Staff

POISE receives a number of submissions from writers and artists all over the country. We are extremely grateful for their contributions. All of our contributors work for POISE gratis and we wouldn’t be here without their hard work and dedication. POISE would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to our staff.

If you are interested in joining our creative staff, please see the Join Us page or Contact Us for more information.


Publishers


AiLun Ku

Founder and Creative Director
AiLun Ku, a Taiwan native, graduated from New York University with a major in sociology and minors in Spanish and Law & Society. With valuable experience at several non-profit organizations, she combines her management, research, and technological skills with the wide range of programmatic, administrative, and development duties she shoulders with Lauren in the development and improvement of POISE. She is currently studying to get her Masters in Public Administration degree. She also was Lauren’s trusty lab partner.

Email her here.

POISE Articles by AiLun:
Laura Dahl: The Beautiful Entrepreneur


Lauren Williams

Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Lauren Williams is a graduate of New York University with a degree in Psychology, and was last seen in a psychotherapy session with friend and business partner, AiLun. Currently, Lauren works for a Fortune 500 company developing and implementing training, and planning training events across the country. A misfit to Wall Street, she channels her non-conservative energy through tap dancing, bargain hunting, and the POISE blogs.


Email her here.

POISE Articles by Lauren:
Blonde Ambition


Contributors


Michele Batz

Contributing Writer
Michele Batz is a physical education teacher and has enjoyed a 25-year career in sports education. She’s the author of the upcoming book What Is Holding You Back? A Woman’s Guide to Beginning Fitness, which is available through www.nightengalepress.com and www.amazon.com.

POISE Articles by Michele:
Do You Have Fitness Issues?
Women & Whistles


Jeanne Burke

Contributing Writer
Jeanne Burke is a leisure travel consultant with Stratton Travel. Stratton Travel is a member of Virtuoso, an exclusive network of travel specialists specializing in upscale leisure travel experiences. This Virtuoso connection provides travelers with complimentary upgrades, outstanding amenities, privileged access and private events all over the world. Jeanne was also a travel advisor on the cable network show “Blond in the Hood” for two years and featured such destinations as Australia, Ireland, Africa and the Caribbean on the show. Prior to joining Stratton Travel, she was a teacher and computer sales representative. She is a mother of three children who have been bitten with her travel bug and she and her children have traveled extensively.

POISE Articles by Jeanne:
Planning Your Getaway


Julie Carandang

Contributing Writer
At only 23 years old, Julie Carandang has suffered through a series of career horror stories that most people do not experience in their entire lives. Luckily, she managed to escape and is currently fighting hunger in NYC, although, ironically, she is suffering from lack of sustenance because of Wall Street’s terrible restaurant options. POISE Magazine has actually put this Ithaca College English BA in the 98th percentile of the population who actually use their degree after graduation. Julie has an affinity for brunching with the co-founders of POISE, tripods, and chocolate.

POISE Articles by Julie:
I Thought This Was Supposed to be a Vacation?


Carissa Ceballos

Contributing Writer
Carissa Ceballos is a New York University graduate with a political science major and minor in Spanish. Having realized too late to change majors that her passions lied elsewhere, she has spent the past year or so trying to see as much of the world as possible on a tight budget. Her most recent destinations: Cuba and Barcelona. She is currently an English and Spanish teacher and once the travel bug is gone she plans on getting involved in immigration work on the non-profit level.

POISE Articles by Carissa:
The Fabulous Life? A Survival Guide to Living Abroad


Anna Farina

Contributing Writer
Born on the great John Lennon’s birthday, Anna was raised and fed in Brooklyn, New York. From inception, she was always overtly fascinated with shoes. She used to momentarily filch sunbathers’ prettily strewn sandals on the Italian beaches when she was little; it didn’t matter whether they were 10 sizes to big — they were shoes, and she was in love.

