About Jonathan Kranz
Today, I enjoy the confidence of numerous clients and agencies, but unlike most independent copywriters, my career didn’t begin with them. Instead, I had stints as a follow-spot operator in a regional theater, a park ranger on an allegedly haunted island in Boston Harbor, and as a summarizer of documents in large-scale litigations (think: Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener).
After completing my MFA in Creative Writing in 1995 (and publishing a number of short stories in literary journals such as the Missouri Review and the Green Mountains Review), I leap-frogged agency life and jumped into freelancing with both feet. Since then, I’ve written a huge stack of content, advertising, direct marketing, and public relations materials for consumer and B2B clients in financial services, banking, insurance, high-tech, healthcare, education, and other industries.
On the side, I’ve written columns for local newspapers and have been a guest essayist on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. My radio commentaries include: Bricks and Metaphor, Signs, Some Better Ideas, Lawn Care, and Failed Artist. I’ve taught writing courses at Harvard University Extension School, Emerson College and Northeastern University, and have served as the Writer in Residence at the Harvard Global Health Institute. My first novel, Our Brothers at the Bottom of the Bottom of the Sea, was published by Henry Holt in 2015.
After nearly 30 years of copywriting, I’ve returned to my roots: although I’m not a park ranger, I am a professional natural interpreter with a focus on mushrooms. I achieved my MA Audubon Field Naturalist Certification in 2024, serve as vice president of the Boston Mycological Club, a board member of the Pioneer Valley Mycological Association, and as chair of the Ayer Planning Board.