Allena Tapia

• Over 10 years of experience in writing, editing, and translation, including full time, part time and contractual work
• Founder and principal of GardenWall Publications, a marketing communications agency
• Managing editorial duties for Adelante Forward Teaching on writing and blogging at Lansing Community College

Allena Tapia is a former writer for The Balance Careers covering freelance writing. Tapia has over 10 years of experience in writing, editing, and translation, including full time, part time and contractual work

As a communications and marketing consultant, Tapia provides services through her business, GardenWall Publications, a marketing communications agency in Lansing, Michigan, serving clients worldwide. 

She started her communications career with positions as a publicity writer, a marketing writer, and a project assistant, serving as a full-time employee within offices at both Michigan State University and Lansing Community College. 

She built GardenWall Publications and was turning a profit within 6 months. Within just a couple years, GWP began contracting with companies, websites, publishers and magazines such as the Huffington Post, BITCH magazine, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Gale Cengage, Hispanic Executive magazine, and Latino Leaders magazine. GardenWall Publications has interviewed and/or profiled over 60 professionals in government, marketing and health care for print and online features/profiles.

Tapia blogs about the freelance business at GardenWall's Freelance Writing blog. Major contracts include managing editorial duties for Adelante Forward magazine, media and communications support for Progress Michigan, a regular column at WOW-Women on Writing, and various writing, editing or translation projects for clients like Huffington Post, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Gale Cengage, and Kirkus Reviews. 

She enjoyed three years of teaching on writing and blogging at Lansing Community College, but currently concentrates on regional and national writer's conferences.

Publications

• Huffington Post’s parenting channel, books channel, and Latino channel
• Latino Leaders
• Working Mother magazine
• Green Building and Design

Allena Tapia earned a bachelor's degree in English from Michigan State University. She also accomplished one year of a Professional Writing Master's program with research focusing on Latino community rhetoric.