“Imagination rules the world.”

-Napoleon Bonaparte

Hi there! I’m Donna Talarico- an imaginative writer of creative nonfiction, an MFA in creative writing student, a blogger and social media junkie merging traditional print media and publications with today’s fast paced world that depends on social networking, viral marketing and new technology to promote creativity.

The Vitals…

Born: Philadelphia

Raised: All over the Poconos in Pa. & Tulsa, Okla.

Residence: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area in PA

Education: BA, Communication Studies; MA, Creative Writing and MFA in Creative Writing to be awarded January 2010 (all from Wilkes University)

My Inspirations: Augusten Burroughs, Tobias Wolff

My Rocks: The creative writing community at Wilkes University

Works in progress…

Today, as of Spring 2009 freelance writing has taken a backseat to my in-progress memoir, a coming-of-age story with the working title Papergirl.  An earlier draft of Papergirl was the thesis for my MA.

Professional Experience… my day jobs, past & present

By day, my expertise lies in e-commerce and social media.  I work for Solid Cactus, an Inc. 500 company (and also ranked one of the Best Places to Work in PA), where I am an account manager and also contribute to Solid Cactus’ print publication, the eBiz Insider, the company blogs/forums and serve as a frequent presenter at company and community events, like Solid Cactus’ e-commerce boot camps.  Prior to finding where I belong in e-commerce, I worked in the continuing education field as an admissions representative at a career school and prior to that, work in various aspects of radio, including promotions and on-air.

Past publishing credits…

For the past decade, I’ve been a contributing writer for Wilkes-Barre’s highly popular alternative weekly, The Weekender, landing dozens of covers stories.  I also write for the bi-monthly e-commerce magazine, The eBiz Insider; the regional quarterly arts, education & culture magazine, The Independent and regularly contribute play-on-word type puzzles to Games Magazine. I also spent several years as a correspondent for the Wilkes-Barre daily, The Times Leader.  I also contributed to the Career College Association’s The Link and have a greeting card published by Oatmeal Studios.  PDF clips can be provided upon request. For a full list of publications, please go here.

Random things… because I am random….

I classify myself as quirky and creative.

I like to surround myself with people who are any or all of these: open-minded, fun, creative , awesome and just plain nice.

I am the laziest busy person you’ve ever met.  I wear many hats and get stuff done, but I also enjoy sleeping, napping and procrastinating.  Why?  Good stuff comes from both dreams and pressure.

I like:  writing. blogging. the internet.  reading. words. letters. memoirs. daydreaming. nighttime dreaming. sleeping in.  naps.  scary movies.  cuddling during scary movies.  stars.  rock star hair-dos.  colorful people.  funny t-shirts.  energy drinks.  coffee.  music.  fiddles.  harmonicas.  banjos. NPR.  board games.  specifically scrabble.  nature.  scenic views. campfires. traveling.  roadtrips. history. learning. cooking. hummus.  cheese. peanut butter.  microbrews. school busses. ethnic foods. being corny. laughing. laughter.  the 60s. wearing my barefeet.