Educational Background
M.S. degree, with Honors, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, New York; won two of seven class awards—Sevellon Brown Award (history of journalism) and Sackett Graduate Award (law of journalism and outstanding course work)
"Working with Independent Authors," "Self-Publishing Facts and Strategies," "Editing on the Web," "Developmental Editing," and "Bias-Free Language" workshops and webinars, Editcetera, Berkeley, California
"Electronic Editing" workshop and "Working as an Editor in the Book Business" course, UC Berkeley Extension
B.A. degree, with Honors, in English, University of Utah, Salt Lake City (where Mark had his first experience in professional editing, for a noted professor of children's literature who was publishing edited versions of his radio talks)
Mark's initial exposure to editing came in junior high school, as a "student editor" for the Salt Lake City Tribune newspaper (conveying and sometimes writing up events of interest for its staff); he later was a staff critic for one of his college newspapers.
Service & Affiliations
Editcetera (the nation's preeminent association of freelance publishing professionals, now celebrating its 50th year, headquartered in Berkeley, CA)—a longtime member; served as board chair; organized 40th-anniversary gala; served on marketing and member-selection committees; designed and wrote its premiere 110 members' website
Resources for Community Development (Walnut Creek, CA, nonprofit that creates and preserves affordable housing)—taught basic computing and e-mail to low-income, ESL, and disabled seniors; conducted a film series
Pinole Historical Society (nonprofit)—provided editorial assistance on history book about this East Bay city
Rest Stop (San Francisco, drop-in center for adults and children with HIV/AIDS)—taught creative writing; edited and designed the group’s chapbook
San Francisco Performing Arts Library & Museum (archives and resource center)--edited several books on history of San Francisco theater and the Oakland Ballet
Project READ (adult literacy program)--affiliated with the San Francisco Public Library
Opus Q / Golden Gate Performing Arts (choral groups / community foundation)—served on board of directors; program annotator; graphics designer
Resources for Community Development (Walnut Creek, CA, nonprofit that creates and preserves affordable housing)—taught basic computing and e-mail to low-income, ESL, and disabled seniors; conducted a film series
Pinole Historical Society (nonprofit)—provided editorial assistance on history book about this East Bay city
Rest Stop (San Francisco, drop-in center for adults and children with HIV/AIDS)—taught creative writing; edited and designed the group’s chapbook
San Francisco Performing Arts Library & Museum (archives and resource center)--edited several books on history of San Francisco theater and the Oakland Ballet
Project READ (adult literacy program)--affiliated with the San Francisco Public Library
Opus Q / Golden Gate Performing Arts (choral groups / community foundation)—served on board of directors; program annotator; graphics designer
FUN FACTS (“Toucan Do Things Better than One!”)
Began his editing career as a student editor, age 12, for the Salt Lake City Tribune
Cowrote a series of three worldwide best-selling gardening books for Random House
Worked as the amanuensis for composer and scholar Gunther Schuller as he dictated chapters of his famed encyclopedia of early jazz
Starred as Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner (typecasting!), in a high-school production of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Mikado (his brother, Warner--the well-loved student body president—sang the role of the demented emperor); later, as a student in New York City, Mark performed in the operetta Off-Off-Really-Off Broadway
Transcribed chapters dictated by the Irish journalist and military historian Cornelius Ryan for his renowned book on D-Day, The Longest Day
Danced in Zoltan Kodaly’s Missa Brevis with a modern college troupe, directed by the legendary choreographer José Limón
Quoted in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet, relating to a cover story he wrote for Dance Magazine (for which he also wrote reviews and other features)
Published as a poet in several journals
Interviewed master-mime Marcel Marceau—in words!—before his series of mime shows in Salt Lake City (as a teenager Marceau had worked with the French Resistance during World War II and became an international star)
Played showcase hoops with other "short" boys during halftime of a Harlem Globetrotters game at the University of Utah (he is "just fine" with his current height)
Sang before royalty (queen and princess of the Netherlands, and the American First Lady), at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, with composer Richard Rodgers at the piano, in a world premiere song marking Barnard College’s anniversary (Rodgers was an alum of Columbia College across the road, Broadway, where as a student he met and worked with Oscar Hammerstein II, thus launching the most brilliant partnership in American musical history)
Fenced, cheer-led, and played timpani (not at the same time!) at Columbia College; also, typed library catalog cards in 27 languages (without learning any of them)
Played cocktail music (by ear, and by night) on an organ at Grand Canyon Lodge during a summer job; almost drowned in a kayak another summer in a rafting trip with his father, a noted "river historian"
Toured six Indian cities with famed contemporary dancer Astad Deboo and troupes of deaf performers (from Calcutta and Washington, D.C.)
