Jack DesBois
Writer ~ Poet ~ Storyteller
I am a freelance writer, available to write your article, publicity copy, webpage content, blog post, instruction manual, letter, sonnet, sestina or epic saga for a modest fee. Based in Topsfield, Massachusetts, I hold a BA Music from Middlebury College. In addition to music and theatre, my areas of interest include (but are not limited to) healthy living, cooking, Christianity, English history, education, Lyme and related diseases, New England folk culture, music and performing arts, and the turning of the seasons. As part of a close-knit family with diverse backgrounds - ranging from endurance athletics and yoga to Greek philosophy and alternative medicine - I am well-equipped to turn your topic into intelligent and compelling writing.
I also offer graphic design for performing arts programs and can format and write copy for your event program.
I also offer graphic design for performing arts programs and can format and write copy for your event program.
To inquire about hiring me, please contact me by email or phone, and include the following information in your message:
- Your name, phone number and email address.
- The best method for reaching you - phone or email - and the best time if by phone.
- A brief description of your project.
Thank you for considering me for your writing needs!
Writing Samples
News Article
"'Good Tickle Brain' Creator Mya Gosling Leads S&P Workshop" - Written for Mary Baldwin University's Shakespeare & Performance program website, this lighthearted article records a celebrity cartoonist's visit to campus. 562 words.
Academic Essay
"Document Analysis: William Tyndale’s Preface to Genesis" - Written as part of graduate work toward an MLitt degree in Shakespeare & Performance, this scholarly essay illuminates a colorful character of the English Reformation through a seminal document he left behind. 2,189 words.
Opinion Letter
"Not His, but Ours – A Significant Change in the Alma Mater" - Middlebury College recently changed a pronoun in its school song; this letter, circulated in Middlebury and published in the local newspaper, satirically explores the ramifications of the change. 927 words.
Press Release
"HELEN MIRREN: A TONY AWARD-WINNING QUEEN ELIZABETH II" - This press release furnished local news media outlets with exciting copy to promote a National Theater Live Broadcast of The Audience at Town Hall Theater in Middlebury, VT. 375 words.
Sonnet
"Lantern Lane" - This sonnet celebrates the home of a singularly hospitable friend. 112 words.
Epic Poem
The Western Star - Written for solo performance, this epic poem with songs celebrates the season of Epiphany through a retelling of the Biblical Three Kings story. 623-word excerpt; 8,798 words total.
Song
"Song for a New Faucet" - This whimsical ditty commemorates a watershed moment in the life of one impecunious family: the replacement of a dripping kitchen faucet. 82 words.
Event Program Design
"Shakespeare's Songs" Program - I created this program for a concert-lecture on the songs of Shakespeare's plays.