Improving the digital experience in higher education through thoughtful, compelling content.

Donna Talarico is an award-winning writer, independent content strategist, and literary magazine founder based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The Bio

Donna Talarico is an independent writer and content strategist, and she also is the founder of Hippocampus Magazine and its books division and annual creative nonfiction writing conference, HippoCamp.

Donna has more than 25 years of experience in marketing, communications, writing, and media, and more than half of that time has been in higher education, most recently as director of integrated communications at Elizabethtown College (2010-2015) in Pennsylvania — her role before becoming self-employed.

She speaks at higher education and publishing conferences, writes an adult learner recruiting column for Wiley, and has contributed to CASE Currents (a higher education trade publication), Guardian Higher Education Network, The Writer, mental_floss, Games World of Puzzles, UX Booth, Campus Sonar blog, various alumni magazines, and others.

Her creative nonfiction appears in The Los Angeles Review, The Los Angeles Times, Wanderlust Journal, and The Writing Disorder (for which her essay “A Prequel to My Sister’s” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2022). Donna is the co-editor of Getting to the Truth: The Craft and Practice of Creative Nonfiction (Books by Hippocampus; 2021), the editor of five additional essay collections from Books by Hippocampus, and she authored a chapter in mStoner’s Social Works.

Prior to higher education, Donna worked in ecommerce, radio promotions, and TV production. She teaches or has taught about branding and digital identity in several graduate creative writing programs, including Wilkes University and Rosemont College, as well as at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design’s Center for Creative Exploration. Donna lives in Lancaster, Pa., with her husband, Kevin Beerman and their cat. She loves road trips, national parks, board games, greasy-spoon diner breakfasts, and museums.

Learn more or connect at LinkedIn.

The Beyond

Here are a few more details about my professional background.

MA, Literary Publishing (Wilkes University, 2015)

MBA (Elizabethtown College, 2014)

MFA, Creative Writing (Wilkes University, 2010)

BA, Communication Studies & Sociology Minor (Wilkes University, 2000)

Prior to becoming a full-time independent contractor, I held positions such as:

Director, Integrated Communications (Elizabethtown College)

Interactive Marketing Specialist/Senior Account Manager (Solid Cactus – now Web.com)

Admissions Representative (Fortis Institute)

Promotions Director (WGGY-FM, Entercom)

For about 10 years, I also served as a freelance correspondent for the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader and its sister alt-weekly, The Weekender; during that same decade, I also served as a production assistant and floor manager for a variety of local productions at WVIA-TV.

This is a volunteer role, but a full-time job effort. I’ve overseen the production of more than 135 issues (and counting!) of the reader-supported, volunteer-run creative nonfiction literary journal Hippocampus Magazine.

Additionally, I founded and directed HippoCamp: A Conference for Creative Nonfiction Writers, a national writing conference dedicated to the CNF genre. Based in Lancaster, PA, by it’s 5th year, brought more than 200 writers from around the country together. Keynotes included Mary Karr, Tobias Wolff, Carmen Maria Machado, Nick Flynn, and Abigail Thomas. (The conference launched 2015, and was held again in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022; it wlil be on hiatus until 2025.)

Finally, for our small press division, I help usher in three single-author books and five anthologies into the world, including By the Force of Gravity: An Illustrated Memoir by Rebecca Fish Ewan, Doodling for Writers by Rebecca Fish Ewan, Dig: A Personal Prehistoric Journey by Sam Chiarelli, and Getting to the Truth: The Craft and Practice of Creative Nonfiction (co-edited with Rae Pagliarulo and featuring 22 writers).

My creative work — from campaign planning to content writing — has been recognized by industry organizations, honors sometimes shared as part of a team.

Writing Awards & Honors

Pushcart Prize Nomination – 2022

Nominated by the editors of The Writing Disorder by the essay “A Prequel to My Sister’s.”

Apex Awards – 2020

Grand Award, Writing: “Old, incorrect, and obsolete: Why out-of-date content hurts your website”) – Recruiting and Retaining Adult Learners; Wiley (Note: This was the first the Grand Writing Award Wiley’s higher ed newsletter series!)

Award of Excellence, “Ophthalmology Practices Navigate the #MeToo Movement” – (cover story) Administrative Eyecare; American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators (ASOA)

Higher Education & Leadership Awards & Honors

Teaching and Leadership

2019 – Distinguished Faculty Award at the Graduate Level, Rosemont College

2014 – Leadership Lancaster Core Class, selected as class speaker

Higher Education Marketing Communications Awards

These honors were earned as a part of the marketing and communications team at Elizabethtown College, where I then worked. I was honored to work on these memorable campaigns and pieces.

