WRITING & EDITING PORTFOLIO

Jenni Denekas crafts crisp prose and helps hone her colleagues’ pieces with a keen eye for edits and equity considerations. She is experienced in building style guides, both for general communication and also for crises and other niche needs. Assembled here is a collection of work samples in editing, writing, and reporting.

Style Guide for Digital Communications

Decolonizing stylistic standards, enhancing accessibility, and supporting the success of communications staff.

New Avenues for Youth logo

Client
New Avenues for Youth

Created
10/2023

Written & Reported by Jenni

  • Walth views investigative reporting as a public service. It is a discipline that shines light on the intricacies of corruption and injustice, requiring significant research on the part of the journalist. Walth’s decades-long career centered on this style of reporting, and it all began at the suggestion of another reporter who urged him to attend a three-day conference on the subject in 1986. “Those three days changed my life,” Walth said. “[The conference] taught me an entire new way to think about stories. Still to this day, I approach reporting using what I learned at that conference.”

    “SOJC alum and Pulitzer Prize winner Brent Walth ’84 teaches the next generation of investigative reporters.” Written for the School of Journalism and Communication at University of Oregon. August 2022.

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  • With creative work, you have to be honest with each other off the bat and not take anything to heart. You have to trust that everybody's comments are meant to better the work, and that's where our heads were at. That helped our group in the long run.

    JOAQUIN SABAROTS

    As quoted in “Advertising students ‘walk quiet’ into career success after innovative campaign for Allbirds.” Written for the School of Journalism and Communication at University of Oregon. February 2022.

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  • I would say that working with so many other creatives of color really gives you affirmation. It was just so powerful. One of the main excuses that agencies make is, ‘We can't find creatives of color anywhere.’ That's complete B.S. As this experience demonstrated, there are plenty of us. They just won’t hire us.

    OLYVIA CHAC-NGUYEN

    As quoted in “Alumni Profile: Olyvia Chac-Nguyen’s path from clinic receptionist to witty copywriter.” Written for the School of Journalism and Communication at University of Oregon. October 2021.

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  • I don't believe in the term ‘giving a voice to the voiceless.' Everyone has a voice; it's extremely important we amplify those voices who aren’t represented enough.

    WHITNEY GOMES

    As quoted in “Alumni Profile: Whitney Gomes ’18 elevates social causes with drone cinematography.” Written for the School of Journalism and Communication at University of Oregon. August 2021.

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  • It's really easy to get focused on urgent things, like the assignment due tomorrow or the email that came in today. You still have to carve out time for the important things that aren't emergencies yet, including self-care.

    BRINT INGERSOLL

    As quoted in “SOJC Portland grad student perspectives on how to balance school, work, and life.” Written for the School of Journalism and Communication at University of Oregon. January 2021.

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  • The pushback hasn’t deterred Dennis and Jacqueline from creating a half-acre suburban oasis. They plant “anything native that blooms,” as well as some select nonnative flower varieties. They purposefully conduct minimal maintenance so as not to disturb the diverse collection of insects that feed, nest, and breed on their plants... The results speak for themselves: Dennis and Jacqueline are visited throughout the year by a host of creatures, from bumble bees to birds.

    “Managing Invertebrate-Friendly Gardens,” written for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation’s biannual magazine Wings. Spring 2019.

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  • Galvanizing public resistance to harmful pesticides, inspiring the environmental movement of the twentieth century, and promoting systems thinking in environmental science and policy, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was, and is, a revolutionary written work.

    “Celebrating the Legacy of Rachel Carson,” written for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. September 2018.

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  • The chatter of coyotes rises and falls in an eerie chorus. The cool desert air soothes your sunburned face, and the rest of your body is warm under thick blankets. You are still marveling at the plethora of stars you saw in the dark, velvety sky while you were brushing your teeth at the outdoor sink. Tired but exhilarated from the day’s adventures, you set your alarm for another early morning.

    “Anatomy of a RED Sustainable Travel Camp,” written for RED Sustainable Travel and SEEtheWILD. May 2014.

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I would love to edit, write, and report for your organization. Let’s discuss opportunities to create compelling stories together!