Internship
In summer 2026, I completed an internship at Kutztown University’s Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center as a writer and editor. Here are samples of the projects I worked on during this experience.
Decorated Barns of the Pennsylvania Dutch in Northern Berks County
2026 publication, copy editor.
Part of a yearly publication series, this Annual Meeting and Barn Tour Guide was published by the Historic Barn and Farm Foundation of Pennsylvania in cooperation with the PGCHC, and was written by Center director Patrick J. Donmoyer. I provided detailed line and copy editing, reviewing all 74 pages over four workdays.
The guidebook was distributed to HBFF members as part of a June 2026 tour of eight historic Berks County barns, and details the history and technical specifications of each barn. This project was therefore a helpful exercise in editing texts whose subject matter is far outside my realm of expertise, with the added benefit of teaching me a whole new vocabulary of niche architectural terms, which I found very satisfying.
Over the course of this project, I measured my average speed for detailed line editing at about 15 pages per day, which has been helpful in estimating timelines for subsequent projects.
The Braucher’s Heart
Forthcoming publication, line editor.
This creative nonfiction book, written by folklorist Dennis Boyer, is slated for release in 2027 as part of the PGCHC’s annual publication series. The book examines Pennsylvania German folk healing practices, collectively known as Braucherei or “powwowing,” via personal accounts from practitioners, witnesses, and fellow seekers.
The largest chunk of my internship time was spent on a detailed line edit of this manuscript. The format, style, and language presented an array of unique challenges, and at over 300 pages, this is among the longest projects I have worked on. This process has been both fascinating and illuminating, and I am excited for its eventual release.
pagerman.org
Digital Folklife Portal, copy and line editor.
The PGCHC maintains its own website, in addition to its page on the Kutztown University website. I reviewed both, correcting errors and outdated information, as well as supporting staff and student writers with copy and line edits.
This allowed me to work on a diverse collection of documents, all in different stages of the writing and publication process. On the KU website, I corrected typographical errors, removed or updated broken links, and updated event schedules.
On pagerman.org, I tidied up tabs, fixed broken links, and cleaned up formatting, as well as editing online exhibition catalogues. For example, I performed a final copy edit of both the digital and print versions of the PGCHC’s exhibition of the work of sculptor Marshall D. Rumbaugh.