Caryn O’Connell

I'm a researcher, writer, and editor working with nonprofits and academics. I’m also a public space enthusiast, so when I’m not working I can usually be found exploring on foot the city of Durham, North Carolina.

Academic Sector

I work with researchers at every level. I hold a Ph.D. in English from the University of Chicago, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Boston University, and a B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina. I’ve received institution-wide and national awards for excellence in teaching writing and for distinguished scholarship. I am expert in the conventions of academic writing and love helping people communicate their findings and ideas. I’m most at home working with researchers in the humanities and qualitative social sciences. I’ve recently worked on books, articles, and dissertations in the fields of legal anthropology, disaster studies, institutional analysis, literary studies, research ethics, economic sociology, and public policy. Past projects have included oral history, STS, postsocialist studies, critical resource geography, aesthetics, and environmental anthropology.

Nonprofit Sector

I’ve worked with nonprofit organizations in Chicago, Boston, and the Southeast. Recent projects address sustainable local economic development, physical and digital community archiving, pandemic-induced job and income loss, adult education for linguistic minorities, and frameworks for non-market-based property valuation. Past projects have included supports for transit-reliant commuters, food sovereignty for farmworkers, alternatives to institutionalized aging, a housing justice initiative, and arts infrastructure mapping. As a versatile researcher, I’m familiar with a range of nonprofit fields, including arts, culture, and humanities; transportation, environment, and public health; libraries and museums; and community-controlled development.

I take pleasure in crafting texts that make an organization’s aims come alive for even the most exhausted readers. My clients tell me I stand out for my conscientiousness and for the quality of my work: “you raised the bar.” I’m an expert in evidence-based argument and narrative structure—making the case, telling the story—and a careful analyst of the philanthropic terrain. My grant writing is energized by optimism and political commitment. I’m inspired by the concrete better worlds people are making happen here and now.    

More Information

For my resume, CV, client references, or a writing sample, get in touch.