About Jo Ann Mathews

I’ve been a professional freelance writer for several years and specialize in writing feature stories. I have more than 1,500 bylines to my credit and have written on countless topics from autism to zoology. My columns on fashion and the Internet appeared in a Chicago area newspaper in the 90s. “Brunswick Buzz,” the column in The Sun News, the Myrtle Beach, S.C. daily, ran for seven years then “Events on the North Strand” took over in October 2013, also in The Sun News.

With the reconstruction of this Web site, I changed my four-year-old blog, “Writers Forever,” to “Find Your Writing Niche,” and I introduced a new blog: “Women and Adversity.” I dropped “Find Your Writing Niche” in 2016 to concentrate on “Women and Adversity.”

I grew up in Joliet, Ill. and earned my bachelor’s degree from College of St. Francis in Joliet, now called University of St. Francis. I majored in English and minored in Spanish and education and upon graduation headed for University of Notre Dame and received a Master of Arts in Teaching degree.

My husband, Steve, and I lived in Chicago’s south suburbs until 2000 then we moved to Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. Our two sons are grown, and we have three grandsons.

I give presentations to high school and adult groups about journalism, photojournalism, photography, blogging and writing in general. I enjoy needlepoint, embroidery, riding my bike, swimming, walking and reading. Volunteering has been a part of my life since high school, and I continue that practice today.