, I marched right out and bought his book “Tests of Time,” a collection of essays that, for me, are roller coaster-ride thrilling to read — better, actually, because the ride lasts a lot longer, and there’s no line to wait in if you want to read the ride again. When I’m in the middle of one of his essays, I can’t help but marvel at his skill. I also can’t help but think, “My God, how does this man’s brain work?”
    I’ve often wondered about his career as a writer. Did William H. Gass perform well under pressure? Did he relish the fast pace of a deadline-driven world, or did he prefer the more organic approach like my friend Beth and I do? Or, did it matter either way?
    In my other life as a professionally trained, practicing journalist (in the early 90s) I performed well under pressure. I could negotiate deadlines with ease (I was late in every other area of my life, but I got my copy in on time, most of the time). I eventually discovered my limitations. I discovered the point at which the pressure and stress of a job could be too great – and it would affect the end-product of my writing.
    I was a speechwriter for Laura Bush and I worked for the White House on 9-11. An already stressful job became enormously difficult in the aftermath. I was shell-shocked and probably suffered from PTSD for some time after that (remember D.C. had the anthrax scare and the snipers around that same time).
    In the midst of all that chaos and terror, I had a difficult time crunching data, processing complex ideas, remembering details, and producing thoughtful, clear, original speeches. Working under such pressure had a profound impact on my writing ability and productivity. Writing a speech was like giving birth – agonizing, painful and ultimately exhausting.
    I remember one particularly bad day I was researching a speech, and I was looking at a page of printed type when I realized that I had lost the ability to read. I knew that there were words on the page, but I couldn’t tell you what they meant. I was literally dumbfounded. I got up and left my office. 
    I rarely left my desk when I was working on a speech, but that wasn’t by choice. There were too many demands that kept me in my chair, on the phone, or at the computer, and I could rarely get away and find a peaceful place to think and write. Usually a short break would give me just enough energy to finish a job. But that day I just shut down. I had to go home and rest for a few hours before I could read and write again.
    It took several years to mentally unwind after I left the White House. Whenever I was presented with an important or complex writing job, I had to slog through it — coaxing, cajoling, tricking, and finally flat-out forcing my brain to think, think, think. I wasn’t pleased with any of my work. It was adequate but not inspired.
    Writing – the one thing that I loved most in life; the thing that had been therapeutic and inspiring since childhood – drained me. My brain was empty and silent. I wasn’t sure if I would recover that joy again, but I did, thank God. The internal dialogue came back, one word at a time. I found inspiration in reading. In writing poetry. In writing for myself instead of someone else. In not forcing it, but allowing it to rain down on me. The old cliche is true. Time does heal most wounds.
    The brain is a fascinating thing that we are only now beginning to peel apart and understand. From what I’ve gathered over years of reading about early childhood cognitive development, psychology, and current research about the brain, in some patients with PTSD or depression, the amygdala (the “fight or flight” center of the brain) often usurps the

    hippocampus — the amygdala’s next-door neighbor that controls learning and recall (memory). It essentially dampens the sort of creativity we need to develop unique ideas and write beautiful sentences.

