Elena Donovan Mauer is a freelance writer and editor who creates content for a variety of print and online publications, including The Knot, The Bump, Parents, Real Simple, and Good Housekeeping.
A former weddings editor, Elena has covered everything from fine jewelry to real wedding stories and food. She also covers a variety of health and lifestyle topics, including pregnancy, parenting, nutrition, fitness, home décor, and technology.
Experience
Born and raised outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Elena wrote her first story at age four on newsprint paper. She moved to New York City after college to pursue a career in publishing, and fell in love with magazine editorial, interning at Seventeen, Psychology Today, and Hearst Magazines. Her first editorial job was at Lifetime magazine.
After writing about her own wedding for Modern Bride, she became an editor for its local magazines, which were then redesigned and renamed Brides Local. Elena then accepted a position at Bridal Guide, where she edited real weddings, planning features, and fine jewelry articles. She later became a freelance contributor to The Knot, helping compile The Knot Ultimate Wedding Lookbook, among other projects.
Shortly after becoming a mom, Elena became Deputy Editor of The Bump, where she worked with top writers, OB-GYNs, pediatricians, and other industry leaders to deliver best-in-class fertility, pregnancy, and parenting information to millions of expectant and new parents. She was part of the digital team that launched The Bump app, and she headed editorial for The Bump Magazines. She also helped compile The Bump Book of Lists and The Bump Pregnancy Planner.
Today, Elena lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband, two children, and 17-year-old rescue dog. Elena is currently Senior Editor for Happify Health and was previously an editor at CafeMom. She’s co-authored three books on weddings and relationships and continues to write for a variety of publications.
Education
Elena holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Science in Publishing from Pace University.
She has been an adjunct instructor for Pace since 2008, teaching such courses as Writing and Editing for Magazines and Digital Publications, Editorial Principles and Practices, Specialized Publications, and Business Communication in Publishing.
Publications & Appearances
- In addition to the previously mentioned publications, Elena's writing has been published in Healthline, Country Living, Cooking Light, SheKnows, Parenting.com, Prevention, Care.com, CoFertility, Babylist, and many more.
- She has been featured as an expert in a variety of print, digital, and TV media, including US News & World Report, Forbes.com, NASDAQ TV, CBS New York, and abc7NY.
- Elena co-authored Planning Your Wedding Sucks with Joanne Kimes.
