WAN YAN LING kitchenslippers AT gmail {dot] com EDUCATION ========= University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth | M.A. in Professional Writing University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | B.A. with Honors in Media & Communications, focus in Journalism JOURNALISM EXPERIENCE ===================== Serious Eats | www.seriouseats.com 2007 - present - Conceptualized and pitched the site's first travel-writing column Snapshots from Asia; responsible for researching original story ideas and filing weekly 400-700 word features with a food-culture slant - Identified a desire among readers to learn more about the tantalizing but oft bewildering farrago that is America's numerous ethnic groceries and created weekly column Grocery Ninja in response; responsible for sourcing innovative material, conducting stealth taste tests, and creating plucky recipes - Style, photograph, and digitally touch-up accompanying graphics for both columns - Work independently with minimal supervision - Believe in trumping deadlines - Deliver well-crafted stories in response to eleventh hour editor requests with polish and aplomb - Capitalize on the interactive nature of the web to build up readership and community; seize the opportunity provided by comments to have thoughtful, follow-up discussions with readers Leite's Culinaria | www.leitesculinaria.com 2007 - 2008 - Pitched and wrote features on canny, fresh, "global table" ideas - the kind that make you sit up and go "Wow!" - for monthly column Nibblings & Scribblings - Conducted interviews with chefs, entrepreneurs, roadside hawkers, and liaised with PR departments - Understood the need for "sound bites"" that hook readers and prompt click-throughs; wrote highlights and snippets on new articles for the site's daily RSS feeds The Torch, UMass Dartmouth's campus paper | www.umassd.edu/torch 2006 - 2007 - Wrote cheeky food-culture narratives and restaurant reviews in bi-weekly column Eat a Duck I Must Harper's Bazaar | Singapore 2004 - 2005 Editorial Intern - Covered society events and product launches, attended press conferences - Wrote product, book, and restaurant reviews, as well as lifestyle features - Familiar with the not-as-exciting but just as crucial job of crafting stories off press releases - Liaised with PR people to arrange and conduct interviews with celebrities - Sourced products for fashion shoots The Herald Sun | Melbourne, Australia 2004 - 2005 Editorial Intern - Secured one of only two prestigious positions with Australia's highest-selling daily - Pitched stories, conducted interviews, attended press meetings, wrote lifestyle features and book reviews ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE ===================== Teaching Assistant | UMass Dartmouth 2006 - present - Primary instructor for ENL 265 Business Communications - Responsible for lecturing, lesson planning, creating and grading assignments for two classes of 25 students each - Worked closely with colleagues and the Assistant Graduate Director to revamp the existing syllabus to be more intuitive, coherent, and student-centered - Liaised with the Writing & Reading Center and the business librarian in ensuring struggling students have access to remedial help Graduate Tutor | Writing & Reading Center, UMass Dartmouth 2006 - 2007 - Tutored students on a one-to-one and group basis, working with them toward clearer and tighter expression in academic assignments Substitute Teacher | Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, Katong, Singapore 2005 - 2006 - Taught English and History to five Grade 9 classes of 40 students each - Responsible for lecturing, lesson planning, grading essays, and preparing students for their G.C.E. O Level National Exams Substitute Teacher | Anglican High School, Singapore 2002 - 2003 - Taught English and Literature to five Grade 8 classes of 40 students each - Responsible for lecturing, lesson planning, grading assignments, and preparing students for their Year 9 School Streaming Exams President | Drama & Debate Club, Pioneer Junior College, Singapore 2000 - 2002 - Orchestrated the college's annual Arts Festival - Chaired meetings, held auditions, organized British Parliamentary-style debates - Worked closely with and delegated tasks to the club's leadership committee - Planned and ensured the general smooth running of weekly club meetings, events, and follow-up activities OTHER ===== LANGUAGES Native speaker of English and Mandarin Chinese SOFTWARE Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop CS3, Windows XP, Mac OS X TRAVEL Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Continental Western Europe, Turkey