Board & Staff

Board and Founders

Jennifer Geist

Jennifer Geist, publisher & secretary

With a decade of experience in editing, book compositing, photography, graphic and web design, marketing, writing, and more, Jennifer Geist is able to see any book from acquisitions to publication and beyond. She received her bachelor’s degree in creative writing with a focus in small press publishing through Southeast Missouri State University. She has worked with numerous small presses and her stories and photos are published in a variety of literary magazines. In addition to heading Pen & Publish, Open Books Press, and Transformation Media Books, she added a literary fiction and poetry imprint in 2015: Brick Mantel Books. She can be reached via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or email.


You can also read interviews with Jennifer Geist: Sapling's interview and Michael Dellert's interview.

Paul and Dee Burt

Paul Burt, co-founder and president

Paul Burt co-founded Pen & Publish, Inc. in 2005 after working in book publishing for six years. The initial emphasis was on publishing student collections to excite and nurture the writing process and to support personal expression, working through schools and nonprofits. Traditional imprints were added beginning two years later with Open Books Press and Transformation Media Books. Paul is currently pursuing his passion for social justice, sustainability, and quality of life initiatives.

Dee Burt, co-founder

Dee Burt has experience as a teacher, school counselor, family literacy coordinator, writing workshop facilitator, and Education Specialist on an adolescent psychiatric unit. Pen & Publish, Inc. was created based on her writing workshop, young authors conference, and student anthology publishing project in 2004. Her book, One Side of Suicide, was the first adult work published by Pen & Publish. Dee designed the Personal Identity Project to equip students with the necessary skills to identify their beliefs, interests, and traits, design personal goals, and communicate them professionally in their classrooms, social settings, and later in the workforce; in short, to discover who they are and who they choose to become. The PI Project will be available starting summer 2015 through P&P.


Staff

Carrie Walker

Carrie Walker, copyeditor, proofreader, and graphic designer

Carrie Walker has a Master's Degree in Professional Writing with an emphasis in publishing from Southeast Missouri State University. She has copy- and developmental-editing experience with full-length fiction, non-fiction, and poetry manuscripts, and has designed numerous book covers and page layouts. She is currently assistant editor to a university press, in addition to freelance work. Carrie enjoys being caffeinated, watching baseball, and wrangling her two cats.


Amanda Meyer

Amanda Meyer, writer and editor

She can be reached via her website.