Writer | Editor | Translator

maikstrik [at] hotmail [dot] com

Education

Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Linguistics, University of Texas at Austin, 1987.
Graduate work in Linguistics and Zoology, University of Texas at Austin, 1989–1992.

Editor and translator

October 2007–June 2008

Editor of the March 2008 and June 2008 issues, both online and print, of Gallo Pinto, the bilingual newsletter of the Monteverde Friends School in Monteverde, Costa Rica, as well as translator from the Spanish of the following pieces:

§ Two stories by Isabelle Sander in Gallo Pinto, June 2008.

§ A time to share, by Sonia Montiel Espinoza, in Gallo Pinto, June 2008.

§ The secret escape, by Lalo Belmar, in Gallo Pinto, March 2008.

Content writer

February 2006–February 2007

Content writer for Cypress Curriculum Services (Shari Rodgers, editor), a freelance educational content developer. Projects include:

§ Chapters (~45 pages each) on the subject of writing for third- and sixth-graders in the Coach Focus on MEAP series of textbooks published by Triumph Learning and designed to prepare students to take standardized English language arts tests in Michigan.
[Pre-publication third-grade lesson sample]
[Pre-publication sixth-grade lesson sample]

§ Practice exam booklets (~100 pages each) for grades 4 and 6 in the New York State Coach Jumpstart series of textbooks published by Triumph Learning and geared toward helping students pass the standardized ELA tests in New York.
[Published fourth-grade sample available online at http://www.testprep.com/parts/articles/108NY_sample.pdf]
[Published sixth-grade sample available online at http://www.testprep.com/parts/articles/110NY_sample.pdf]

§ Lessons (~40 pages total) on Latin American history for the grade 6 Georgia CRCT Coach textbook published by Triumph Learning and intended to prepare students in Georgia for standardized tests in social studies.
[Pre-publication sixth-grade lesson sample]

§ Lessons (~4 page each) on Georgia state government for the grade 8 Georgia CRCT Coach social studies textbook published by Triumph Learning.
[Pre-publication eighth-grade lesson sample]

Contributing writer and translator

November 1999–July 2002

Contributor to the Philadelphia Weekly, as well as occasional translator and interpreter. Contributions include:

§ “Manu Chao.” Music review of Manu Chao, Próxima Estación: Esperanza, in Philadelphia Weekly, July 17, 2002. Available online at www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=3357.

§ Translator and interpreter from standard and Haitian French for the article “Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust,” by Victor Fiorillo and Liz Spikol, in Philadelphia Weekly, January 17, 2001. Available online at http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/articles/120/cover-story.

§ “Web Pulp. It seems like a good idea. But nay, we know not seems.” Book review in Philadelphia Weekly, December 8–15, 1999. Available online at www.michaelseanstrickland.com/Reviews/toby_review.html.

§ “Unsung Heroes. Dalkey Archive Press has all those ‘other novels.’ ” (Book review in Philadelphia Weekly, November 3–10, 1999. Available online at www.michaelseanstrickland.com/Reviews/dalkey_review.html.

Science writer

July 1997–September 2000

Writer of several short (100–150 word) science-related news items for Resources, a magazine devoted to environmental management, edited at the time by Art Spikol.

Research assistant

March 1994–February 1995

Archival and bibliographic research assistant for author Lou Harry, Philadelphia. Explored primary and secondary sources for stories relating to Octavius V. Catto, Maelzel’s chess automaton, the Keely motor hoax, and others, in the author’s book, Strange Philadelphia. (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1995. Library of Congress LCCN Permalink: http://lccn.loc.gov/95004769.)

Writer and copy editor

April 1994–December 1995

Writer and copy editor at Art Spikol, Inc., Philadelphia. In addition to researching, writing, and copyediting newsletter articles and the annual report for the Wistar Institute, copyedited brochures and small publications for the University of the Arts and other clients.