Freelance Resume, June 2007

2006-12-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

5/97 – 8-97 Editorial Intern, The Baltimore City Paper, Baltimore, Maryland: factchecked and proofread dozens of articles; wrote a review of the movie Spawn, a feature on local cable-access program Atomic TV, and reviews of CDs by Sonic Youth, Superchunk, and Helium.

8/97 – Present Contributing Writer, The Baltimore City Paper, Baltimore, Maryland - wrote reviews of books by writers including Will Self, Cormac McCarthy, Ralph Steadman, and Joshua Key; wrote reviews of CDs by bands and artists including; covered a live Silver Jews concert, interviewed Fiery Furnaces leader Matthew Friedberger on his solo double album and Beat Happening's Calvin Johnson regarding a retrospective package.

2/03 – Present Contributing Writer, The Orlando Weekly, Orlando Weekly, Florida - wrote reviews of books by writers including; wrote reviews of CDs by bands and artists including.

12/03 – Present Contributing Writer, The Pitch Weekly, Kansas City, Missouri - wrote reviews of CDs by bands and artists including.

2004 – Present Contributing Writer, Grooves Magazine, Voorhees, New Jersey - wrote reviews of CDs by bands and artists including.

12/04 – Present Contributing Writer, www.staticmultimedia.com, Chicago, Illinois - wrote reviews of CDs by bands and artists including Jay-Z, Air Conditioning, Nine Inch Nails, Animal Collective, Sightings, Bunnybrains, Feist, Stephen Malkmus, Boyskout, MIMS, and Clipse; also reviewed coffee-table book Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love; interviewed Marble Valley and Mary Timony.

11/05 – Present Contributing Writer, The Phoenix New Times, Phoenix, Arizona - wrote reviews and previews of bands and artists including Why?, Mary Timony, and the Yellow Swans.

2005 – Present Contributing Writer, Signal-to-Noise Magazine, Houston, Texas - wrote reviews/features on bands and artists including Jessica Rylan, Excepter, the Fall, Arbouretum, Metalux, and Needlegun.

12/06 – Present Contributing Writer, MAGNET Magazine, Philidelphia, Pennsylvania - wrote reviews of CDs by indie-rock band Come and Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr., and of a book by pop-culture writer John Sellers.

3/07 – Present Contributing Writer, Paper Thin Walls, New York City, New York - wrote reviews of sons by Blitzen Trapper, Colleen, and Khate, among others.

I am a former contributer to Skyscraper Magazine, Clevescene, the New Times Broward Palm-Beach, Creative Loafing Atlanta, the Miami New Times, and the Seattle Weekly; additionally, my Village Voice Media (formerly New Times Media) work has been republished in a number of the company's other publications.

Professional Resume, June 2007

2006-12-16T12:07:00.000-08:00

EDUCATION:

Bachelor of Arts, English, Washington College, 1999 (with a Philosophy minor)

WORK SUMMARY:

Two years and two months of work experience in reporting, writing, and editing news stories full-time. Five years and seven months of work experience in proofreading and editing a variety of classified documents relating to aspects of the United States military. Ten years of professional freelance music and book reviewing for publications including the Baltimore City Paper and the Pitch Weekly.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

11/01 – 11/07 Document Specialist II, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) Abingdon, Maryland

Proofread and edit United States military-related documents. Check paper prints against PDF files. Check documents for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and myriad other aspects of format. Flag pages for editors when questionable situations arise.

01/01 – 8/01 Education Reporter, The Owings Mills Times Towson, Maryland

Wrote news and features for a weekly newspaper with a focus on education issues and happenings; compiled information through interviews, phone calls, and other sources. Wrote a weekly column about happenings at area schools; reported and wrote “day-in-the-life” features about a state delegate, a gospel radio station, and a volunteer EMT crew; profiled the chair of a local men’s gardening club and covered the aftermath of a library fire and the closing of a local bookstore.

6/00 – 01/01 Crimes & Courts Reporter, The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader Hazleton, Pennsylvania

Wrote news and features for a daily newspaper with a focus on crime, courts, and happenings in its Hazleton, Pennsylvania office; compiled information through interviews, phone calls and other sources; responded to emergencies heard via a police scanner, including fires and accidents. Profiled a popular local organist and a small-town mayor who single handedly extinguished a fire; covered a small youth demonstration in downtown Wilkes-Barre.

6/99 – 5/00 General Assignment Reporter, The Caroline County Times-Record Denton, Maryland

Wrote news and features for a weekly newspaper with focuses on crime, courts and county government; compiled information through interviews, phone calls and other sources; responded to emergencies heard via a police scanner, including fires and accidents. Reported and wrote “day-in-the-life” features about Denton police officers, a Caroline County roads supervisor, and a Caroline County state’s attorney.

COMPUTER PROFICIENCY:

Hardware Systems: IBM Compatible PCs, Macintosh
Operating Systems: Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, Lotus Smart Suite

References are available upon request.

Raymond J. Cummings

Freelance Resume, June 2007

Professional Resume, June 2007