Kevin Mungons

I’m a Chicago-based writer and editor. As backlist curator for Moody Publishers, I champion content from 125 years of book publishing—a rewarding job where I sit in the archives and read (okay, that’s an overly glamorous summary). I’m also a busy freelancer, a side gig that started on my daily train commute. I ended up writing a whole book on the train, but that’s getting ahead of the story.

My wife and I grew up in Toledo, Ohio (go Mud Hens!) and started dating in high school. After a music degree and a seminary degree, I spent twenty years as a teacher and church musician. Now we live in suburban Chicago with three children still at home. Seven more adult children (go ahead, do the math) are living in various places around the country. Plus three grandkids.

I started writing for fun, and it turned into a career. I edited a denominational magazine, then became editorial director for a college marketing department. I wrote every day and in nearly every promotional format: magazines, newsletters, direct mail, billboard campaigns, advertisements, catalogs, radio spots, corporate video scripts, museum displays. I loved it—but I saw a nonprofit world cluttered with pitches and appeals, where key messages failed to make an emotional connection with their audience.

If it sounds like I’m telling a story—I am! I was learning a basic lesson: Win hearts and minds by connecting great stories to big ideas. And given my limited schedule, I learned to focus on my favorite genres: feature stories, research-based nonfiction, and obituaries (that’s an odd speciality, but I’m still taking requests).

I often collaborate with photographer Darrell Goemaat, whose storytelling photos have saved me thousands of words over the years.

I still follow my favorite writing advice: Write what you know. As a longtime church musician, my personal writing projects are often about gospel music, early recordings, and radio. Check out my recent gospel music biography for the University of Illinois Press (yes, I wrote it on the train, 45 minutes at a time). I’ve recently completed projects for the Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology and Grove’s Dictionary of Music. Now I’m researching a history of Christian radio.

Need help with your next project? Contact me with your ideas. . .