Testimonials
In Writers' Words
Reviews of Project Word director Laird Townsend, by writers he has edited
Jonathan Mingle
Freelance writer
"A tireless and even-handed advocate for the story itself, and for all of those with a stake in it"
With his confident and collaborative approach to editing, Laird helped me shape a narrative that started with a lot of moving parts into a more streamlined, compellingly structured and reader-friendly story. Drawing on his long experience as a writer and editor, he offered consistently sensitive and insightful guidance. He has been a tireless and even-handed advocate for the story itself, and for all of those with a stake in it: the reader, whose intelligence and interest demands utmost respect; the author, whose vision and voice drive the story's telling; and the story's main characters, who deserve a clear and accurate representation of their perspective. Laird helped me keep all of these concerns at the fore throughout the revision, and I've learned a great deal from the process. It's been a great pleasure to work with Laird, and I hope to have the opportunity to do so again.
Teo Ballvé
Freelance writer, contributor to The Nation
"Helped me break out of the cycle"
Project Word came at a critical stage in my career in which I was trying to begin focusing on producing magazine-length and magazine-quality work. Project Word took me step-by-step in turning what was just a vague idea into a viable, hard-hitting magazine article. By asking the right questions, requesting key bits of information, and pointing out weakness, Laird guided me in preparing a surefire pitch for an in-depth, investigative article. Without his help, this pitch would have shared the same fate of so many others: lost in the void of some generic e-mail address of a magazine editor. Editors at well-known magazines didn’t look at my proposals because I’ve never been published in a well-known magazine. Project Word [helped] me break out of that cycle. Working with such an experienced editor has been a valuable learning process. Now I know all the steps, from start to finish, and all the important elements in building a solid proposal. This alone greatly improves my chances of getting published in the future.
Richard Louv
Author of Last Child in the Woods
"One of the best"
Laird Townsend was the editor of a lengthy article I did in 2006 for Orion magazine. I can't overstate how much Laird challenged me, both technically and conceptually. He is surely one of the best editors I've ever worked with. His dogged thoroughness and gentle guidance went far beyond what I had become accustomed to. The article turned out to be one of Orion's most successful, measuring by reader comment. That wouldn't have happened without Laird.
Lowell Monke
Computer educator and education author
"Constantly challenged me"
A good editor is someone who knows what you want to say better than you do and won’t let you finish until you have figured out a way to say it. I learned that from working with Laird. He constantly challenged me to refine not only my writing but my thinking. Yet he was so gentle with his critiques of my drafts and so interested in my ideas that I was always eager to get his next set of responses. In the end, not only was my article shorter and a whole lot better, I was a much better writer.
Rose Arrieta
Former fellow of George Washington Williams Fellowship for minority journalists
"Helped me pull the gems"
As reporters and writers, it is essential to have good editors, especially when working on very long stories that can sprawl out in too many directions. I traveled the border for almost a year, documenting immigration and its effect on native communities who live along the border. I had collected a tremendous amount of material on the different nations (tribes) who lived there. With the help of editor Laird Townsend, I was able to bring focus to the material. He gave me useful suggestions and pushed me to my limits to clarify my story. His insistence that I re-interview some of the people helped bring even more detail to a complicated story. He helped me pull the gems from what I had collected, and made it a much stronger piece.