Fordham came and went and her Journalism degree is in the process of collecting dust. She now spends her days doing PR for and managing a lovely boutique in Tribeca called macki, helping prep at a delectably delicious Northern Italian restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn called Al di La, all the while figuring out the next best way to make pasta. She hopes to enroll at French Culinary Institute in the next months, find a humble abode in south Brooklyn, and hope to continue freelancing for the ever-so-lovely POISE online magazine.

POISE Articles by Anna:
In the Kitchen with Anna


Amber Katz

Contributing Writer
Amber Katz is a Philadelphia native who has parlayed her expensive hobby of a major (French Literature) into a marketing career at a Big Four accounting firm. When she’s not organizing events focused on the progress of Sarbanes-Oxley, she indulges her love of all things beauty. She often finds herself promoting her favorite gels and creams to colleagues on crowded elevators at work — not necessarily the most welcome forum for this advice. Thus, she contributes beauty articles to POISE and has started a beauty blog. Amber enjoys MTV marathons, Sunday brunch, and correct grammar.

POISE Articles by Amber:
The Quest for Gleaming, Smooth Skin
Pill-Popping Your Way to Longer Hair
Bare Necessities


Brett Keener

Contributing Writer
Brett Keener is a financial representative at Certified Financial Services, LLC in Paramus, NJ. Mr. Keener helps clients in their personal, estate, and business planning. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary.

POISE Articles by Brett:
Why Young People Should Start A Retirement Plan Savings Habit Now
Socially-Conscious Investing: Putting Your Money Where Your Values Are
Filling the Long Term Disability Gap
Minimize Your Exposure to Identy Theft
Key Steps in Applying for a Small Business Loan


Elizabeth Kim

Production Intern
Elizabeth Kim (Liz) is a current student at Centennial High school in Corona, California. Elizabeth recently discovered her passion for art, but has always loved to write. Planning to major in a liberal arts subject, such as communications or performing arts, she hopes to pursue a career in the arts or in the fashion industry. When she’s not with her family or at school, she loves to dance (ballet, jazz, hip hop, and lyrical), sing, travel, jog, and make scrapbooks. Liz draw her inspiration from Audrey Hepburn and can’t wait to visit France and New York one day, sky dive at least once, and try out acting sooner or later in her life. She believes nothing is impossible and anticipates an even better world in store for her tomorrow.


Andrea King

Contributing Writer
Andrea King, M.S., N.C.C. is a Career Counselor in private practice located in Portland, OR. She assists clients nationwide with a wide variety of career-related issues. Find helpful links at her website: www.careerful.com. If you have a question for Andrea, please send it to roundtable@poisemag.com.

POISE Roundtable with Andrea:
How Can I Enhance My Resume to Get an Interview?


Tobly McSmith

Contributing Writer
Tobly McSmith was born in Texas and is afraid of shiny things. Tobly McSmith now lives in the Lower East Side of New York City with her band-mate/uncle/cousin (it’s true we Googled it)/Mayonnaise jar lover Bob and their cat, Herpes McLovebug. There is not much Tobly hasn’t eaten on stage when she plays in her two-person band, Skrit Steak and the English Mufkins. The list includes wet cat food, cow tongue, drinking douches, and expired Goya products.

Tobly is extremely beautiful! Her unreasonably good looks make it acceptable for her to get irrationally angry at zippers and confused by weather changes. When she isn’t busy reading self-help books to pigeons she is trying to communicate with fonts.

Tobly is in love with life and mad that it doesn’t return her phone calls.

POISE articles by Tobly:
The Business of Interviewing


Illica Pozzatti

Contributing Graphic Designer
Originally from Indiana, Illica can shoot tin cans off of fences or she can stay calm in the corporate environment long enough to art direct good, solid design. Though she comes from a fine arts background, her core work experience has been in advertising and illustration. She has worked for the Guggenheim Museum and HLW International architectural firm here in New York.

Illica’s true passion is music. As lead singer of her band The Reluctance®, most of her spare moments are saved for learning new chords, seeing live performances or daydreaming of piling everything in a U-Haul and moving to the desert southwest. Pet peeves: super cranky or rude people. Favorite foods: sushi, papaya and Dr. Pepper.


