Meet Our Top Instructors

Jennifer Stevens

Long a writer and editor for International Living, Jennifer Stevens has spent the balance of the last seven years gallivanting through Latin America and the Caribbean -- to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize and beyond reporting on and writing about the best locales for overseas travel, retirement, and investment.

She is the former editor of Island Properties Report, a monthly letter devoted to living and investing on islands around the world, and she was a writer and editor for several years at Trade & Culture magazine, a bi-monthly devoted to international trade issues. Jennifer is the principal architect and writer of The Ultimate Travel Writer's Course, published by the American Writers & Artists Institute.

Asked what motivated her to put this course together, she responded: 

“Over the years -- as both a travel writer and as an editor -- I’ve been struck, again and again, by how much poor writing floats around out there. And it doesn’t have to be that way. 

“The truth is, in the many years I sat behind an editor’s desk, I’d often despair at the un-publishable material that landed in my inbox. I was constantly looking for strong, engaging articles targeted for my readers -- articles I was eager to buy and print. But I found them few and far between. 

“Really, that was the somewhat selfish reason I decided to put this course together. As a travel writer, I’ve enjoyed the many benefits of this line of work -- it’s given me flexibility, freedom, and an opportunity to explore the world.  But as an editor of travel articles, I was frustrated to no end. I finally decided I should do something about it. The Passport to Romance course is a result of that decision. 

“I hope the advice and guidance you from the Passport to Romance  will inspire you to contribute thoughtful, engaging, well-written articles to publications around the world.”

Steenie Harvey

Steenie Harvey lives in County Roscommon in the west of Ireland. Born in England of Latvian and English parents, she moved to Ireland in 1988 with her Scottish husband Michael and their daughter Magdalen.

 Steenie is International Living's roving Euro-editor and a freelancer whose by-line has appeared in such illustrious publications as The Washington Post, The World & I, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, and The World of Hibernia among many others in the States, Ireland, Britain, Australia, and Germany.

 She is also the author of three travel books, including: European Vacation Rentals, Adapter Kit: Ireland: A Traveler's Tools for Living Like a Local, and Live Well in Ireland: How to Relocate, Retire, and Increase Your Standard of Living.

John Forde

John has worked as a financial journalist and a contributing travel writer. He now works primarily as an advertising copywriter, while writing travel articles on the side. John was trained in his craft by two of the best copywriters in the United States, Bill Bonner and Michael Masterson. In the twelve years since, he has written several million-dollar controls, many of which also have been translated and mailed successfully in the French, German, and online markets.

He's also recently created a course on copywriting for the Internet for the American Writers & Artists Institute, is the editor of the weekly international advertising ezine, The Copywriter's Roundtable, and has served as Senior Copywriter and Group Publisher for Agora Publishing. John teaches writing extensively throughout the year and has lead seminars and conferences in Baltimore, London, Paris, Bonn, and Warsaw. He and his wife currently live in Paris.

"I love working with travel writers -- they've got a serious passion for two of the things I love to do most, which of course is to write and to travel.  I don't do this for a living -- most of the travel writing I do is just for fun. And when I get paid for it... or get to do something free because of it.. well, that's a nice perk.  I make my living writing ad copy. But here's what I discovered a long time ago... the persuasion used I use in my job can give other writers a huge advantage in all other forms of expression. Including travel articles. Sell more pieces, write more tightly, 'get' the audience and what they want to hear... they're all things I can show these guys how to do much more easily, thanks to the techniques of copywriting. Let's face it, with these travel pieces, these writers are selling an idea. And I can show them how to do that... that gives them an edge most travel writers don't have.

Stan Sinberg

Rich Wagner

Rich Wagner began his photographic career in college as a freelance photographer for Pittsburgh newspapers.  After graduation, photography remained a hobby during his 20-year career in retail, and in 1984, Rich opened a custom framing and fine art gallery.  His current shop, Imagine It Framed, located in Simsbury, CT, recently had the honor of being designated as one of “America’s Top 100” custom framers by Décor Magazine. 

While attending professional photography seminars in New York City, Rich shared his photographs with well-known professionals who encouraged him to show his work.  This led to several exhibits in the region.  Currently, his work is in private and public collections all over the world.  His images hang in public corporations and private foundations from San Diego to Boston and in homes from the Americas to the Far East.  He began shooting digitally in the late 90’s and since 2001 has worked almost exclusively in that format. 

The beauty of the Farmington Valley, where Rich lives with his wife and five daughters, and the excitement of New York, his previous home, are the sources of most of his photography.  Travels and workshops throughout the country have added to his collection of images.  Everything from the rich colors and broad landscapes of the southwest, to street studies in the Little Havana section of Miami have been captured by his lens.

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