Biography | Discography | Published Works
e-mail: dennis at dennisrea.com
Qualifications Summary
More than 20 years' wide-ranging professional experience as a writer, editor, English teacher, instructional designer, and event organizer in fields including the arts, education, reference and travel publishing, training, and technology.
As an editor
I have served in a wide variety of editorial roles including project editor, technical editor, instructional designer, copy chief, copy editor, Web links editor, courseware editor, user assistance editor, and proofreader, and as co-publisher/managing editor of the regional print and online music publication the Tentacle. I received a 2002 Merit Award from the Society of Technical Communicators for my work on a course for Microsoft.As a writer
My work has been published in the Routledge Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture, Encarta World Atlas, MusicHound Jazz Guide, CHIME: The Journal of the European Foundation for Chinese Music Research, the Tentacle, the Stranger, Earshot Jazz, Expedia's Mungo Park travel magazine, Microsoft Complete Baseball, OPTION, Muzika, the Improvisor, Sound Choice, Arts Focus, amazon.com editorial reviews, and the Sonarchy Web site. I have also written extensive Web site, catalog, and user assistance copy. In 2003 I completed a book, Live at the Forbidden City, about my experiences playing music in China and Taiwan.As a teacher
From 1989–94 I developed curricula and taught English conversation, composition, and reading skills to hundreds of adults, children, and university graduate students in China, Taiwan, and Seattle.
- Instructional Designer / Editor Wadeware LLC, 1/04-present
- Project Editor/Courseware Editor Microsoft Learning, 6/00-1/04
- Copy Chief Microsoft Expedia online travel magazine, 1999
- Asian region writer Encarta World Atlas, 1997-98
- Web Links Editor Microsoft Geography Products, 1996-97
- Lead editor Microsoft Complete Baseball and Complete NBA Basketball, 1993-96
- English instructor Cambridge Language Center, Tainan, Taiwan, 1990-93
- English instructor Chengdu University of Science and Technology, China, 1989-90
- Music Editor/Copy Chief ArtsFocus Magazine, Seattle, 1987-88
- Lead editor Executive Word Processing, New York, NY, 1985-86
- Professional musician 1980s-present
- University of Washington, Seattle, Music studies, 1978-79
- Mohawk Valley Community College, Utica, NY, English studies, 1976-77
- Seattle Central Community College, 2004
- Co-producer, Seattle Improvised Music Festival, 1998, 1994–2003 — the longest-running event of its kind in North America, presenting dozens of leading international, national, and local creative musicians to Northwest audiences
- Co-producer, Other Sounds concert series, Seattle, 1998–2000
- Organized three of the earliest concert tours of China by progressive Western bands, 1993-96
- Recipient of grants from the Arts International Fund for U.S. Artists Abroad, Washington State China Relations Council, Seattle Arts Commission, King County Arts Commission, Malcolm S. Morse Foundation, Jack Straw Foundation, Nonsequitur Foundation, and Earshot Jazz
- Subject of numerous print, radio, and television interviews and broadcasts in the U.S. and China, including two National Public Radio interviews
- Delivered lectures on music at universities in China
- Served on grant and artist panels or as a consultant for organizations including the Experience Music Project, the Urban Institute, the Jack Straw Foundation, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Asian Art Museum, and ArtsEdge Festival.
- Fluency in most common computer and Web applications
- Expertise in geography and world cultures (especially East Asia and Canada), music, art, architecture, and the outdoors.
