jrh@jrhayes.net

freelance writer
playwright
photographer
website designer
event producer

people, travel, food, music and theater, computers and technology

As a freelance writer, I work for print and online publications worldwide, with a specialty in food criticism and travel. I focus on writing about people; my work deals with the human condition and reaches out to connect with the reader.

My plays have been produced across the US and in two countries. I am co-owner of The Burry Man Writers Center, an award-winning worldwide community of writers, and the social network for creative artists called Inked-In. I operate Convention Eats, a restaurant recommendation service for convention planners, and produce Jazz On Edge, a festival of new music.

jrh@jrhayes.net


Click here to see samples of my ARTICLES
If it's of interest, I write about it. Restaurant reviews and critical essays on theater and movies. Profiles of jazz musicians and leaders in the business community. Traveling - and eating - in Italy and New Orleans. My piece on the environmental impact of sushi (in 2001, years ahead of the "green" media) was distributed online internationally and featured as a newspaper cover story in several cities and two countries.

Jazz Freedom

Musician Sam Rivers spent his birthday this year in a most typical way -- typical for him, that is. Sept. 25 found him onstage at the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, playing breakneck-speed solos on saxophone one minute, tender passages on flute the next. Tall and mantis-thin, he hoots and hollers, dancing across the stage and involving his audience with an energy and style that most rock bands would compact with the devil to attain.
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(Orlando Sentinel Calendar)

If You Knew Sushi

Had raw fish lately? If not, it's because you've consciously avoided it. The recent explosion of sushi bars, from boutique restaurants like Roy's to the fish counter at Publix Supermarket, has made sashimi (the actual fish; sushi refers to the rice) the new hot ticket.
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(AlterNet; Edmundton VUE Weekly; Tampa Weekly Planet; Orlando Weekly)

Nicola Griffith Finds Her Place

When asked what kind of writer she is, Nicola Griffith responds frankly, "Determined. Convinced of my own worth." Her work shows proof of that conviction. Her first novel, the paperback original Ammonite (Del Rey, 93), won the James Tiptree Jr. and Lambda Literary Awards, and the ecologically-oriented Slow River (Del Rey, 95) was winner of the 1997 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1996 Lambda Award. Her Yaguara won the 1996 Nebula for Best Novella.
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(January Magazine)

A Walking Tour of London's Jewish Past

A tour of London's Jewish past is full of qualifiers, language with many references to former buildings, places that "used to be" and use of the word "original" - sites of interest, with explanation. The area known as the East End is many hamlets adjoining the old City of London, the Cockney section famously within hearing distance of the bells of St. Mary-le-Bow church.
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(TimeTravel-Britain.com)

Click here to view my CREDITS
I'm a travel writer, theater and music critic, feature writer and tech-head. Run several websites and an online social network. As a trained chef, I can write about the front of the house as well as the kitchen of a restaurant with equal expertise. I am available for feature articles and copywriting assignments, by contract or on staff.

Travel:

As a writer on assignment, I've traveled to Italy, Scotland, England, New Orleans, California and, of course, New York City. I've become a go-to writer for all things Orlando. I'm available for location and pure research pieces on a wide variety of angles.
  • Eyewitness Travel Guide Walt Disney World Resort & Orlando (Dorling Kindersley 2005)
  • The Orlando Citybook, Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce
  • New to Central Florida, SunTrust Bank
  • plus: Follow the Rabbit; Industry; TimeTravel-Britain.com; VisitFlorida.com; St. Augustine Visitors and Convention Bureau; Aging With Style; Moments Aboard Spirit Airlines; TripMatcher.com; Venture Woman; Orlando Sentinel

Food and Restaurant critic:

Food writer/restaurant critic for Orlando Magazine and the Orlando Weekly. Trained chef, former James Beard Foundation judge, and avid, but not snobby, advocate of good wine.
  • Orlando Weekly 2000-2004
  • Orlando Magazine 1998-2000
  • Restaurant, food columnist Examiner.com
  • Owner, Convention Eats, restaurant recommendation service for convention planners
  • plus: Orlando Dining Out; Aviation International News; Edmonton VUE Weekly; Lighting Homestyle; Tampa Weekly Planet; Metro Times Detroit

