Writing

As a child, I was often more comfortable inside books than around people. I don’t write in the genre I once devoured (fantasy fiction), but perpetual, obsessive reading is the writer’s unofficial apprenticeship, and I’m glad my once-shy self put in the hours.

Professional Blogging (2020-)

Logo of Lambda Island, which is an outline of a lighthouse in blue.

I write informative, accessible posts for aspiring and novice coders, covering everything from technical issues to career and academic ones.

Key pieces

The Basics of Learning Python
Beyond Bootcamps: 4 Independent Coding Project Ideas
The Three Clojures. As a developer at Gaiwan, I also contribute writing to the Lambda Island blog.

Freelance Reporting (2018-)

I’m focused on issues that impact women, LGBT people and people of color, often at the state level. I’m skilled at weaving together statistics, expert interviews, and personal testimony from people impacted by a policy or issue. Recent bylines have included Rewire News Group and the Capital Times.

Key pieces:

Medical Students Can’t Provide Abortions If They Never Learn How I spoke to experienced OB/GYNs and students to illuminate the impact of both written and unwritten restrictions on abortion at teaching hospitals. This was named as one of Rewire News Group‘s top posts of 2020.
In Texas, a Quiet Effort to Protect ‘Conversion Therapy’ Is Underway I interviewed a legal expert, a Texas psychologist, an advocate for LGBT youth and several people who experienced ‘conversion therapy‘ to detail the impact of conversion therapy remaining legal or being legally condoned.
Wisconsin Democrats Won More Votes in the Midterms. In the Legislature, It Didn’t Matter. I analyzed election data from the Wisconsin Elections Commission and spoke with experts to cover the impact of gerrymandering and Wisconsin’s political geography had on the 2018 Wisconsin legislature elections.

Epic (2014-2018)

Epic Systems logo, which is the name Epic in red sans-serif.

As a technical writer at Epic, I translated complicated design documents, interviews with experts, and even source code into readable and compelling documentation. I wrote for a variety of audiences, including doctors, nurses, IT teams, managers, and executives.

Key projects:

To document our overhaul of sex and gender information in the medical record, I wrote a documentation plan, created guidelines for other writers, answered their questions, reviewed manuals and release notes, and condensed the entire project into a concise overview. The project was featured in Wired.
It’s Possible Scripts: I wrote scripts for 90-second videos covering new features for nurses and therapists.

Blogging (2012-)

Cursive Capital A, for Alys, in the same font as the header.

Blogs are a great nursery for ideas, a way to practice and a means of sharing small projects that wouldn’t otherwise find an audience.

Personal blog: Eclectic writing including game and movie reviews, programming and more.
Alec im Ausland: Photos and recollections from my five months in a German university town.
Elections journalism blog: Short summaries of meeting local political celebrities, studying election coverage and trying to stay on Professor Herbert Lowe’s good side.

The Marquette Tribune (2013-2014)

The Marquette Tribune logo, a T in front of a sun

Throughout college, I occasionally wrote for the The Marquette Tribune on top of my other duties at the paper. During my senior year, it won a regional award, Best All-Around Non-Daily, from the Society of Professional Journalists. I also copy edited for The Tribune and managed the copy desk.

Key stories:

MU campus dense in parking citations: I collaborated with Erin Heffernan to weave the data I analyzed with interviews she had conducted to create a comprehensive and useful picture of parking in Milwaukee for students at Marquette University, who live and work near some of the most-ticketed streets.
No plan in place to address $250,000 held in MUSG reserve: Marquette Student Government’s reserve fund has been growing for years, reaching half the size of the budget.

Reviewing the Arts (2014)

I’ve always enjoyed the arts, so when I got the chance to write about it and have my work critiqued by Dr. Pamela Nettleton, a long-time magazine writer and brilliant professor, I jumped at the chance.

Key pieces:

Milwaukee Art Museum’s exhibit shows works of the self-taught: Besides being an excellent collection, Uncommon Folk affirms the idea that anyone can create and appreciate art.
“Winter Series” premiers brand-new ballets: My first time writing about ballet was also my first time seeing it. Describing the dancers’ artistry was a fun challenge.

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service (2012-2013)

Milwaukee NNS logo, consisting of a skyline wrapped around the words Neighborhood News Service, with Milwaukee below.

I’ve reported on local non-profits, city agencies and community members for Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, an online news agency that focuses on overlooked neighborhoods. The internship and my later freelance pieces were a valuable opportunity to meet people across the city and practice community journalism.

Key stories:

Fondy Farm takes emergency measures to fight drought: The dry summer of 2012 meant many crops failed to even sprout.
Program shows young offenders the personal costs of crime: Safe and Sound’s Lauren Thrift shows teenage burglars the impact of their crimes by bringing them face-to-face with the community they wronged.