The Ferris wheel awaits. This charticle serves up the Blue Ribbon goods on five State Fairs. Pick up the July/Aug issue of Traveler to find out the best place to eat candy buckeyes, which fair serves reindeer sausage, and where you can meet Bardo the Clown.
About Me
- Although I usually write about travel, food, books, and business, I consider myself a general assignment reporter and writer. I went freelance so that I could cover the world--no use limiting myself now.
A contributing editor (of the writing variety) for American Way, contributing articles editor (of the editing variety) for Entrepreneur, and co-founder of Flyover America, I've also written for loads of other print magazines, websites, and guidebooks. And, yes, of course, there's a travel-related app in the works, too.
Ready to put my curiosity, strong reporting skills, and wordplay (or photography) to work for your publication? Send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you.
(Oh, be sure to visit the haiku diaries where I'm living life 17 syllables at a time.)
Working on pieces for...
- Fodor's Alaska
- National Geographic Traveler
- Entrepreneur
- Heart & Soul
- Southern Living
- American Way
Entrepreneur: Best Business Bars 2011
July 2011
This year, I was the lead editor on the magazine's annual Best Business Bars feature package. Thanks to a very smart and talented team of freelance writers and magazine staffers, I think the package turned out beautifully. (OK, yes, I'm biased.) I also wrote a few of the pieces, including the Best Bars to...Get Green Inspiration and Find a Behind-the-Bar Business Mentor.
National Geographic Traveler's Intelligent Travel Blog:
Get Your Grin on in SE Alaska
June 22, 2011
Several years back, I interviewed author Gretchen Rubin about her then-upcoming book,The Happiness Project. While we were chatting, Rubin—a former editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal and clerk for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (aka, she’s no dummy)—spoke about her concern that it's become, basically, fashionable, for people to take pride in their sense of "irony and discernment" and often, sadly, just as fashionable to think happiness and joy are signs of naïveté.
What does this have to do with SE Alaska? Find out on National Geographic Traveler's IT blog.
The Daily Meal: Beyond Salmon in Anchorage, Alaska
June 7, 2011
A scoop of mint-green ice cream puddling on the blacktop at the opening day of the Anchorage Market & Festival grabbed the attention of passersby. There were sighs of "oh, look" and "that's so sad." Aside from a quick glance down to make sure I stayed clear of the crime scene, I had bigger worries on my mind. I was out of napkins and, with every bite I took of a bulgogi taco, my t-shirt was in danger of turning into a Pollock-esque masterpiece as interpreted in Korean BBQ sauce.
American Way: The Chef Recommends...
June 1, 2011
Even chefs need a night out on the town (or just a quick postservice meal). “As a chef, depending on what kind of food you do, all you want at the end of the day is something simple and warm and comforting,” says Albert Aviles, executive chef at Corkbar in Los Angeles. “You don’t want to go out after service and go for 45 courses.
So, when their toques come off, here’s where top chefs in five great eating cities head for their next meal.
Entrepreneur: 100 Brilliant Companies
June 2011
The magazine's annual 100 Brilliant Companies report highlights great ideas across 10 different industries. For this year's section, I wrote about a travel search company, Hipmunk; a media app, Zite; and Yellow+Blue, a company that boxes up wine in the name of convenience, flavor, price, and the earth. Also in the June issue: How to map out an M&A brand strategy.
American Way: Know This
May 1, 2011
Break out of your reading rut with five books that will teach you things you didn’t think you needed to know about, but you’ll be grateful that you do.
Entrepreneur: See You on the Other Side
May 2011
Some words of advice for entrepreneurs who want to make their first days running a newly-acquired business go as smooth as possible.
National Geographic Traveler: New Yorkers' New York City
April 2011
For this feature package about New York City, I wrote the introduction and a piece about the "oddest of underdogs," the Upper East Side. Here's how the piece begins:
Though I'm not usually very chatty on planes, I do love when, flying home to New York City, I end up sitting next to first-time visitors. They almost always have a slightly wild look in their eyes; it's a sign that they’re worried they won't be able to see everything. Their questions spill out, and I'm happy to answer them: Where should I go for dim sum? How do you get to Brooklyn? Have you ever been to the Apollo? What they really want to know: Is three days or five days or even a week enough time?
American Way: Fun with History
April 1, 2011
Sarah Vowell has a distinctive take on what makes for an entertaining read. From the New England Puritans to the spots where U.S. presidents were assassinated, Vowell has spun the good, the bad and the odd of American history into enlightening and hilarious literary gold. Now, in Unfamiliar Fishes (Riverhead Books, $26), the author dishes on the United States' annexation of Hawaii in 1898.
What My Editors Say...
- "I have had the fortune of hiring Jenna Schnuer for multiple contract writing projects, both while I worked in the role of Senior Interactive Producer at the Travel Channel, and as Senior Editor and Producer at World Hum. Jenna's passion for both the art of writing and her subject matter, as well as her promptness with deadlines and great understanding of the intricacies of writing for the web, have made her and her content a valuable asset."--Valerie Conners
- "Jenna's charming wit and outstanding writing style are the perfect complements to her professionalism and dedication. Bottom line: She makes me look good--and that's a tough act to beat. Besides, any freelancer who would risk life and limb by attending trapeze school (and live to write about it) is top-notch in my book."--Chris Wessling, Senior Editor, American Way
- "Jenna's careful reporting, coupled with her desire not to take the easy-way-out and write the same old cliches everyone else writes, makes my life as an editor easier."--Margaret Littman, my editor on projects for MapQuest, Journey magazine, and Mobil Travel Guide
