Debra Martin
Professional Publications
9/90-present: Independent Writer/Blogger/Content Provider/Social Media Manager at www.debimartin.com. To see writing samples, click on "writing portfolio" at: http://debimartin.com/writing-portfolio.
Feature articles, editorials, and other work published by McCall’s, Teen, The Houston Chronicle, The Dallas Morning News, Civilization (formerly the magazine for the Library of Congress), American Way (in-flight for American Airlines), Austin Chronicle (an alternative weekly), The American News Service, a Knight-Ridder distributed national wire service that specialized in news stories on solutions to social problems, and The Advocate.Transitioned into 21st-century media as a website “content provider” and paid blogger for variety of outlets including noofanglemedia.com, and consultant/ghost-blogger for variety of clients. Maintained own blog since March of 2008; www.austindogandcat.com for “Austinites who love their pets like family.”
8/91-11/91: Associate Editor, Austin Texas magazine. Sharpened editorial focus and helped create departments for planned city magazine never published due to lack of funding and local economic downturn. Work as an editor with freelance writers lead to love of teaching.
2/91-8/91: Associate Editor, Texas Medicine magazine, Associate Editor. Wrote cover stories and edited law and medical economics departments, supervised work of freelance writers, at AMA-affiliate the Texas Medical Association.
6/87-9/90: Lifestyle Feature Writer, the Austin American-Statesman. Conceived, researched and wrote magazine-style feature stories long and short on wide range of human-interest topics for the cover of the Sunday “Lifestyle” section. Specialized in profiles, social trends, psychological health issues, self-help, personal essays and the offbeat text equivalent of “wild art.”
10/82-6/87: Arts & Entertainment Feature Writer/Columnist, the Austin-American Statesman. Covered dance, pop music, and experimental art as a news beat. Wrote features, reviews, advances of upcoming show, celebrity profiles. Covered Madonna’s first tour! Interviewed elusive Joni Mitchell.
1980 – 1982: Various freelance writing positions. Wrote feature articles for Breakthrough, the Austin Chronicle and The Daily Texan and Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE
1981-1982: Crisis Hotline Counselor, University of Texas at Austin Telephone Counseling and Referral Service. Counseled students dealing with variety of serious concerns, including thoughts of suicide but more commonly feelings of isolation and confusion about love and definition of the self. Made appropriate referrals to college and community resources for long-term assistance and support. Intensive training included weekly videotaped supervision, which helped me gain awareness of my “affect” on others, and improve ability to express empathy and gain trust with clients.
1980-1981: Youth Advocate, Family Connection, Inc./Houston Metropolitan Ministries. Houston, Texas. Worked one year full-time in crisis intervention at halfway-house for runaways from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds. Caseload typically five youngsters all under age 17. Helped them explore options using “reality therapy” approach. Worked with family counselor to help youth return home. If that was not an option, worked with child welfare authorities to place youth in independent living and/or enroll in GED classes. Mentored youth on how to hold a job, work toward a goal, and rise above life situation. Regular shift work included cooking dinner for 15 teenagers, answering the hotline phone, facilitating group therapy, breaking up fights between residents, doling out generous helpings of “tough love,” enforcing “the rules” with tact and compassion.
1978-1980: Peer Advisor, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin. Helped Liberal Arts majors and “undetermined” majors make sure they were making timely progress towards their degrees by taking required courses, advised on adds/drops and withdrawal procedures, and basically helped them navigate big state university bureaucracy. Summer 1979: Orientation Advisor, University of Texas at Austin. Helped pre-freshmen learn the ins and outs of registration, navigate big state university bureaucracy, and become “oriented” to college life.
1977-1978: Youth Advocate, Sanddollar, Inc. Houston, Texas. Youth Advocate. Same job description as above under “Family Connection.”
1976-1977: Dance Teacher, YMCA, Houston, Texas. Taught dance at performing arts summer camp for economically disadvantaged African-American youth.
Teaching Experience
2015: Current: Adjunct Associate Professor, Austin Community College. Teach English 2311 "Technical and Business Writing," an introductory level writing intensive course on how to compose and analyze digital writing compositions, the written texts associated with daily communications practices in the 21st century workplace.
