Lisa Howard is a freelance editor and writer with degrees in Cultural Anthropology and German Language & Literature and a minor in Art History. In college, she was an exchange student at the Universität Oldenburg in Germany; later, she studied Spanish at Intercultura in Sámara (Costa Rica) and did a brief stint at Lyon Bleu International in France. In addition to her foreign language studies, Lisa is a certified ESL (English as a Second Language) instructor who has taught and translated in the US and abroad. Her editorial experiences include editing a variety of fiction and non-fiction projects as well as ghostwriting for individuals and writing copy for marketing firms. Along with providing editorial assistance to individuals and publishers, Lisa is the author of two cookbooks, has written dozens of magazine articles, and has given many TV and podcast interviews. She has also spoken at several writing conferences.
In 2008, Lisa decided to combine her interests in language and cooking by starting a culinary website. That led to teaching cooking classes, giving culinary and health presentations, and providing health coaching services. She also regularly appears on local television morning shows as a culinary and health expert. Her two cookbooks, Healthier Gluten-Free and The Big Book of Healthy Cooking Oils, were published in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Along with being a food writer, she is a professional recipe developer and tester and loves to host dinner parties for her friends. (Feel free to stop by her virtual kitchen to browse through over 1,500 original recipes at www.theculturedcook.com.) Since 2011, she has served as the Chair of the Food Writers, Editors & Publishers section of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and has also been on the Board of the Directors for the Berkley Chamber of Commerce.
The process of creating her culinary career made Lisa realize the increasing importance of on- and off-the-page communication in our lives and the increasing need for professional editors to help facilitate that communication. She is committed to utilizing all aspects of her language and communications background — writing, editing, teaching, presenting, translating, and language-learning — to help her clients express their ideas with clarity and style.
Lisa’s particular areas of interest:
Fiction
Science fiction
Fantasy
Adventure (especially novels set abroad)
Non-Fiction
Food & cookbooks (from culinary arts to food politics and everything in between)
Health & wellness
Travel
Culture & anthropology
Art history & archaeology
Works in translation
Sustainability & environment
History, particularly prehistorical times and Renaissance/medieval eras