Meet Our Editorial Staff
Published: June 18, 2008
Karin Buckingham, Associate Editor
I'm an avid reader, a life-long crafter, and a do-it-yourself junkie. I am thrilled to combine my love of making things with my love of books.
Whether it was writing about high-tech gadgets for a low-tech audience back in the 1980s or explaining the intricacies of bead embroidery to a beginner today, I pride myself in writing clear and concise directions.
I began my Kalmbach career as a jewelry designer and writer for BeadStyle magazine and now edit craft and jewelry books in the Books department. I hold a B.A. in English Literature from Dension University. I'm the author of Altered You!, Mostly Metals: A Beginner's Guide to Jewelry Design, and The Absolute Beginner's Guide: Stringing Beaded Jewelry.
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Mary Wohlgemuth, Associate Editor
I love to make beautiful things, whether it's a bracelet, a quilt, or a book. I also love to read about how other people make beautiful things. Editing jewelry and craft books is the perfect job for an artisan-bookworm like me. I have a degree in journalism (Marquette University), three years of art school (Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design), and I've lost track of the number of drawing, painting, arts, and crafts workshops I've taken since then. I admit it: I'm a dilettante, in the original sense of the word - I delight in it all. |
Erica Swanson, Associate Editor
I began working at Kalmbach just a few months ago, and I can definitely say that I am learning as I go! Luckily I am surrounded by jewelry-making experts, and I am fascinated by the intricacies of a well-designed necklace or bracelet. I am learning all I can about needlework and jewelry making, especially in the areas of lampworking and chain mail.
After graduating from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, I was an associate editor at Krause Publications. My very first projects were sewing and quilting how-to books, and they opened my eyes to a huge array of creative possibilities. While I never became a prolific sewer, I loved the challenge of creating books with clear instructions and beautiful projects.
When I'm not hard at work editing, I enjoy playing piano, singing, traveling, and rooting for my favorite baseball team. |
Elisa Neckar, Assistant Editor
There are few loves in my life greater than my love of words, and it's reflected in every aspect of my life. It's in my work: I joined the Books staff in June of 2007, and now get to play with words all day. Kalmbach has introduced some new words to my vocabulary - words like heishi and rondelle and lampwork - and I'm loving it. (Anything to help my Scrabble game!)
My love for words is also evident in my schooling: In addition to my work here at Kalmbach, I'm also a full-time doctoral student at UW Milwaukee, where I concentrate on creative writing, children's and young adult literature, and studying online writing communities. I hold a B.S. from Carroll College in journalism and English, as well as master's degrees from Northern Michigan University and UW Madison.
I do have a few interests outside wordplay - I also enjoy cooking, watching movies and live theatre, hiking and canoeing, and listening to the Brewers games.
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Randy Rehberg, Associate Editor
I have luckily been able to combine my hobbies with writing and editing, which always makes the work easier. I got into the toy train hobby to re-create my childhood train layout and have even managed to expand it.
Other hobbies include sports and movies, and I have edited books for Disney, Lucasfilm, and the NBA. I also created games and wrote the LEGO Club magazine. Grownup-sounding work included editing Railway Track and Structures magazine, writing news and sports, and teaching college freshman how to write. For fun, I write plays, kayak, and hike through national parks. |
Jeff Wilson, Associate Editor
I joined the Kalmbach Books staff in 2005, and my duties mainly involve editing books on model railroading and scale modeling. I first came to Kalmbach Publishing in 1991, serving as an associate editor at Model Railroader magazine until 2001. As a freelance writer I have authored more than 20 books on railroads and model railroads and have contributed photographs and articles to several magazines and books. All of this has been based on my life-long hobbies of model railroading and railfanning.
I grew up in central Minnesota and graduated from St. Cloud State University with a degree in mass communications. Along with trains, my other hobbies include photography, music, sports, and spending time with my wife and son. |
Andrea Moser, Editorial Assistant
I am neither a crafter nor a model railroader, but I enjoy working with the experts and enthusiasts of both hobbies. My background is in theatre (BFA in Theatre Performance) and days spent slaving away in the costume shop instilled an appreciation of the design and construction of beautiful jewelry and garments. While I can't wire a toy train, I do have a basement full of my husband's comic books and sci-fi/fantasy collectibles so I also respect the time, planning, and space that hobbyists devote to their layouts. The excitement with which Kalmbach's authors and editors approach their work is inspiring and infectious even to non-hobby aspects of life.
In my free time, I enjoy being a mom and writing and performing in sketch comedy shows and short films in the Milwaukee area.
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Mark Thompson, Editor-in-Chief
I've worked with and for several of Kalmbach's hobby magazines, ultimately landing as Editor of FineScale Modeler for four years. My books background comes from 15 years or so at Montana Magazine/American Geographic Publications, which produced illustrated state geography and nature books all around the country. I also worked at The Mountaineers Books in Seattle between assignments at Kalmbach. Working with hobby and craft enthusiasts here at Kalmbach makes my job easy - the readers always let us know what they want. |
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