Detailed Resume
Employment History
1/04–present
Wadeware LLC, Bellevue, WA
Principal instructional designer and editor of several multiday Microsoft training products for IT industry professionals.7/03–1/04
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA
Project and vendor management and providing of content and quality assurance expertise in the planning and production of CDDG e-Learning content, including the Office 2003 core curriculum.6/00–present
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA
Substantive and developmental editing of instructor-led courseware for computer professionals in online, book, and CD-ROM formats. Titles for which I have been principal editor include Programming with ADO.NET, Doing Business Online Using Microsoft bCentral, Building XML-Based Web Applications, Exchanging and Transforming Data Using XML and XSLT, and Building XML-Enabled Applications Using Microsoft SQL Server 2000.8/99–6/00
Wasser Communications (at Microsoft Corporation)
See above; I transitioned from contract to full-time employment in June 2000.1997–2001
The free magazine of Northwest creative music, available in a 16-page monthly print edition distributed in 10 Northwest cities; as a comprehensive, high-traffic Web site; and in an e-mail edition sent to nearly 600 subscribers weekly. The Tentacle was founded in 1997 to draw attention to marginalized forms of creative music such as modern jazz, free improvisation, new composition, experimental electronic music, and other exploratory genres that receive little coverage in other Northwest publications. It has come to be regarded as the primary organ of communication for non-mainstream creative musicians in the entire Northwest region.Ongoing
My work has been published in the Routledge Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture, the Journal of the European Foundation for Chinese Music Research, MusicHound Jazz Guide, amazon.com editorial reviews, The Tentacle, The Stranger, Earshot Jazz, OPTION, Muzika, Sound Choice, Arts Focus, The New Expatriate, Mungo Park, Microsoft Encarta World Atlas, MSN Sports, and Microsoft Complete Baseball. I also served as chief copy editor and music editor of Arts Focus and as a proofreader for the Seattle Weekly. I recently completed a book, Live at the Forbidden City, about my experiences playing music in China and Taiwan between 1989–96.
List of published works3/99–8/99
Wasser Communications (at Microsoft Corporation)
Substantive editing and sign-off of all Web content for the world's largest online travel business, including destination features, news, promotions, user Help, and customer communications. Contributed feature article on Papua New Guinea to Expedia's Mungo Park adventure travel magazine.1/98–1/99
Wasser Communications (at Microsoft Corporation)
Editing of all Help documentation for Microsoft Streets & Trips and MapPoint.8/96–7/97
S&T OnSite (at Microsoft Corporation)
Wrote and revised numerous articles on Asian cities, countries, and geographical features for the 1998 edition of the Microsoft Encarta World Atlas.1/96–8/96
S&T OnSite (at Microsoft Corporation)
Researched, selected, and wrote descriptions of more than 8,000 geography-related Web sites for linking to the Microsoft Geography Unit product line.4/95–1/96
S&T OnSite (at Microsoft Corporation)
Edited articles by contributing sportswriters and shared general production duties for this daily online publication.8/93–4/95
S&T OnSite (at Microsoft Corporation)
Managed the text database; monitored text for editorial content and quality standards; assigned copy editing, data-entry, and proofreading tasks; trained new staff; contributed original articles. Portions of this work are currently on view at the official NBA Web site.1995
Dov Weizman, author
Argo Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Substantive editing of a 400-page instruction manual for Client/Server certification candidates.1990–93
Cambridge Language Center, Tainan, Taiwan
Taught English conversation, composition, and reading skills to hundreds of adults and university students.1989–90
Chengdu University of Science and Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
Developed curricula for and taught courses in conversation, composition, listening comprehension, and reading skills for graduate students.1987–88
The Write Stuff, Seattle, WA
Wrote and edited technical publications for clients including the Intermec Corporation, The System Works, and Burgess and Associates.1985–86
Executive Word Processing, 26 Broadway, New York, NY
Legal and general editing and proofreading for clients including Chemical Bank, NYNEX Information Systems, Price Waterhouse, Chase Manhattan Bank, Deutsche Bank, Drexel Burnham Lambert, Paine Webber, and Bache Securities.Ongoing
Hundreds of solo and group performances in the U.S., China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Germany, including three of the earliest concert tours of China by Western bands; appearances on nearly two dozen recordings; co-producer of the 19-year-old Seattle Improvised Music Festival and the long-running Other Sounds new-music concert series.
Music bio
Education
University of Washington, Seattle
Music studies, 1979Mohawk Valley Community College, Utica, New York
English studies, 1977Seattle Central Community College
2004
Skills
Microsoft Windows through XP, Access, Excel, FrontPage, HTML Help, Outlook, PowerPoint, Product Studio, Raid, SharePoint, Source Depot, Visio, Visual SourceSafe, Word
Macintosh and related applications
Elementary spoken Mandarin Chinese
Extensive knowledge of geography, music, art, architecture, the outdoors, and world cultures
NUNATAK1400 Hubbell Place No. 802, Seattle WA 98101 206.381.9066
e-mail: dennis at dennisrea.com
Site Design | Nunatak Logo by Urban Design