history & mission

After having studied for nearly a decade to attain my doctorate in writing and rhetoric, and after having been a tenure-track assistant professor and writing program administrator, I walked up to my dean and submitted my resignation. I had decided to walk away from my career.

I had lots of reasons. The politics of academia was high on the list. Living far away from family and friends also ranked high. And at the time, I felt a call to ministry or at least study beyond my bachelor of Religious Studies. I applied to Chicago Theological Seminary, where I was accepted as a Presidential Merit Scholar.

At the time, Laughing Saint Editorial was supposed to be a way for me to freelance full-time as a copyeditor to support myself through seminary. When I later decided to leave seminary without completing the degree, I joyfully made Laughing Saint my primary focus. It was what I was enjoying more, anyway.

Why the Name?

I remember the exact moment that “Laughing Saint Editorial” came to me. I had been struggling to come up with a name that reflected my general attitude and that would resonate with the clients I wanted to work with. I’d come up with something, but it was already taken or it just didn’t ring out. Then, out of nowhere, the phrase “Laughing Saint” popped into my head. It wasn’t a phrase that I could remember having ever uttered, but it hit all the marks. That’s when I decided to research Saint Philip Neri, and everything clicked.

Saint Philip reminds us that it's important to use work as a way to serve a higher purpose and to have fun and stay humble while you're doing it. Over time, Laughing Saint Editorial’s focus has shifted from being a network of copyeditors and copywriters who worked on a wide variety of long- and short-form copyediting and copywriting contracts to being my individual practice.

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Writing should be joyful.