    Yet the amygdala is also responsible for what’s called “fear” learning
    (coping skills, reactions and/or responses to danger). So, on the one hand, stress and fear inhibit cognition but might promote a specific kind of creativity: e.g. problem-solving skills necessary to save a life or preserve a species. Does that mean writing on a deadline triggers fear-based cognition, and pleasure writing is an entirely different cognitive process?
    For that answer I turned to someone I recently discovered on Twitter, Dr. Ellen F. Weber. Dr. Weber is CEO and President of MITA International Brain Based Center for Renewal in Secondary and Higher Education, and an author, lecturer and columnist. She said, essentially, that “Stress shuts down learning, lowers (immunity), blocks growth, limits creativity and adds the toxic chemical cortisol (to the brain equation). Relaxed writing generates serotonin, fosters curiosity, draws from multiple intelligences, and grows brain cells for solutions.”
    I’m fascinated about studies that explore how the stress, fear and rage responses impact creativity, learning and memory in people with depression, anxiety disorder, or PTSD (patients who are assumed to have hyper-sensitive fear or rage responses as a result of some past or recent trauma).
    For example, a recent study in Michigan is exploring the effects of cannabinoids on the brain (as in cannabis – marijuana – THC). I learned that the part of the brain with the greatest number of cannabinoid receptors is the amygdala (fight or flight center).  I also learned that our bodies actually make a version of this substance – called, appropriately, endocannabinoids. Who knew that the human body was capable of producing its own brand of THC.
    Funny, yes, but think of the implications and contradictions. On the one hand, people with depression or PTSD have trouble remembering things and/or processing complex data. In those patients, brain scans reveal overactive amygdalas that are often deteriorating — possibly due to the toxins produced from stress (like cortisol). On the other hand, potheads have trouble remembering things or processing complex data too. But what happens if you give stressed, anxious or depressed patients cannabinoids? Early research seems to suggest that they might just relax and think things through.
    Wait a second.
    Most research seems to show that THC has a detrimental impact on memory function. But if those same substances have been shown to dampen the emotional responses that interfere with learning and memory, then is it hypothesized that cannibinoids have potential benefits in patients with PTSD/anxiety disorder — and might somehow actually help promote learning and memory? Is this the scientific equivalent of writing on Beth’s deadlines versus Charlie’s vacuum-the-house-generated prose?
    I’d like to see brain scans of writers writing under the following conditions: on deadline, with someone screaming at them, after cleaning house or driving a car or other idea-generating activities, after jogging and after being given THC.
    Could we see the actual changes in cognition? What parts of the brain would light up or turn off? What could we learn from this sort of study? And how would that impact the blogosphere and newsrooms across America?  
    Wouldn’t you just love to peer inside the brains of your favorite writers and see not only what makes them tick, but also how they tick?
    Any volunteers?
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    Wizardry

    We see around corners.
    We make doubt disappear.
    We bring ideas to life.
    And we turn possibility into probability.
    Some call that wizardry.
    We call it the practical magic of experience.

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    Leadership

    We take pride in our work.
    We help you find the courage to grow.
    We are competent and confident.
    We pounce on timely opportunities.
    And we aren’t afraid of big ideas.

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    Music

    We’re picky about the artists we represent.
    And we’re choosy about our music.
    We give our talent the Royal Treatment
    (because they’ve earned it).

    There may be more to life than music,
    but we can’t imagine a life without it.
    (And we certainly wouldn’t want you
    to wander around out there unaccompanied.)

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    Storytelling

    Your brand has a story.
    — We memorize it.
    Your business needs storytellers.
    — We train them.
    You have compelling themes.
    — We identify them.
    You have ideas.
    — We wrap powerful words around them.
    You have characters.
    — We develop them.
     

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    Versatility

    Colorful.
    Adaptable.
    Instinctive.
    We are ink-slinging chameleons
    with a black belt in human interaction.

    An ideal blend for our clients.

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    Wisdom

    Strategic Communications:

    Sound judgement.
    Sage advice.
    Depth of understanding.
    Breadth of experience
    …and an impressive wingspan.

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    Phantom

    We are invisible.
    — Your brand shines through our work.
    We are behind the scenes.
    — You are center stage.
    We are transparent.
    — World-class clients trust our discretion.

  • About Charlie Fern

    Strategic Communications Consultant
    Owner, Principal of Charlie Fern Ink, LLC

    Charlie Fern headshotCharlene “Charlie” Fern has spent 26 years in communications — as a journalist in Texas in California; and as a press attaché and media advisor for elected officials and business executives in Texas, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey, as an adjunct professor of public relations, and as the founder and principal of a strategic communications consultancy, which is now in its 13th year.

    Ms. Fern has worked as speechwriter in the Texas Governor’s Office, the Texas Attorney General’s Office, and the White House. She served as director of executive communications for Merck & Co., Inc (then the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical company). She has also taught public relations at the university level.

    In 2003 Ms. Fern launched Charlie Fern Ink, LLC, a privately owned strategic communications consultancy. Her clients include musicians and celebrities, professional athletes, executives, diplomats, opinion leaders, global and government leaders, elected officials, corporate boards and CEOs, non-profit founders and leaders, and other writers, public speakers and public relations professionals. She provides strategic communications counsel in a broad range of industries including music and entertainment, health and medicine, government, education, high-tech startups, small businesses, national franchises, Fortune-500 to Fortune 10 companies, government agencies, trade associations, advocacy groups and non-profit organizations.

