ABOUT

Deborah’s professional and personal background filters through her work. Her curiosity about people, society and life influences many of her personal and professional choices.

It is why she read sociology and economics at the London School of Economies and Political Science, why she wanted to live in London (she is from England’s north-west) and study with one of the world’s most diverse student populations.

It is why she travelled after leaving university, initially on a Top Deck double-decker bus trip from London to Kathmandu, and then on her own to Hong Kong and South-East Asia. Her first published articles in national UK newspapers and magazines were on Hong Kong and food stalls in the region, topics that are as popular as ever

She still enjoys writing about issues before they become mainstream, contributing to their increasing acceptability. These include the environment and sustainability, Australia and the Asia-Pacific, health and wellbeing, culture  from high to popular, creativity and society, gender and sexuality.

After migrating to Australia in the late 1980s, she wanted to know more about her new home-country. She completed an MA in Australian Studies when Paul Keating was prime minister and a vocal advocate for closer ties with Asia. Her research paper looked at business, government and public imaginings of Asia, from the 1890s to 1990s, and she retains an abiding interest in her three focuses:

  • Australian architects
  • APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation)
  • Media representations of Asia

Inspirations

Curiosity about how people live still inspires her as a writer and an editor, for interviewing people, researching stories, finding angles and then disseminating the information for different readerships.

It has helped her to write and edit about diversity, innovation, culture and creativity, gender and sexuality, sustainability, cities and spaces, building and construction, architecture, design and workplaces, infrastructure and planning, and health and wellbeing. She works with independent authors, publishers and content agencies, and has also been managing and consulting editor on multi-author annual editions. She has also proofread countless publications over the years.

Broad experience

Deborah has also had office, publicity, recruitment and careers advice jobs, and the inevitable stints working in pubs as a young traveller. This background, including living and working overseas and migrating to Australia, has broadened her experience working with words and ideas, her own and those of others. It has also helped her collaborate with a range of academics, PhD students, practitioners, businesses and SMEs, not-for-profits, consultants and all levels of government, as well as trainee and senior journalists and designers.

Lifelong learning

Professional development courses include:

  • book editing and production
  • structural and copyediting
  • web editing
  • WordPress
  • ebooks and decoding XML
  • search engine optimisation
  • digital marketing
  • Photoshop

Humanities and creative courses include:

  • Social justice
  • Political, civic and current affairs
  • Art galleries of Sydney
  • Australian women, then and now

Memberships and interests

She is a member of Editors NSW, IPEd (Institute of Professional Editors), NSW Writers’ Centre, Hub Australia, South Sydney Business Chamber (SSBC), Seniorpreneurs, Solopreneurs, Green Square group, Affectors discussion group and former member National Association of Women in Construction.

She was a government social services volunteer, 2000 Sydney Olympics Media Centre volunteer, volunteers at the SSBC and sponsors a child in Ethiopia.

Deborah enjoys reading newspapers, magazines, newsletters, blogs, interviews and social media comments, to keep up to date and generate more ideas, things that are important to her personally and professionally.

She also attends film festivals, creative festivals, architecture and design functions and exhibitions, book talks and panels, and meet-ups for designers, co-workers and urban planners. She enjoys meeting long-standing and new friends, goes to cafes, tries different foods and coffee, walks and reads, and talking about ideas that feed into her work for existing and potential clients.

Images by Deborah Singerman, Gillian Crowther and stock; portrait of Deborah by Gary Compton.