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Meet Sarah

No book would be complete without an editor. With 77 stories and authors to work with, this project was no small task. The editor had to take into consideration the fact that many contributors may have had no previous writing background. Because of the personal nature of these stories, it was also vital that the “voice” of the author relating the story was retained. Such are the challenges that faced Sarah Koch, volunteer editor of Our Portland Story. She has taken on the task with professionalism and grace. Here is a bit more about Sarah:

Sarah Koch, aka Julia Sarah Koch, is a second- (on her father’s side) and third- (on her mother’s) generation Portlander. Not surprisingly, she has a deep affection for–some would say a mild obsession with–all things Portland. By the age of 12, Sarah had already revealed a tendency towards nit-pickiness that would earn her both friends and enemies. Even so, it took her a couple of decades to recognize and accept her true calling as a proofreader and copyeditor. Once she did, however, the days of riding the rails and living a carefree existence ended. (That last sentence is made up. She never rode the rails, nor has she ever been particularly carefree.)

Her life as a freelance proofreader, copyeditor, researcher, and writer has proved very satisfying. As a writer, she may be most proud of her “A Henry James Filmography,” an ongoing project first published in the Henry James Review (Fall 1998), which melded her love of James with international TV and big screen adaptations of his work. Both the love affair and the resulting project came to life while Sarah was earning an MA in literature at Portland State University.

Currently, besides her regular work and–joyously–volunteering as editor to Our Portland Story, she is working on a series of suspense novels built around a character suspiciously similar to the author, set in Portland and the surrounding area. As anyone reading OPS can tell, this town has a rich history and a remarkable character for any author to draw upon.

OPS thanks Sarah for all of her hard work!

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