    She has volunteered as a board member or advisor for causes including the Austin Children’s Shelter; Friends of Texas Public Schools (she co-founded and served as a board member for this statewide non-profit through 2008); A Happy Healthy Child; They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO); Mobile Loaves and Fishes; the Wright House Wellness Center and the Texas Book Festival. She has served as Chairwoman of the Texas Book Festival’s Children’s Entertainment Committee in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013.

    Ms. Fern has served as an adjunct professor of public relations at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, and she continues to lecture at colleges, universities, conferences and forums on subjects including leadership, the art of storytelling as a global business tool, writing and communications in life and management, effective leadership, public relations, strategic engagement and deployment of personal and professional communications, social media, event planning, and corporate, politics and government communications.

    Charlie Fern Ink, LLC, is a strategic communications consultancy that provides services including public relations and publicity, tour and media management, strategic message development and deployment, media relations and media training, executive coaching, speech writing and public speaking coaching, event planning, social media strategy; cross-platform branding, and professional writing and editing with areas of expertise that include international relations, business, and diplomacy; government, education, non-profit/advocacy, music and entertainment, healthcare, biotech, technology, social media, entrepreneurial/startup and general professional communications. She presently lives and works from her home studio in Austin, Texas.

  • Accolades

    “This is like a big Hollywood party,” exclaimed NBC’s Chris Matthews after the entertainment at the Kuwaiti embassy dinner Tuesday celebrating Marvin Hamlisch’s birthday. Truth be told, it was actually more like a night on Broadway. What’s not to love: Hostess Rima Al-Sabah’s dinner … and Ambassador Salem Al-Sabah’s witty speech, incorporating titles of the honoree’s songs (“Nobody Does It Better,” “Ordinary People,” “Sunset, Lollipops and Rainbows”) introduced the show.

    — The Washington Times, May 18, 2007


    “Charlie Fern has the ability to take complex information and quickly turn it into meaningful material for the general reader. Her greatest talent is in her ability to create memorable language and with her assistance over the years she has opened many doors for me to be of greater service to this community.

    “As a non-profit executive director her assistance has allowed me to effectively communicate with the media, government leaders on every level, grantors and big money donors. As a result there are hundreds of people in Austin living an enhanced quality of life. Whether it is an abused child, an individual living with HIV/AIDS or the hungry, Charlie Fern knows just how to craft the argument to get the attention of your audience. I could not recommend her more highly.”

    – Susan Wills, MS, LPC Executive Director, the Wright House Wellness Center.


    “Charlie Fern has a lot to offer a professional communicator. Her expertise in platform building and speech preparation helped our team provide a top-notch product to our CEO in a timely manner.”

    – Linda Rutherford, Vice President, Public Relations and Community Affairs Southwest Airlines


    “Outstanding. Top Notch. Best ever. These are some of the responses we received … on this year’s Zhone Tech…They also mirror the reaction from our staff, partners and organizers. What distinguishes my commentary from the others is my full awareness of the substantial role that you played in the terrific success that we enjoyed. I am grateful for not only your expertise and your exceptional gift for prose, but also for your patience and dedication in working under demanding and often unreasonable conditions. Throughout the ordeal you demonstrated nothing less than composure and professionalism. It has been my pleasure to have had the opportunity to work with you on this outstanding engagement.”

    – David Markowitz, VP Marketing, Zhone Technology


    “Charlie Fern is an alliance partner of Excel Meetings and Events and provides speech writing and coaching to our corporate clients. She has an impeccable background and brings exceptional professionalism to her work. As an alliance partner, she is an invaluable asset to our business.”

    – Jon Wollenhaupt, Vice President, Excel Meetings and Events


    “I have been honored by the friendship of my colleagues in the White House speechwriting department: Michael Gerson, Pete Wehner, Matthew Scully…Charlene Fern… — altogether the finest presidential speechwriting team since Alexander Hamilton and James Madison collaborated on Washington’s Farewell Address.”