2014 Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District II – Accolades Awards

GOLD – Creativity on a Shoestring
For Tag, You’re It campaign, a grassroots social media promotion for Homecoming, and involving the social media street team I established in 2012 (The E-team!). An analog promotion in a social world! My role: creative conceptualization, web and social media implementation, project management and day-of activity.

BRONZE – Website, Student Recruitment
For the redevelopment of the School for Continuing and Professional Studies’ website. My role: content strategy, content development, content writing, content training, creative conceptualization.

BRONZE – Best Practices in Communication
For the Share Your Moment admissions audience engagement campaign – a user-generated content promotion I later presented about many times. My role: creative conceptualization, project manager, project implementation, social media monitoring and engagement.

2013 Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District II – Accolades Awards

GOLD — Student Recruitment/Individual Print Pieces
College’s Admissions Viewbook, “Elizabethtown Redefined” — (my role: creative development/conceptualization, copywriting)

GOLD– Best Practices in Educational Fundraising
The Battle of the Blues fundraising campaign (my role: social media, web content, copywriting)

SILVER — Video Features
Elizabethtown College Branding Video (my role: creative conceptualization, script writing, story development)

SILVER– Best Practices in Communications
The “Moment of Truth Acceptance Package” entry (my role: creative development/conceptualization, copywriting, social media.)

BRONZE — Special Events: Event Series
Presidential Inauguration project (my role: editing, writing, social media)

HONORABLE MENTION — Student Recruitment/Package
College’s Admissions Viewbook, “Elizabethtown Redefined” — (my role: creative development/conceptualization, copywriting, web content, social media)

Various, 2012 – Higher Education

Best of Track – Marketing, Social and Content (a.k.a The Red Stapler Award) – 2012
Higher Education Web Professionals (HighEdWeb) – national conference 2012
Awarded best of track in the marketing, content and social track for “No Such Thing as TMI: How to Create a Culture of Content Sharing.” The best of track sessions are repeated twice on the final day of the conference.

Bronze Telly Award – Promotional Video – 2012
The Office of Marketing and Communications and GK Visual of Harrisburg, Pa. was awarded a bronze Telly award for a promotional video. My role was scriptwriter. Our office partnered with GK Visual to produce the higher education branding video, and we enlisted a dozen or so faculty and staff members and, of course, students to help tell the E-town story. GK submitted the video to the Tellys.

NeoGraphic Franklin Award for Excellence, The Graphic Arts Association – 2012
Admissions Viewbook (my role: creative development/conceptualization, copywriting)

NeoGraphic Franklin Award for Excellence – 2011
Inauguration invitation (my role: creative development/conceptualization, copywriting)

Radio Promotion Awards – early 2000s

Promotion Award — 2nd Place, Medium Market, Country Radio Broadcaster’s Association
- 2000 – Won promotion award for the “Faith Hill ‘This Kiss’ Kiss-Off”
Promotion Award – Honorable Mention, Medium Market, Country Radio Broadcaster’s Association
- 2001 – Won award for the “Sammy Kershaw Cajun’ Cook-Off”

Need my bio for an upcoming event? Here is a link to a Google Drive folder where you can find a few versions of my bio to copy/paste. The folder also contains a few images.

Forthcoming.

DEDICATED TO THE PROFESSION

Literary Citizenship & Service

In addition to my full-time work, I dedicate time and talent to the creative writing and higher educational communities through volunteer work.

Literary Citizenship | Founder & Publisher, Hippocampus Magazine and Books

Running a polished, professional literary organization like Hippocampus Magazine is a full-time effort, so it’s no surprise that it’s often mistaken as my job-job. (I certainly treat it like one!) Still, this creative nonfiction literary magazine, founded in 2010, has expanded into a small press, annual conference (which is on hiatus through 2025), and online events for writers. The editorial team and advisory board has also expanded into a dedicated, unstoppable team.

Learn more about Hippocampus Magazine

Industry Service | HighEdWeb Association Committee Member & Journal Editor

Since my first time attending and presenting at HighEdWeb in 2010 (the year it was in Austin!), I knew I wanted to be involved with the association. Immediately, I volunteered to contribute to its online journal Link via live-blogging at the conference. Later, I served on the conference and marketing committees; today, I’m on the Link Journal committee as a writer/editor and liaison to the marketing committee. I also often volunteer onsite at the annual conference.

Learn about the HighEdWeb Association

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