Of course naming is not the first work that I’ve done with words, though fifteen years of it has certainly gotten this biz rolling. I’d been wordsmithing for over thirty years before I even wrote my first product name. I have a great range of professional experience using language, from touring with Lollapalooza on the poetry stage to teaching creative writing at Rutgers University.
TEACHING
I enjoy words immensely. For the eight years prior to starting this consultancy, I’d been teaching college-level courses in composition, literature, creative writing, and critical thinking in schools around New York City, primarily Pratt Institute, Brooklyn College, and Rutgers. At Pratt I was also Director of Writing Across the Curriculum for three years. I have an MFA in Creative Writing from Brooklyn College and a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan.
POETRY & PERFORMANCE
But I was never a typical academic – I began teaching only after spending almost twenty years as a working poet and performer around the United States. In the poetry world, I’m known for utilizing a very broad range of styles in my work, from formalist to wildly experimental. I’ve also done hundreds of readings and spoken performances, in venues ranging from cafés and libraries, to academic readings, to punk rock shows (I used to open for bands such as Fugazi and Big Black) – even a stint as a touring poet with Lollapalooza in 1994. I have five published books of poetry and ten chapbooks, and poetry and prose in over one hundred magazines, journals, and anthologies. To view a few pieces published online, check out my two pieces in London Grip New Poetry and excerpts from my book Poems for Teeth. You can also read a lot more about my creative work on my personal website, richardloranger.com.
The banner image at the top of this website, for those who are curious, is a page from Poems for Teeth.
BUSINESS WRITING
I’ve also done a good deal of language work in business, including gigs as a creative consultant for AT&T, a marketing assistant for Microsoft, and a writer for McGraw-Hill/CTB. As well I’ve helped to set up several small businesses, including a literary services biz of my own called Power Unit 17 and have worked with several small presses and publications, so I’m quite familiar with corporate protocol and deadlines.
Each one of these facets of language experience informs my approach to naming and brandwriting, from the rigor of research, to metaphor and euphony, to good old-fashioned precision and reliability. If that sounds like what you’re looking for, give me a call.