    – David Frum, The Right Man: The Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush

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    October 26, 2016 communication cfladmin

    On Stress, and the Desire to Connect

    A remarkable TED talk that challenges conventional wisdom about stress. In a few short minutes, the description says, “Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.” Her research revealed a fascinating detail about what we have long considered

    Read more
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    October 26, 2016 communication cfladmin

    Common Grammar Mistakes

    So. I developed a talent for editing when I managed the newsroom of a small chain of newspapers in San Diego in the early 90s.   My ability to spot a mistake in type grew at roughly the same pace as my list of pet peeves.  It seemed as if most of our reporters –

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    April 8, 2013 Uncategorized cfladmin Comments Off on Love and Marriage…

    Love and Marriage…

     …and Content vs Delivery in Good Public Speaking

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    April 4, 2013 blogs, Uncategorized cfladmin Comments Off on I Love You. Again. And again.

    I Love You. Again. And again.

    There it is, in black and white. Recently Jim Mitchem reminded me about an important date coming up on the calendar — a day he himself designated to celebrate the the idea of love by simply saying “I love you.”  This celebration began back in 2009 as more of an experiment. In Jim’s words: I was

    Read more
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    December 21, 2012 Uncategorized cfladmin Comments Off on You Are: A Lesson in the Life and Evolution of Music

    You Are: A Lesson in the Life and Evolution of Music

    Now here’s another take on a song that some might consider to be a standard from the past… Just look how it not only claimed a place in pop culture back then, but also survived through a generation only to emerge years later, solid and true, in an entirely different arrangement for an entirely different

    Read more
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    November 2, 2012 art, blogs, Uncategorized cfladmin Comments Off on Biscuit Brothers Fine Arts Farm: A music school that’s quintessentially Austin, by talent that’s out of this world

    Biscuit Brothers Fine Arts Farm: A music school that’s quintessentially Austin, by talent that’s out of this world

    From the Indiegogo Campaign page: Jerome Schoolar, Producer and Co-Creator of the Emmy Award winning PBS show “The Biscuit Brothers” is calling on fans to support the building of a new Fine Arts Farm in South Austin that will be designed to provide music and arts education to the entire community. The proposed facility will

    Read more
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    October 26, 2012 Uncategorized cfladmin Comments Off on Weekend Lineup: Free & Fun for Families in Austin, TX

    Weekend Lineup: Free & Fun for Families in Austin, TX

    The Children’s Entertainment Tent is the only tent located on the Texas State Capitol grounds. You’ll find it on the western-most side of the grounds, near the intersection of 12th and Colorado streets.

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    October 19, 2012 Uncategorized cfladmin Comments Off on Texas Book Festival Music Schedule Update: The Todd Simpson Experience

    Texas Book Festival Music Schedule Update: The Todd Simpson Experience

    Todd Simpson … a story you simply will not believe. Todd overcame incredible odds to even survive childhood, then faced challenging disabilities that he battles to this day. You wouldn’t know it to see him, though. At the still somewhat tender age of 18, he was inspired by a music video (Hendrix, no less) and decided

    Read more
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    October 13, 2012 Uncategorized cfladmin Comments Off on Alabama Shakes at Austin City Limits 2012

    Alabama Shakes at Austin City Limits 2012

    Woman tears it up.

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    September 29, 2012 Uncategorized cfladmin Comments Off on Storm Reconsidered

    Storm Reconsidered

    by me. Wind picks up Trees bow and curtsey ebb and flow ebb and flow Depending on the hour,  soon,  Sirens will wail  as they always do After  rain slicks streets And  irreverent drivers pay  no mind. Ride it out ride it out Go on about  your business. Rain sprinkles  on skin Cool toddy Candle

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  • Clients

    Ms. Fern has worked extensively in both the public and private sectors, with celebrities, musicians, government leaders, heads of state, corporate executives and board members. Her strategic communication consultancy includes speechwriting and coaching, public relations and marketing, media training, public speaking and teaching.

    On Stage:

    She delivers motivational speeches and informative lectures nationwide to groups of all sizes. Topics include leadership, strategic communication, public relations (including case studies), and her experiences as a speechwriter in the Texas Governor’s Office and at the White House (where she worked on 9-11).

