Professional:
Susan is a big extrovert. As such, for nearly four decades, she has been a fish out of water—serving in professions that are dominated by introverts: college teacher, editor, and writer.
But personality aside, Susan values all three of her careers since they involve what she enjoys doing best: communicating. She loves to come up with ideas and write deeply about them; to teach/mentor writers to help them perfect their craft; and to mold, shape, and revise any written work to become the best it can be.
To do everything excellently as working for the Lord (Colossians 3:23) has been Susan’s guiding principle throughout:
• Professional writing and editing
∘ Susan King Editorial Services
∘ 24+ years as an editor for The Upper Room magazine
∘ Editor/compiler for the Short and Sweet book series (Grace Publishing)
• College teaching (three universities)
• Speaking at writers’ conferences (over one hundred times in the U.S. and Canada)
• Working as a radio producer and on-air talent
• Serving as a facilitator in training seminars in leadership and group dynamics
Susan graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English and a double-minor in Bible and Communication. She received her Master’s degree with a 4.0 GPA in the field of Education (English concentration) while teaching her first English classes at her alma mater, Abilene Christian University. After years as a stay-at-home mom, she picked up teaching again—when her youngest entered preschool—and taught college for the next 26 years.
During that same period, a series of fluky events* took her first to freelance writing, then to different editing positions at The Upper Room that led to serving as Associate Editor (while most of the time continuing to teach at Lipscomb University full- and later part-time).
Life in Academe (Or The Joy of Teaching over 4000 Christian college students in 171 classes)
Most of her 27 years at Lipscomb, Biola, and Abilene Christian Universities were spent teaching general-ed English which meant that her classes were filled with math, science, and business majors who couldn’t figure out why they had to take so much English. It became her greatest challenge, but also her greatest joy, to motivate these students to give their all in her classes so that each could become the epitome of an educated person: someone who can think well, speak well, and write well.
Life with The Upper Room (the world’s premier daily-devotional guide—reaching over 3 million subscribers in more than 100 countries and published in 35 languages)
It was her second day on the editors’ panel at Colorado Christian Writers’ Conference, 2019. When it came time for her to introduce herself, she said, “Hi! I’m Upper Room—first name ‘Upper’ last name ‘Room.’” Those in the audience thought it was funny. But those among them who were friends of hers also knew how much truth was behind those words.
During her nearly 25 years with The Upper Room magazine, Susan especially enjoyed the tasks of editing devotionals and other sections of the magazine and speaking at Christian writers’ conferences where she could work with writers face to face. Susan also loved choosing original artwork for the covers of the magazine.
From a young age, Susan knew how to become an English professor (since both her parents were) and later loved every minute of her college teaching. But the reason Susan’s minor focused on magazine production was that she wanted to be an editor; she just didn’t know how to achieve that career.
Yet, for 28 years and counting, Susan has worked as an editor. How? Because God had a plan. As with most of what God does in her life, Susan didn’t see it coming—at first. Yet, years after she had put aside her lifelong dream to be an editor and instead pursued a different path, God gave her a second career that has more than fulfilled the desires of her heart. (See Psalm 37:4.)
*Ask her sometime.
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