About Us

Ms. Joanne Draper received both bachelor's and master's degrees in Education from the University of North Dakota. She is currently working on a Theology degree at the University of Wales in Lampeter. Ms. Draper has been a classroom teacher for 23 years, teaching all grades from one through eight. For the past four summers, she has taught various courses for the Elderhostel program. She is a Benedictine oblate affiliated with the Monastery of the Ascension in Jerome, Idaho. Ms. Draper has successfully completed both the Master Gardener and Master Food Preserver programs through her county extension office. She has had her poetry published in Hereditas Magazine and The Desert Chronicle. Her published work also appears in a Glencoe/McGraw-Hill social studies series, as well as Birds and Bloom magazine.

Ms. Ellen Finnigan was born in Omaha, Nebraska. She holds a B.A. in English from Boston College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing/Creative Nonfiction from The University of Montana. She has worked as a writer and editor in various fields such as public relations, marketing, and higher education. As Editorial Director for an online media network, she managed a staff of young writers, providing writing training and mentorship. As a volunteer with the non-profit program Growing Together, she provided tutelage for elementary school students from low income families. Formerly a political columnist for The Journal Newspapers in Washington D.C., her op-eds have appeared in The Washington Times, and her personal essays have been published on multiple online websites.

Mrs. Peggy Folan lives in rural Iowa with her husband and three children. She graduated from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas and received M.A. degree in English from the University of Kansas. Her B.A. is in also in English, with a minor in Secondary Education. She is a homeschooling mom, and has taught college-level English. She has written corporate correspondence, contributed to training manuals, and published fiction and non-fiction in a variety of publications, including Oblates, Byline, and Today’s Christian. She also writes our company's monthly TEACHLetter (available at http://www.writeguide.com/teachletter.htm).

Mrs. Karen Ford lives in Springfield, Massachusetts, with her husband and four children. A graduate of Youngstown State University (located in Youngstown, Ohio), she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Professional Writing and Editing, with a minor in Journalism. In addition, she holds a Master’s degree in English (also from YSU), and a graduate certificate in Professional Writing and Editing. Mrs. Ford has taught composition at YSU and at Westfield State College in Westfield, Massachusetts. In addition to her work as a writing consultant for WriteGuide, Inc., she serves as an editor for CatholicExchange.com, where her first article was published. Mrs. Ford has written grants for several organizations, and has served as editor for various newsletters and websites. She enjoys writing feature articles and is actively working on some short stories.

Mrs. Kathryn King

Mrs. Kathryn King grew up in the South. She holds BA and MA degrees in English literature from East Carolina University. She has since moved to New England to finish her graduate studies, working towards a PhD in literature at the University of Connecticut. She co-edited a Medieval Institute collection of monastic rules, published an annotated bibliography in The Children’s Folklore Review, and for the past ten years has been teaching college composition and literature. She is happily married with three children.