    Clients and Industries:

    Ms. Fern works with clients on-site, on the road or virtually. She and her team handle each project and every client with the utmost care, professionalism and discretion. Our experience includes work in areas that include:

    Airlines
    Celebrities
    Colleges and Universities
    Diplomatic Corps – Ambassadors and Heads of State
    Event Planning
    Education – Early Childhood to University Instruction
    Elected Officials
    Embassies – worldwide
    Entrepreneurs – CEOs and Boards
    Foundations – Local to International
    Fortune-500 to Fortune-5 Companies Eden Asset Library
    Franchises – executives and Franchisees
    Government – Federal
    Government – State
    Healthcare
    High Tech
    Music and musicians – artists, songwriters and labels
    Non-Profits
    Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
    Oil and Gas
    Pharmaceutical
    Political candidates
    Professional athletes (NFL, olympic stars, etc)
    Public Relations, Marketing and Advertising
    Real Estate and Realtors
    Specialized businesses
    Start-ups

  • Contact

    Central Texas HQ:
    307 Cuernavaca Drive North, Suite C
    Austin, TX 78733

    Email: charlie@charliefernink.com
    Gmail: charliefernink@gmail.com
    Phone: 512-688-0424

    Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/CharlieFernInk
    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/charliefern
    Note: In order to view this page, you must have an active LinkedIn account and be signed in.

    Let's get social!

    https://m.facebook.com/CharlieFernInk

    https://twitter.com/capitalwriters

    instagram.com/charliefernink

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  • In the News

    Rolling Stone Magazine Interview of Charlie Fern

    Rolling-Stone-LOGO-2-920x300

    St. Edward’s University magazine interview of Charlie Fern

    SEU cover

    Article on Speechwriting and Geopolitics

    Article on Geopolitics

    Interview with the Garden Island

    Interview with Garden Islandthe-garden-island-8-2016-p7

    2016 TIPA Hall of Fame Announcement

    Hall of Fame Announcement

    Gulf Coast Business and Professional Women

    gulf-coast-women-of-achievement

  • Services

    What do we do around here? The ABCs and 123s of this strategic communications consultancy include nearly every service you can imagine across the wide world of professional communication and human interaction. Our services include, but are not limited to:

    • Strategic communications photoconsulting
    • Speechwriting and coaching
    • Communication plans
    • Message strategies
    • Executive briefings & correspondence
    • Corporate, government & non-profit white papers
    • Professional document editing and optimizing
    • Publishing industry editing & writing
    • Event planning
    • Public relations plans, strategies and tactics
    • Public service announcements
    • Press releases & media advisories
    • News & opinion editorial writing
    • Public speaking & lectures
    • Media – writing and training

    Contact Charlie for more details.

  • Writing & Resources

    As a journalist, Ms. Fern wrote and edited in all styles – hard news, lifestyles, sports, columns and editorials. More than 20 years later, she continues to write for all media and consults a national list of clients in the art and skill of writing and public communications, including public relations and strategic messaging. When she is not a featured writer, or featured as a writer in the news, she lectures at the university level and delivers seminars and motivational speeches to organizations and groups nationwide.

    You will have heard Ms. Fern’s speeches on national television, national and international radio. You will have read her work in prominent newspapers and magazines worldwide. And on this Web site, you will find examples of her own writing on a myriad of personal and professional topics — from leadership and public speaking to storytelling and strategic communications. You’ll also find blogs, essays, and speeches, quotes, and writing tips by Charlie and her staff, here and elsewhere on this site. We hope you’ll find this information both useful (if you’re considering our services) and entertaining (if you’re just browsing for fun and inspiration). And if you want to stay put on this page, you’ll find a few samples below.

    Personal Blog Posts:

    Eight months pregnant and counting

    Extolling the virtues of baby containing contraptions

    Excerpt from memoirs:

    A small excerpt

    On Writing:

    The Dirty Dozen of Grammatical Errors

    Tips and Tricks

    Newsletters:

    Imagine Greater Possibilities

  • Home
  • About Charlie Fern
  • Accolades
  • Blog
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  • Contact
  • In the News
  • Services
  • Writing & Resources