Freelance Journalist
Cynthia Barnes
The story is everything.
Cynthia Barnes has photographed a suicide bombing in Baghdad for Newsweek, sang karaoke with Tibetan cowboys for Slate, flirted with Billy Bob Thornton for Premiere, and joined an archaeological dig for National Geographic.
A Denver-based Mizzou grad who can spot a misplaced apostrophe at fifty feet, Cynthia will do almost anything for a story. Throw a hand grenade? Why not? Eat a bug? Bon appétit. Dive out of an airplane? Geronimo!
What she won’t do is whiff deadlines, throw a hissy fit over editing, or turn in a tired formula piece. If you want clean, compelling copy … on deadline and on point … you want freelance journalist Cynthia Barnes.
On assignment with the archaeologists piecing together a story older than writing.
A nervous driver takes 27 feet of RV through Utah’s Mighty Five.
This Denver suburb offers the state’s most diverse and delicious cuisine.
“… it’s not terribly unusual to see grown men crying in the middle of the afternoon.”
On the lead of my Nob Hill Inn obituary, singled out by Nieman Storyboard, the Nieman Foundation at Harvard.
The regulars remember Bart Case — the obituary Nieman held up as a model.
Exploits of an agoraphobic adventuress.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
“Notable,” Best American Travel WritingHeartbreak, hot springs and hope on an epic Colorado road trip.
Shared 7,500+ times before the Denver Post killed the URLCheck out my 300+ most recent clips on Muck Rack.
As much as I love writing about food and travel, other subjects are also dear to my heart. Over the course of 25+ years I’ve been privileged to interview the man who found the Titanic, oceanographer Robert Ballard, author John Updike (I mixed him up with John Irving, he was very gracious) and Miss Manners Judith Martin for Humanities.
Outstanding alumni magazines have introduced me to fascinating subjects and people, and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts has afforded me the opportunity to explore everything from prison arts initiatives to Egyptian revival architecture.
“Social Studies” was my favorite subject in middle school, and journalism lets me never stop studying. To every person who has ever told me their story and every editor who’s ever paid me to share them, thank you. It’s always an honor, and there’s nothing I’d rather do.
Journalism isn’t the only way I keep cat food on the (cat’s) table: I also produce white-label content for some of the country’s top PR agencies — thought pieces for Fortune 500 executives, case studies, press releases and blog posts for five-star resorts, et cetera, et cetera.
My references are excellent, and NDA-compliant examples are available on request. If I’m not the right fit, I’m happy to point you to someone who is.
