Annika Hipple
Freelance writer, editor, travel photographer

• http://www.annikahipple.com
• http://crossingtimezones.com

I am a freelance writer, editor, and general lover of words. My work runs the gamut from journalistic articles to copywriting and editing. I work with clients in a wide range of fields, but my passions are anything to do with travel, environmental issues, sustainability, or international and ethnic issues. That can mean writing a travel essay or a destination feature for a newspaper or magazine, but it can just as easily mean writing a brochure, newsletter, or web copy for a travel company or any business that's looking to develop a greener or more international profile. I also love working with foundations and other organizations focusing on finding solutions to the world's problems.

Along with my writing, I'm a freelance tour manager, leading several trips a year to countries around the world for museum and alumni travel programs. Recent adventures include riding a camel in Mongolia's Gobi Desert, snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands, cruising down the Nile River in Egypt, and braving the winds at South America's southernmost point, Cape Horn.

I recently launched my travel blog, Crossing Time Zones, featuring dispatches, travel news, destination profiles, and practical travel tips. I'm also a travel photographer with a portfolio of images from around the world.

My academic background is in environmental studies, international development, and Latin American studies. On a personal level, I'm half Swedish, half American and equally at home in both countries. Beyond that, I'm an avid salsa dancer, a folk and world music addict, and a passionate explorer of the Northwest outdoors (though I'm not aiming to top out on any major peaks anytime soon).

I offer crisp, clear writing with style and flair to help target your message to a particular audience. I am particularly good at bringing together multiple sources of information and transforming complex ideas into clean, accessible copy.

As an editor and proofreader, I am an expert at fixing grammatical errors, catching typos, and smoothing out stylistic issues to create a quality editorial product. I can clean up a document without losing the individuality of the writer or streamline a product with multiple authors so that it speaks with a single voice.

In addition, I possess excellent research skills and am efficient, accurate, and attentive to the needs of my clients.

I work in English, Swedish, and Spanish.

I'm looking for opportunities to network with people working in the travel, environmental, and international development industries to learn more about their editorial and communications needs so that I can figure out how best to focus my own work on these subject areas.

M.A., Latin American studies (concentrations in geography and political science), The University of Arizona, 2000.

Fulbright grantee in international development studies, Uppsala University, Sweden, 1995-1996.

B.A., environmental studies (focus on human ecology) with minors in creative writing and Spanish, Middlebury College, 1995.

College semester in Ecuador, Comparative Ecology Program, School for International Training, 1994.

Partial list of editorial projects (for more details, see my website):

Published articles and essays in Trip, The Christian Science Monitor, Conscious Choice, Northwest Meetings & Events, Colors NW, Borderlines, Middlebury Magazine, Prudence International Magazine (known as the Pulse of Africa), GreenSceneUSA.com, Iranian.com, and other publications and websites.

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, Norwalk, CT: Write newsletter articles, press releases, web content, and marketing and development materials for blood cancer research and advocacy foundation.

Geomatrix Consultants, Seattle, WA: Edit technical reports and proposals for environmental and geotechnical consulting firm.

Expedia, Bellevue, WA: Researched and wrote content for online hotel infosites.

Skyhorse Publishing, New York, NY: Translated book about Swedish Christmas crafts from Swedish into English.

The Garrigan Lyman Group, Seattle, WA: Proofread and copyedit projects for design firm's corporate clients, including marketing copy, presentations, corporate training materials, proposals, and web content. Copyedited and proofread Spanish copy for World Cup soccer-related microsite.

REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.), Kent, WA: Wrote backpacking clinic outline. Edited product information guide and online expert advice article. Proofread catalog items.

The Hacker Group, Bellevue, WA: Proofread English and Spanish direct mail materials.

Advanced Language Systems International, Rockville, MD: Edited English translations of Swedish court records, police reports, and other judicial documents. Translated Swedish text as necessary.

National Network of Forest Practitioners, Providence, RI: Translated forestry-related articles from English into Spanish.

The Princeton Review, New York, NY: Copyedited and proofread various college guides and other publications.

The Scandinavian Living Center, West Newton, MA: Wrote promotional articles for newsletter and press kit.

The Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, Tucson, AZ: Compiled and co-edited directory of research at the University of Arizona related to the U.S.-Mexico border region.

Research experience:

The Nature of the News: Environmental Organizations and the Mass Media in Mexico. M.A. thesis, including interviews and archival research in Mexico City.

Land-use change in northern and central Mexico. Co-author of draft discussion paper prepared for the World Wildlife Fund Chihuahuan Desert Conservation Workshop.

Public-private partnerships in natural resource management. Research for project on water policy in the Texas-Mexico border region, Latin American Area Center, The University of Arizona.

Ecotourism as a conservation tool in the Sea of Cortez, Baja California, Mexico. Research for working paper for The Nature Conservancy Mexico Program.

Peru's Shining Path: Sendero Luminoso's Rise...and Fall? Research paper as part of Fulbright studies in international development, Uppsala University.

Crisis and Conservation: Environmental Issues and Awareness in Ecuador. B.A. thesis, including study of environmental awareness in a middle-class suburban community near Quito.

Other experience:

Tour manager: I lead several international trips per year for museum, nonprofit, and university alumni travel programs. Tour experience includes Egypt, Mongolia, the Galapagos Islands, Patagonia, Easter Island, New Zealand, Japan, China, Central Europe, Italy, the Baltic region, and more. Upcoming travel includes a return to Chile and Argentina. Previously, I led tours throughout the U.S. and Canada for mainstream tour companies. Occasionally I guide visitors locally in the Seattle area.