Traveled throughout the U.S. with an industrial musical show for Avis Rent-a-Car; audition and backup pianist
Worked in a construction trailer at the Kodak Pavilion at the New York World's Fair
Soloed and directed an accordion combo for 8,000 listeners in Salt Lake City's Mormon Tabernacle in a world music festival
Sang and played percussion in San Francisco's opera house and symphony hall, among many other venues; sang in half a dozen Bay Area and New York City choruses and paid-position chapel choirs
Wrote feature articles, criticism, and publicity for Playbill, Dance Magazine, and the San Francisco Sentinel; coedited the website San Francisco Classical Voice (patron: Gordon Getty) for eight years
Began his editing career as a student editor, age 12, for the Salt Lake City Tribune
Cowrote a series of three worldwide best-selling gardening books for Random House
Worked as the amanuensis for composer and scholar Gunther Schuller as he dictated chapters of his famed encyclopedia of early jazz
Starred as Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner (typecasting!), in a high-school production of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Mikado (his brother, Warner--the well-loved student body president—sang the role of the demented emperor); later, as a student in New York City, Mark performed in the operetta Off-Off-Really-Off Broadway
Transcribed chapters dictated by the Irish journalist and military historian Cornelius Ryan for his renowned book on D-Day, The Longest Day
Danced in Zoltan Kodaly’s Missa Brevis with a modern college troupe, directed by the legendary choreographer José Limón
Quoted in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet, relating to a cover story he wrote for Dance Magazine (for which he also wrote reviews and other features)
Published as a poet in several journals
Interviewed master-mime Marcel Marceau—in words!—before his series of mime shows in Salt Lake City (as a teenager Marceau had worked with the French Resistance during World War II and became an international star)
Played showcase hoops with other "short" boys during halftime of a Harlem Globetrotters game at the University of Utah (he is "just fine" with his current height)
Sang before royalty (queen and princess of the Netherlands, and the American First Lady), at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, with composer Richard Rodgers at the piano, in a world premiere song marking Barnard College’s anniversary (Rodgers was an alum of Columbia College across the road, Broadway, where as a student he met and worked with Oscar Hammerstein II, thus launching the most brilliant partnership in American musical history)
Fenced, cheer-led, and played timpani (not at the same time!) at Columbia College; also, typed library catalog cards in 27 languages (without learning any of them)
Played cocktail music (by ear, and by night) on an organ at Grand Canyon Lodge during a summer job; almost drowned in a kayak another summer in a rafting trip with his father, a noted "river historian"
Toured six Indian cities with famed contemporary dancer Astad Deboo and troupes of deaf performers (from Calcutta and Washington, D.C.)
Traveled throughout the U.S. with an industrial musical show for Avis Rent-a-Car; audition and backup pianist
Worked in a construction trailer at the Kodak Pavilion at the New York World's Fair
Soloed and directed an accordion combo for 8,000 listeners in Salt Lake City's Mormon Tabernacle in a world music festival
Sang and played percussion in San Francisco's opera house and symphony hall, among many other venues; sang in half a dozen Bay Area and New York City choruses and paid-position chapel choirs
Wrote feature articles, criticism, and publicity for Playbill, Dance Magazine, and the San Francisco Sentinel; coedited the website San Francisco Classical Voice (patron: Gordon Getty) for eight years