Q:
Hey
Kara, what’s up with this “nerd for hire” thing?
A: I’m a journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I
particularly like to write about science, or anything else that’s
complicated and nuanced and sort of geeky.
Q: Did you go to school for this,
or did you just unleash yourself on the public?
A: I graduated from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
in 1999.
Q: Then what?
A: I was a staff writer at the East Bay Express, an alt-weekly
newspaper in the San Francisco Bay Area, for eight years. I covered just
about everything — science and technology, medicine, crime, politics,
in-depth profiles of interesting people. I like to tell people I worked
the "Nancy Drew beat" — I'd pursue anything that involved
a good mystery, an action adventure, and some fantastic characters. You
can find some of my greatest hits on the archive
page.
Q: And now?
A: Freelance!
Q: How can people hire you?
A: They can e-mail me at: karaplatoni [at] gmail [dot] com.
Q: Do you also do freelance editing?
A: Yes! For information on rates and availability, please send
e-mail to the address above.
Q: Who
did the awesome artwork for this site?
A: The lovely Mike Smith.
Q: What do you do with yourself when
you’re not writing?
A: Karate!
Q: Can you kill people with your mind?
A: Sadly, no.
*cough*
Q: Um, one more thing …
A: Have I ever won any awards? Surprisingly, yes! Here are a few:
• Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California, Best
Feature, 2007 for “Dealing
in Death,”
an investigation of one of the most prolific sellers of crime guns in
the nation.
• CASE Awards Silver Medal, “Best Articles of the Year,”
2007 for “Love
at First Byte,” a profile of computer science pioneer Donald
Knuth.
• Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Award, First Place, Fashion &
Design, 2006 for “What A Steal,”
a sneak peak into the world of counterfeit “purse parties.”
• Association for Women in Communications Clarion Awards, First Place,
Newspaper Feature Story, 2005 for “The
$10 Million Woman,” the strange travels of a Picasso after it
was looted by the Nazis during World War II.
• Association for Women in Communications Clarion Awards, First Place,
Newspaper Feature Story, 2004 for “The
Making of a Martyr,” about the life and death of Holly Patterson,
the first American woman to die after taking RU-486 (medical abortion),
and the political uproar surrounding her death.
• Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award for Young Science Journalists, 2004
for “The Making of A Martyr,”
“I, Robot” and “It’s
a Boy, We Made Sure of It,” articles on medical abortion, robotic
exoskeletons, and gender selection for babies.
• Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards, Finalist, Arts and Entertainment,
2003 for “It Was A Dark and Stormy
Month…” an up-close look at the year that National Novel
Writing Month broke.
• California Teachers Association, John Swett Award for Media Excellence,
2002 for “The Queen Must Go,” an investigation of a controversial
school district superintendent.
• Western States Magazine Association, Finalist, Best Interview or
Profile, 2002 for “2-C-T-7’s
Bad Trip,” a profile of pyschedelic chemist Alexander “Sasha”
Shulgin.
• Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California, Outstanding
Young Journalist, 2002
•
• • •
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content copyright Kara Platoni. Please contact
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