Founder and Senior Editor Ali McCart
Ali thinks her love for the written word might have something to do with the pungent odor of ink and the methodic sounds from her parents’ printing press, which permeated her senses before she even knew how to read. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Willamette University and a master’s degree in book publishing from Portland State University. She’s written and edited for periodicals in Oregon, Idaho, and Montana and edited for authors and book publishers across the country. She also spent two years as a bookseller and sometimes still itches to create front-of-store displays. When she’s not editing, reading, or sneaking whiffs of local print shops, Ali spends her time hiking with her dog, traveling, and feeding the geese at the park near her house.
Ali is also the publisher of
Ink-Filled Page, Indigo's quarterly literary journal, and director of the
Sledgehammer 36-Hour Writing Contest.
Ali's editing specialties: health and wellness, fitness and recreation, metaphysical, how-to, self-help, memoir, and feminist nonfiction books; young adult fiction and nonfiction; short stories; professional documents as well as calendars and other design-heavy materials.
Associate Editor Kristin Thiel
Editing fiction and nonfiction for a variety of clients—among them individual authors, Coffee House Press, Simon & Schuster, HarperOne, the National Youth Leadership Council, Portland State University, and
Bitch magazine—Kristin loves the written word, its playfulness and intricacies, and working with writers to snap each one into just the right spot.
Kristin draws additional editing support from her own work as a writer. Even before she knew how to form the letters of the alphabet, Kristin was "writing," dictating stories to her mom to put on paper. In 2006 she won the Elisabeth A. McPherson Award for Women Writers and in 2007 the Ooligan Editors' Choice short story contest. Her story "Pilgrim for Hire" was published in
VoiceCatcher 2, and she read from it to an audience of almost one hundred at Portland's Central Library. An excerpt from that story is also in the reference book
Don't Sabotage Your Submission: Save Your Manuscript from Turning Up D.O.A.
Kristin signs on here and at
www.kristinthiel.com.
Kristin's editing specialities: adult literary fiction (anything along the magical realism spectrum is of particular interest), adult mystery or thriller. Kristin also edits university materials, including catalogs, brochures, and more.
Associate Editor Andrea Deeken
With a BA in English and Writing and an MS in Writing and Publishing, Andrea has been editing professionally since 2005. She has edited fiction and nonfiction for individual authors, Ooligan Press, Legwork Team Publishing, Portland State University, proofread for
Bitch magazine, and assisted in acquisitions for
The Grove Review,
Ink-Filled Page, La Palabra Café Press, and Redwood Literary Agency. When not editing, Andrea spends her time reading, writing, gardening, and working at the Hollywood Branch library in Beverly Cleary's childhood neighborhood. Her writing has appeared in
Periphery,
The Cereal Box Review,
Knotmag, and
The Bear Deluxe. Her story, "Our Year of Pies," recently won first place in the 2009 Portland Pen and Pie short story contest. She is currently at work on her first novel.
Andrea’s editing specialties: literary fiction, short stories, graphic novels, and children’s books. She also collaborates with other editors in editing nonfiction.
Associate Editor Susan DeFreitas
Susan grew up reading mysteries, fantasy novels, and science fiction—and despite her recent fixation on literary fiction, still loves “the genres.” She studied fiction and poetry at the Interlochen Arts Academy, earned her BA in creative writing from Prescott College, and is currently working on her MFA in writing at Pacific University. Her poetry, fiction, and magazine journalism have been published in
Yes! Magazine,
Natural Home,
The Utne Reader,
The Bear Deluxe,
The Noise, and
Southwestern American Literature, among others. Along the way, she has worked as a freelance editor and publicist, a copywriter, a grant-writer, and even a professional blogger.
Susan's editing specialties: poetry, fantasy, science fiction, and mysteries, as well as grants and business plans.
Associate Editor Laura Meehan
Laura was born with a book in her hand. At the age of eight, she won a school-wide book-cover illustration contest, and she started telling people she wanted to be an "author-slash-illustrator." Since then, she has dropped some of the visual-art dreams, but she still loves books—reading, editing, and hopefully someday writing—with a passion.
After receiving a BA in English from UCLA and an MA in book publishing from Portland State University, Laura started her career working as senior editor for Ink & Paper Group. Since launching her freelance career, she has edited for Ken Arnold Books, Ink & Paper Group, the
Hollywood Star News,
intentionally urban magazine (where she also served as lifestyle department editor), the Portland Bridge calendar, and many individuals. Outside of work, she enjoys chasing her two young children, being active outdoors, and cooking and baking.
Laura's editing specialties: nonfiction, historical fiction, young adult fiction, and women's fiction. She also edits academic works, including anthropology journal articles and books, and graduate student materials. You can also visit Laura's Web site at
www.laurameehan.com.
Editorial Intern Rosie Mckinlay-Mench
Rosie Mckinlay-Mench loves sentences to little tiny pieces. She adores dissecting them, shifting them, and making them the best sentences they can be. She finds nothing more satisfying than stringing these evolving sentences together to create a dazzlingly impactful work of literary epiphany. Copyediting calms her nerves like chamomile. Rosie recently finished her undergraduate work at Portland State University with a BA in English and a minor in writing. This has catapulted her into a transitional period which she is both excited and frightened by. She hopes to expand and enhance her writing and editing skills through opportunities like her internship at Indigo and to find her place in the big crazy world of bookishness.
Editorial Intern Cecilie Scott
Cecilie Scott is long-time technical editor who's turning toward literary editing to bridge the gap between practicality and passion.
After deep revision, her travel memoir,
Knowing Bodies, is near completion, freeing writing time for poetry and a collection of linked stories of travelers looking for paradise. Last year she published in
VoiceCatcher4,
Ink-Filled Page Red Anthology, and
StringTown #11. Her work has also appeared in
Crab Orchard Review,
The Healing Muse,
The Dos Passos Review, and
The Raven Chronicles.