Features & Entertainment:

Whether a story about Arts & Crafts houses in Florida or new styles in computers, a Mounted Police squad or alien abduction insurance, I've done it. Music, movie and theater reviews and in-depth conversations with legends in jazz. Interviews and personality profiles are my specialty.
  • Style 1900; National Business Aviation Association; Orlando Sentinel; Orlando Weekly; Inklings / Inkspot; January Magazine; Poets & Writers; Orlando Magazine; Writer's Journal; Inscriptions Magazine; Barnes&Noble.com; Fiction Writers Connection; MaximumPC; Body; savvyHEALTH; AlterNet; The Jerusalem Report; Florida Realtor; Songlines UK

Contributing writer:

Staff writing jobs are a continuing part of my freelance career. I am available for contract work and ongoing assignments.
  • Florida Association of Realtors; AOL DigitalCity; iUniverse; Netsurfer Digest; Venture Woman Magazine

Copywriting:

Fast, clean and appealing ad copy for print, online and collateral, for a diverse range of clients from real estate and state tourism bureaus to industrial security companies and shopping malls.
  • The Boardwalk Group; Triplehop Technologies; Walz Tetrick Advertising; Miles Media Group; Florida Association of Realtors; HOUR Media

Social networking:

Producer of Jazz On Edge, showcase for new and original works by jazz musicians

Music performances from Jazz On Edge

Associate Writing Artist-in-Residence, Atlantic Center for the Arts:

A three-week immersive writing residency which also affords a unique experience to network with other creative artists.
  • working with playwright/poet Cornelius Eady, 2007; novelist Douglas Coupland, 2000; novelist/essayist Samuel R. Delany, 1997

20 years experience in the business side of publishing

Audio tech for theater, television and radio

Corporate sales trainer for high-end consumer electronics

Editing, marketing and PR:

services available through my partner, Jennifer Greenhill-Taylor

Click here to read about my PLAYS
My plays have won awards and audiences across the country and in the UK. Being a playwright means I bring imagination and a keen observation of human behavior to any assignment.
  • A LITTLE CRAZY Finalist, ATC Fall 2003 Contest for Original Full-Length Plays; Bill Whitney Senior Players, Portland, OR 2003; Orlando International Fringe Festival 2002; Staged reading Eyewitness Theatre, Manchester England 2001
  • AFTER TWO Workshop, Lake County Repertory Theater, Lower Lake, California, 2004; Finalist, "Playing by the Lake" Script Writing Festival 2003
  • A GOD IN ASPECT Charade Drama Group, Bristol, England 2004
  • THE PLANETS ALIGN IN THEIR SINISTER DESIGN Reading, Chapters on Park (with David Amram) Orlando FL 2004; The Jazz Gallery, NYC 2003; Atlantic Center for the Arts 1997
  • SLOW RIDE Reading w/music by Christopher Watkins, benefit for Kerouac House, Orlando FL 2006
  • SOLOS Orlando International Fringe Festival 2004
  • WEST FARMS Bronze winner, Telly Awards, 2008; VisionTV, Orlando FL 2007; Valencia College Black Box Theatre, Orlando FL 2007; Subject, Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Critical Writing Competition, San Antonio TX 2006; Theatre Downtown, Orlando FL 2006; The Jazz Gallery, NYC 2003; Atlantic Center for the Arts 2000

More information at josephreedhayes.com►


Click here to meet my WEB DESIGN clients
I build websites for musicians, artists and small companies, where passion and a personal touch are an integral part of doing business. Knowledge of HTML, CSS, Front Page and Expression Web. Use of RSS feeds and SEO. Photoshop image manipulation and, of course, copywriting for the Web.

The Burry Man Writers Network


Click here to see my PHOTOGRAPHY
From travel shots to art photography for editorial purposes.