Dan Poorman

Writer & Editor

United States

I'm an equal parts storyteller and story fixer-upper, with a strong writing background and a knack for detail work that's landed me a career in copyediting. Most recently, I worked as a Senior Copy Editor at Terakeet, an enterprise SEO/marketing company headquartered in Syracuse, New York.

I've also recently worked as a proofreader, copy editor, and copywriter in the retail design space—and I'm always hustling as a contract writer and editor, collaborating with brands, professionals, and artists to make their products, services, and stories sing.

My educational background and early career experience are rooted in journalism and creative writing. As a busy freelance journalist for four years, I covered music, arts, and culture for Advance Media New York in Syracuse. My feature reporting and criticism have also appeared in The New York Times, and The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina. I've published short fiction in several online magazines, and I have additional years of experience in professional tutoring in English and communications at both the secondary and higher education levels.

I'm always looking for more opportunities in editing and writing. Drop me a line if you think we should work together!

MA Arts Journalism, Syracuse University
BA Creative Writing, SUNY Purchase College

Portfolio

FEATURES & PROFILES

Central New York Magazine: The Good Life
05/01/2018
Forces of nature

Feature on Orenda Springs in the May/June 2018 issue, pages 50-55.

syracuse
03/06/2019
For Cortland 'veggie-folk' band The Local Farmers Union, 'It all comes back to food'

On a snowy Tuesday evening in February, chef Elias Kushner starts dinner. This isn't his kitchen -- it's his friend, Bobcat Bonagura's -- but this is his ritual. With noticeable finesse, Kushner is chopping fresh onions, carrots and cabbage from Bonagura's farm; tossing them in a pan to sizzle and carefully seasoning it all. His meal prep is almost symphonic. Then again, for Kushner, Bonagura and their two other farmer pals, Bret Morris and Nate Funke, all food is music. Literally.

syracuse.com
12/27/2018
Meet Hunter Foster: Redhouse's new artistic director

Look to the front of the former Sibley's Department Store Building on 400 South Salina Street and you'll notice a sign for the Redhouse Arts Center that acts, appropriately this holiday season, as the bow on a new gift to downtown Syracuse. The local nonprofit, best known for its diverse theater offerings and commitment to arts education, makes a promise in its tagline: "Art is in the house." Also in the house is the company's new artistic director, Hunter Foster.

The Post and Courier
06/10/2016
'Porgy' sets, costumes help tell the story

Never mind Porgy or Bess. What about Clara's baby? "I think that's the point of 'Porgy and Bess,' what happens to that baby," said Annie Simon, the costume designer for the Spoleto Festival USA production of the opera.

The Post and Courier
05/27/2016
Arturo O'Farrill keeps Cuban conversation alive

On December 17, 2014, Cuban-American pianist and composer Arturo O'Farrill and his Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra gathered around a television set in Havana to hear something monumental.

COPYWRITING

ChaseDesign
Chobani + Meijer Yogurt Aisle Reinvention | ChaseDesign

We knew that in order to deliver a design solution that could make up for lost numbers, we'd have to dive deep into the yogurt category, then cross-reference our findings with the specific needs of Meijer shoppers and zero in on growing Chobani. So that's what we did, and here's what we discovered.

ChaseDesign
The Ellipsis

One of four "grammar & style guide" posters created internally for ChaseDesign.

ChaseDesign
Hyphens & Dashes

One of four "grammar & style guide" posters created internally for ChaseDesign.

ChaseDesign
The Ampersand

One of four "grammar & style guide" posters created internally for ChaseDesign.

ChaseDesign
The Oxford Comma

One of four "grammar & style guide" posters created internally for ChaseDesign.

REVIEWS & BLOG POSTS

syracuse.com
03/15/2019
Ithaca loves Punch Brothers, and for good reason (Review)

Before picking on a groovy jig called "Jungle Bird" on Thursday night at the State Theatre of Ithaca, the members of the progressive bluegrass supergroup Punch Brothers engaged in a friendly spat about squirrels. It all started when vocalist-mandolinist Chris Thile polled the crowd on the Tiki cocktail for which the song is named.

syracuse.com
09/02/2018
Long live Ozzy Osbourne (review)

Yesterday in Syracuse was a big deal. A record 134,115 bodies flooded the Great New York State Fair. This fleet, no doubt, sought a litany of pleasures. Some came for the cows; some, for butter art; others, for newfangled glazed donut sandwiches and vodka milkshakes; some more, for ZZ Top at Chevy Court. A sizable faction, though, took to the lake to behold the Prince of Darkness himself, pushing 70 and celebrating his retirement from the road -- again.

syracuse.com
07/29/2018
Yanni deserves praise in every language (Review)

Who is Yanni? To that, there are a few answers. For starters, he's a smiley, mustachioed man with a dramatic mane of hair and an affinity for white linen pants. Think Super Mario if he became a yoga instructor.

syracuse.com
11/20/2017
John Carpenter lives his truth in Syracuse (Review)

It is in the best interest of every filmmaker to take up an instrument, form a band with his family members and perform, in front of a live audience, selections from his film scores as clips from said films play on a giant projector behind him.

syracuse.com
04/10/2017
The Slackers don't slack (review)

When The Slackers played this tune on Sunday, April 9 at a hopping Funk 'N Waffles Downtown, it felt like the start of the weekend again. 

The Post and Courier
06/06/2016
Review: Jason Moran riffs on legacy of Fats Waller

On Saturday night, composer-pianist Jason Moran transformed the Cistern Yard into a classroom. His students were audience members, and his lesson was in the three Fs: Funk, Family and Fats. Moran presented the "Fats Waller Dance Party," wherein he and his four-piece band played selected tunes from the experimental 2014 album, "All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller," and encouraged patrons to stand up and be joyful.

MULTIMEDIA & PODCAST APPEARANCES

MUSIC COLUMN

CREATIVE WRITING

HelloHorror
10/2015
Cut Off

Horror microfiction.

Lockjaw Magazine
05/2015
#LOCKJAWCYOA: 7.26

Installment in original, multi-author "Choose Your Own Adventure" piece.