Content Writers

A few years after launching The Hired Pens, Anna and Dan had an epiphany: If they were going to achieve their mission of stomping out dull, soulless “corporate speak,” they’d need to bring in reinforcements.

The partners have since scoured the land for a truly special breed of copywriter. Their search has produced a team of veteran content writers with not only superb linguistic prowess, but also sparkling personalities. Because, really, who wants to work with a jerk? Not us — or our clients.

Karen

Karen has been writing feature articles, profiles, blog posts, website copy and marketing materials since 2000. Her personal writing has appeared on The New York Times‘ Motherlode blog, and she’s a contributing blogger at Brain, Child magazine.

Alice

Alice is so interested in health that she once tried to stay awake to observe her own surgery. Sadly (fortunately?), the anesthesia won. A longtime health writer, she specializes in creating content that simplifies complex medical concepts and inspires people to make healthy lifestyle choices. In addition to writing health guides, articles and blogs, she ghostwrites books with physicians and psychologists. Her work has won awards from the American Medical Writers Association.

Betty

With more than 20 years of experience in both the agency side and in-house side, Betty has worked across every vertical, from automotive to technology. She also has extensive experience managing creative teams. A city girl at heart, Betty has adjusted well to mountain life in northern New Hampshire, where she lives with her husband Tim, daughter Maggie and British Bombay terror of a cat.

Courtney

Courtney

A lifelong equestrian, Courtney works hard so her horses can have nice things. She trained in a newsroom, decided agency life was more fun and ultimately landed in corporate communications and global marketing. Courtney loves to partner with clients to understand their business goals and deliver high-quality content that would make her horses proud.

David

From white papers and blogs to webinars and product data sheets, David can put cutting-edge technology into context that potential customers can understand and take action on. In addition to being an experienced tech writer, he’s a popular children’s book author with titles including the Ballpark Mysteries series from Random House, Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse and the picture book Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and Secret Mud That Changed Baseball.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth has worked as a copywriter and journalist for 20 years, focusing mainly on technology, business and health topics. When not geeking out about the best way to craft sentences, she runs an organic vegetable farm, Bossy Acres, with her partner Karla.

Eric

Eric’s interest in style dates back to childhood, when he insisted on visiting playgrounds in a full suit. Today he’s more practical, but his enthusiasm for clothes and the stories behind them is as strong as ever, rivaled only by his passion for finding the right words. Years of working in editorial and branded copywriting have given him experience with everything from email newsletters and product descriptions to a rhyming storybook about shoes.

Erin

Once upon a time, Erin discovered the Professional Writing and Technical Communication program at UMass Amherst. “Writing about software sounds fun!” said no one. But Erin? She thinks it’s fascinating. Since then, she has used her skills for good, helping companies create technology-related (and other) content that both engages readers and meets business goals. See? Dreams really do come true!

Jason

If it can be written, Jason’s written it. Print, digital, social. Magazines and billboards, websites and manuals, radio and TV. For huge clients you’ve definitely heard of, and small clients who want to be heard from. Telecom, finance, food service, automotive and many other industries. When he’s not jamming on marketing work, he’s kicking out all the fiction, nonfiction, essays and criticism he can. Writing’s not just a job — it’s why he’s here.

Kara

Kara

Kara’s journalism has appeared everywhere from The Boston Globe to New York magazine to McSweeney’s. She’s also written for Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital and MIT. She got her professional start as a desk assistant at NBC National News, where she tracked Bill Clinton’s (almost) every move and hung up on Tom Brokaw (twice). If you ever meet in person, ask her about the book she co-authored.

Kate

For over a decade, Kate has written copy for clients across industries, including tech, higher ed, finance and more. She even wrote a now-lost-to-the-internet blog post about wood chips. As good as she is at writing snappy headlines, she’s equally proficient in crafting jargon-free articles with just the right amount of wit. Forced to memorize all the prepositions in sixth grade, she can still recite them in about 15 seconds. Aboard, about, above, across …

Kelly

Kelly

Armed with a master’s degree in writing and a professional background in scientific publishing, Kelly uses research and interviews to translate complicated topics into stories that help more people get excited about science and technology. Her specialties include life science, robotics, aerospace, engineering, B2B technologies, SaaS, astronomy and ecology. She does a lot of “explainer” type videos as well.

Manya C.

Manya

Manya has been writing since a young age; a poem about clouds holds an honored spot in her father’s office. The former corporate research librarian became a full-time copywriter in 2006 and hasn’t looked back since. She enjoys long-form projects, like white papers and research reports, and projects where she can use her storytelling skills. Outside of work, you’ll likely find her reading a good book, traveling or wishing she was traveling.

Rob

A longtime writer and editor who has published two books (with more on the way), Rob previously spent much of his career climbing up and down the mastheads of various magazines. His favorite title was “editor at large” because it sounded like an editor who had escaped. Now that he has escaped, Rob enjoys bringing a journalistic sensibility to native content.

Virginia

After brief stints on a lettuce farm and in the beauty industry, Virginia turned an eye to copywriting and has never looked back. Now, with a wide range of experience and a few agency years behind her, she specializes in crafting personality-driven copy that sounds less like advertising and more like a conversation. Talents include branding, web copy, scriptwriting and, if pressed, discussing the merits of romaine vs. spring mix.