Meet the Writers | Wallyhood

For the better part of Wallyhood’s existence there was just one writer, Jordan. In the past few months, though, you may have noticed a blooming of new authors appearing on these pages, which we think is just fantastic because a) it brings more perspectives to the blog and b) it means less work for that one writer. So, we wanted to take a moment to introduce you to them. After all, you’re neighbors.

If you’re reading this on the web site, the author’s name and photo appears at the top of each article, just below the title. If you’re reading this in e-mail, the author’s name appears at the beginning of each story (this one should read “By Wallyhood”, for example).

If you see a story with the “Wallyhood” byline, that’s Jordan. You can read about him on our About page. It’s unclear why he continues to use the first person plural in all his stories. No less puzzling is the fact that he is writing this bio in the third person.

Erin Leach-Kemon moved to Seattle from her one-stoplight hometown of Middleburg, Va. in fall 2008. She completed her bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. Before moving to the Pacific Northwest, she interned as a staff writer at local newspapers and magazines, as well as working as a student affairs intern/House Mom/ pub crawl organizer in Bath, England. Currently residing in Wallingford, she regularly contributes stories to her neighborhood blog, Wallyhood and works as a technical writer for Microsoft. Her interests range from European country hopping, non-fiction writing (primarily on the city’s metro buses) and the occasional dumpster dive.

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Chris S. Witwer likes to call herself Wallyhood’s “Lower Wallingford Correspondent.” Chris is a former Texan (is there any such thing?) who came to Seattle in 2005 for three reasons: weather, scenery, and coffee culture. It has taken her four years to begin to understand Seattle humor, but she’s getting there. Chris is a bureaucrat by day, and caffeine-fueled blogger when she’s not reading novels or pretending to write one. She lives with her partner, Laura, and two cats — Dolce and Molly, and uses the internet to make fun of stuff on her personal blog, http://felsputzer.wordpress.com.

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Helen has lived in Wallingford for 11 years and think it’s the best neighborhood in Seattle, possibly the world. She has worn a track between her house, QFC and the library and spends a lot time walking around, being a busybody. She is a mother, does volunteer work and is interested in local, green and child-related issues. She has an advanced degree in English literature and thus reads a lot and enjoys the craft of writing. She also works part-time for her husband’s software company (doesn’t everyone have a software company around here?).

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Liz fell in love with Wallingford the day she came to look at what became her basement apartment in a cute little house near Dick’s. She discovered Wallyhood the same day on a poster at the Fainting Goat. Liz is relatively new to Seattle. She moved here a few years ago from central Illinois where she grew up and went to college at University of Illinois in Champaign. She is now working at Starbucks HQ as a marketer on their e-commerce team. She loves getting to know this beautiful city and is excited to participate more in her favorite local blog and get to know Wallingford better along the way.

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Margaret Steck is a freelance writer and a longtime resident of Wallingford. She and her husband are the proud parents of two children they adopted from Ukraine in 2004 and 2008. When she’s not out running with their Labradoodle/Retriever, or shuttling the kids all over town, Margaret covers the neighborhood schools beat for Wallyhood, and writes articles pertaining to running, parenting, and international adoption.

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Matt Mason(MTM Photography) is a photojournalist, along with being a fine art and event photographer. Developing his skill over 10 years and around the world in over 30 countries, he now works in Seattle. He has received an Honorable Mention from the International Photography Awards and had his work shown at various venues in New England, his original home. He has embraced his new home of Seattle and its vibrant people and culture bringing a new dimension to his work. He is a regular contributor to several news, culture, and music outlets focusing on local Seattle. You can view and purchase his fine art at www.mtmphotography.net

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Graduate school brought Sharon to Seattle, where she attended the University of Washington Law School. During the real estate craze in 1998, Sharon and her husband Scott, found their first home in Wallingford.

Since then, she has worked on tax and policy issues, written short stories, taken a detour from the traditional law track into project management, and started a family.

She currently works for a large Redmond software company and has moved to another house (in Wallingford) with Scott, their two children, and a grey cat, Maia. She came to write for Wallyhood through her friend Jordan and contributes regularly with two parenting related columns: Wallymom and Notes from the Playground.

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If you are interested in writing for Wallyhood, drop us a line, we’re more than happy to share the excitement that is hyperlocal journalism.