For 35 years, Cherilyn has helped individuals and organizations write so strategically that they get what they’re seeking. As president of Strategic Communications, Inc., she has raised millions of dollars for organizations and enabled individuals to succeed with cover letters, business or funding proposals, and applications of all sorts. In 2024, she opened Communication Stratégique et Littéraire in France.
Cherilyn grew up in Los Angeles, where as a child TV actress she mastered the skill of appealing to different audiences—not terribly healthy for an adolescent girl, but a useful toolkit. She earned a BA in English at UCLA and an MFA in Fiction at USC, taught business communications, and began consulting widely.
Her persuasive skills were essential when she founded the Bay Area Book Festival in 2013 in Berkeley. Under her leadership, this annual international fest featured 1,600+ prominent writers across 800 events and attracted 100,000+ attendees. The related year-round “Women Lit” program presented 100+ authors such as Gloria Steinem, Patti Smith, Ann Patchett, and Leïla Slimani. In summer 2023, Cherilyn moved to Paris, where she works under a multi-year “passeport talent renommée internationale.”
“Cherilyn helps her clients produce incredibly persuasive written communications in literally any format. Her input was vital for my complicated talent visa application. Worth every centime!”
— Katharine Wallerstein, PhD, École des hautes études en sciences sociales
Find Cherilyn on Substack