Sabrina Stratford

Contributing Writer
Sabrina Stratford is a quota exceeding Sales Professional of 21 years, a Freelance Writer, and full-blooded Texaradoan: Texan transplanted to Colorado. Her unique writing style is a product of a life lived on the bleeding edge. A walking contradiction, she is able to draw on her life B.C., (Before Christ. yes — one of those!) as well as experiences gleaned while firmly planted in the lap of Christ. Her skills have been honed on stage as a professional emcee, Improv Comedian, Stage Actor, Corporate Sales Presenter, and Toast Master.

Sabrina’s writing expertise is in professional speech, newsletters, eZine and magazine articles, and web content. Sabrina’s latest project, working title: ‘Texaradoan’, is a “Historical, Fictional, Biography”. Sabrina uses her own life experience and drama to tell the story of an independent woman of the West.

Website: www.texaradoan.com

POISE Articles by Sabrina:
*Look for Sabrina’s article in the next POISE issue.


Rachel Williams

Contributing Writer
A self-described pop culture and information junkie, Rachel Williams covers entertainment, career, and business issues. She wrote for BRE Magazine, a music trade publication, covering news stories, artist profiles and features for over a year. Most recently, she has written book and film reviews for a regional couples’ magazine and gained photo credits from blacktable.com for the Republican National Convention. She obtained her degree in journalism from the University of Southern California (USC).

POISE Articles by Rachel:
Nine Ways to Network and Move Ahead in Your Career


Daria Wright

Contributing Writer
Daria was born and raised in New Jersey. From childhood it was clearly evident that she was determined to live life by her own terms. Maybe it’s because she’s a lefty. Perhaps that’s why she’s a lefty. After becoming a licensed cosmetologist, Daria became a beauty salon owner by age 21. Now with over 15 years of beauty industry experience, she is currently a New York City based freelance hairstylist. Daria regularly finds herself advising women on hair care, skincare, makeup, fashion or even health and well being. So it was really a natural progression to begin writing so she could share her valuable insights with others.

Daria’s interview offering hair care advice for issues relating to pregnancy and African-American women has been recently published in the new book The Mocha Manual To a Fabulous Pregnancy by award winning journalist Kimberly Seals Allers. Also, more of Daria’s practical hair care tips can be found in the February 2006 issue of Sophisticate’s Black Hair Styles & Care Guide.

POISE Articles by Daria: Coming soon…


Graphics/Arts


Tracy Ketcher

Contributing Photographer
Tracy Ketcher currently lives in New York City where she works as a freelance photographer. In addition Tracy also works for a music management company & is completing her certification in audio engineering from The New School. After working in primatology for nearly 8 years & extensive travels, Tracy’s photo catalog is as varied as it is diverse. Her photo credits include the Fender guitar online site, various band web sites & the recently released Anthrax Alive 2 (2005) DVD.

POISE photography by Tracy:
Spotlight photography


Bethany Browning

Contributing Illustrator
Bethany Browning was born in Ohio in 1974. She began to take interest in art at the age of 5. Bethany began drawing anything from horses to imaginary creatures. Art and music became her therapy and escape from the real world.

In college she discovered the Art Noveau and Art Deco period. The elegant line work and clever usage of images influenced her work a great deal. After college she introduced herself to the world of photography. Since then she has been working on creative projects in both mediums.

Bethany now works as a freelance artist in the Cleveland, OH, area. She has worked on various creative projects for smaller clients as well as bigger corporations, such as Structure. She looks forward to furthering her creative skills and continuing to work with talented individuals.

POISE illustrations by Bethany:
Coming soon…


Website


Thomas Sunshine, Naked Pixel Productions

Design and Development
Tom is a designer and front-end web developer with eight years of experience in the field. With an eye towards information clarity and a focus on the user experience, his goal is to create easy-to-use websites that look great. He’s a fan of Edward Tufte, David Siegel, and Jeffrey Zeldman on the topics of information architecture and human-computer interaction. Jakob Nielson he takes with a grain of salt.

Website: www.nakedpixel.com