Blogger/Writer

Go to: Writing Samples | Blogging Resume | PBS Column

Amanda Hirsch Writing Samples

Here's a representative sample of the blog posts, reviews and essays I've written.

Taking Risks for Creative DC
On Howler Monkeys and Comfort Zones for Tastee Pudding
Is Washington, DC Cool? for The Journal of Cultural Conversation
Killer Stress, a review of the National Geographic program of the same name for PBS
Documenting Government in Real Time for P.O.V.

My Blogs

In July 2010 I launched ZENyc, a blog about staying centered amid the chaos of New York City:

From 2006-2009 I wrote the popular Creative DC blog that showcased and inspired creative living in Washington, DC. Creative DC attracted an audience of approximately 30,000 unique visitors annually. Washington Business Tonight called the site “informative and provocative” (watch their interview with me); Creative DC was also featured on washingtonpost.com, wonkette.com and in the Washington Post Express, among other media outlets. Creative DC continues to attract over 800 visitors monthly despite a lack of fresh content and marketing, thanks to its search engine visiblity.

In between archiving Creative DC and launching ZENyc, I moved to New York, and spent a few months experimenting before landing on ZENyc as my new blog. If you're curious, check out experiment #1, Tastee Pudding ("In the search for creative life, the proof is in the Pudding") and experiment #2, Mandy Miracle.

PBS Column

From 2008-2009, I wrote a column called Outside the Frame for the P.O.V. blog on PBS.org exploring the intersections between documentary storytelling and the web. Here are some sample posts: