I develop a wide range of nonfiction: books, articles, websites, and training materials. The results are clear, accurate, and compelling.I've worked on hundreds of books for Taylor & Francis, Bloomsbury, Routledge, the American Bar Association, and other major publishers with Lachina Creative and Apex CoVantage.I also develop, write, and edit for nonprofits, such as Touchstones Discussion Group, and startups, such as Jive (now ICIMS) and USuggest It.My current focus is developing projects with independent authors. I offer attention to:-compelling narratives-structure-organization-audience-tone-content-sensitivity-creative development of ideas-strategies for revisionIn later stages, I refine the grammar, usage, and mechanics (and, if you're into it, we'll discuss the "why" of those choices) to serve your work's audience and purpose.

I coach people to improve the clarity and effectiveness of their writing. I help you hook the readers you want and connect with them. As we work together, we don't just look for "fixes." I guide writers through strategies and methods to use whenever they write so that they can find develop their own writing process. This makes every future project easier, from start to finish.These skills can be applied within a marketing framework (using content strategy) or within an educational framework (using pedagogy); these are two sides of the same coin. In marketing, we can give potential clients and customers free content that they want to know. In education, we can persuade readers and students to "buy into" what we need them to understand.

My instruction teaches students to develop the breath while moving through a meditative sequence that may be gentle, moderate, or vigorous, depending on the students' intentions and inquiries. I have been teaching and practicing for the past 25 years in Cincinnati, Oxford, Columbus, Dayton, Troy, Chicago, and Cleveland. I'm an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT) and Continuing Education Provider (YACEP) with Yoga Alliance and a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) and Approved Professional Development (APD) Provider with the International Association of Yoga Therapists. I'm also Pilates Mat Certified (PMC) with the National Pilates Certification Program (NPCP).See www.elizabethsilas.com for more of my background, testimonials from students and fellow teachers, current classes in Chagrin Falls and online, and the workshops and teacher trainings I teach regionally.

I taught up to three sections of courses each semester of Media Aesthetics (FST/COM 146), Mass Media and Society (COM 354), and Mass Media Criticism (COM 447). I developed original syllabi and curricula, making courses writing-intensive with a strong analytical focus. My courses guided students to improve their writing from rough draft to final revision, using individual meetings, peer reviews, and in-class workshops. I received consistently excellent student evaluations (numeric summaries and/or sample student comments available upon request).

I developed, proposed, and taught an original interdisciplinary course that blended the theories and practices of yoga. The course emphasized analysis of primary sources (from early Vedanta, Yoga, Samkhya, and Buddhism), modern experiential practices (including postures, breathing techniques, and meditation), and modern representations and expressions of the philosophies (in American film and literature).

As a graduate student, I taught Media and Society (COM 354) and Media Aesthetics (FST/COM 146) courses. I revised the FST/COM 146 curriculum, choosing new readings, designing PowerPoint presentations, overhauling assignments and grading rubrics, creating student review materials, writing short-answer and essay exams, and selecting and digitizing clips for classroom presentation. The courses used a variety of formats: interactive lecture, class discussion, student presentations, and small-group work. I received excellent student evaluations for both courses taught. I was also chosen to teach a Diversity Seminar (IDS 151) for the Center for World Cultures, a course for first-semester freshmen.

As editorial assistant to Dr. McLaughlin on a quarterly international academic journal, I was responsible for line editing, copy editing, and corresponding with authors on issues of content and sources. I also assisted Dr. Riordan in teaching Electronic Media History and Media Aesthetics courses, writing and grading exams and lecturing on selected topics.

As founding Director of Research and Development, I:-established and implemented a system of R&D, editorial, and outside consultant reviews to improve quality and accuracy, with mechanisms for continual improvement.-trained freelancers and full-timers to write and edit to specs, developing workshop materials and curricula for print and online modules.-ensured consistent voice and vision.-organized departmental professional development seminars. -researched legislation and policy changes on educational standards and testing for project plans and manuscripts.-wrote proposals, specs, and sample copy for print and online projects.-presented to prospective publisher clients to develop new contracts for service.As Senior Editor, I established the departmental relationships and quality products that resulted in a three-year, multimillion-dollar partnership with McGraw-Hill, in a team of three. I then:-designed and implemented research, development, and editorial processes. -hired and trained staff and freelancers for new K-12 Textbook Publishing editorial department: editors, writers, subject-matter reviewers, copy editors, proofreaders, and illustrators. -improved writers' efficiency and productivity with targeted feedback and relationship-building.-managed the editorial process from project proposal through page proofs. -set and adhered to budgets and deadlines while ensuring quality.-built relationships with subject matter experts, negotiating feedback processes to cultivate both the required products in the short term (through accuracy reviews and quality control reviews) and productive contacts for the long term.As Writer and Editor, I edited and managed the initial textbook projects in partnership with McGraw-Hill. I also co-wrote the Random House/Princeton Review trade books on test preparation, Cracking the SSAT and ISEE, for middle-school students, and Cracking the English Regents, for high-school students.

In a small regional office in Boston, I coordinated high-school tutoring programs for Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. I maintained contacts for sites of test-prep courses in all four states; assisted in training SAT teachers; and presented one-hour informational and interactive seminars for students, parents, and high-school teachers. I also taught and tutored high-school students and undergraduate college students for various standardized tests, such as SAT, SAT II Subject Test in Writing, and GRE. Because there was a gap in our materials, I researched and wrote test-prep materials for middle-school students taking the SSAT and ISEE, first for use in tutoring and then for a Random House trade book.