2014 - Current: Adjunct Faculty, English, Park University. Teach “First Year Writing Seminar I: Critical Reading, Writing, and Thinking Across Contexts,” “First Year Writing Seminar II: Academic Research and Writing,” “Professional Writing in the Disciplines: Business Communication,” and "Terrorism and the Media" (an interdisciplinary capstone course) at the Austin campus of Park University, a non-profit private liberal college that specializes in offering face-to-face and online courses for nontraditional adult students and veterans.
2010 – 2014: “Tutor IV” in Learning Lab at Austin Community College (Round Rock location). Tutored nontraditional students from diverse backgrounds using College Learning and Reading Association certified methodologies designed to increase student retention and development of higher order learning strategies.
2009 - 2010: Adjunct instructor, Austin Community College. Taught “Introduction to Mass Communications” to give students a foundation for understanding mass media and the messages it transmits, particularly in a time of convergence. Covered dynamics that affect the messages the media transmit, historical development of all major media, and emphasized critical “reading” of content disseminated by media.
9/2000 – 8/2006. Adjunct Instructor, St. Edward’s University. Contract renewed for over five consecutive years, including summer sessions. Served as a McNair Scholar Mentor, supervised Honors Thesis and Independent Study in English/Journalism, and taught: “The American Experience,” (based on the PBS series of the same name), a core requirement on America’s multicultural history with a writing component; “Magazine Journalism” an upper division English course for New College, St. Edward’s program for non-traditional, older-than-average students; proposed and taught Sociology/History/Journalism course on the Sixties Counterculture and the emergence of underground newspapers; initiated and taught “Cultural Foundations” course on The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and required interdepartmental freshmen survey courses including “English Comp I” and “Intro to the Liberal Arts.”
9/92 – 5/98 and 8/99-5/2000. Adjunct Instructor, Austin Community College. Contracted as a “MSTA” (Multiple Semester Term Appointment) for more than six years depending on my availability and department’s needs. Taught several sections of “Writing Skills II” designed for students inadequately prepared to enroll in English Composition I. Covered primary compositional modes, the writing process, grammar, spelling, punctuation, editing and proofreading, critical thinking, journaling, MLA and APA research paper documentation styles.
Memberships, community service
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Member since 1999, American Society of Journalists and Authors, http://www.asja.org, New York-based advocacy organization that offers networking opportunities and professional development. Entry requirements include peer review, editor references, and professional publishing track record. Served on several committees, including Mentoring, Editor-Writer Liaison, Publications (newsletter and web) and 2002 conference committee. Moderator at 2002 annual conference in New York City at Grand Central Hyatt. Panelist, “What Do Women Magazine Editors Want?” at 2001 conference, also at Grand Central Hyatt
- Panelist/Judge, First Personal Essay, American Society of Journalists and Authors, April 2016.
- Awarded National Council of Teachers of English Professional Equity Project Grant (PEP), created to support the concerns of part-time and adjunct faculty, such as improving working conditions and promoting the scholarship of teaching, and to attend annual Conference on College Composition and Communication, April 2016.
- Judge, Writers’ League of Texas, Manuscript Contest, Narrative Nonfiction, 2010
- Nonfiction reader/panelist, Nebraska Arts Council writing fellowship, 2009
- Panelist, “Freelance Writing: Tales from the Front,” Writers’ League of Texas, 2008
- Speaker, “Voter Education and Merchandising the Hip-Hop Way,” at Center for Black Business History, Entrepreneurship and Technology at UT Austin 2005
- Speaker, Barnes & Noble, Westlake. Writers’ League of Texas. “Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Feature Writing and Freelancing” 2002
- Master of Ceremonies at Writers-Reading Book Tent, Texas Book Festival, 2001
- Panelist, “Women Writing Creative Nonfiction,” “The Art of the Interview and the Elusive Truth” and “How to Stick to the Truth: The Ethics of Creative Nonfiction.” Exploring the Creative In Nonfiction, Texas Writers’ League Conference, Austin, Texas, 2001
- Speaker. “Race, Class and Gender Issues in the Newsroom,” Professor George Sylvie’s University of Texas Senior Journalism class on “Minorities and the Media.” 2000/2001
- Austin Writers’ League. Taught two sections of writing workshop: “Breaking Into Magazines Is Hard To Do,” 1999
- Panelist, “Media Ethics” at The Pulitzer Series Seminar, sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists, Austin Pro Chapter, The University of Texas School of Journalism, 1998
Published: May 22, 2024