Editorial Work & Magazine Writing

Former editor at Madison Magazine

Maggie Ginsberg is the former managing editor at Madison Magazine and a contributing writer since 2006. For 20 years her writing garnered numerous statewide and national awards. During her time on the editorial staff from 2020 to 2025, in addition to editing and overseeing many talented freelancers and columnists, she wrote covers, features and the monthly “Looking Back” department page focused on historical photos. She developed the guest creative writing opportunity called “The Essayist,” bringing numerous published and emerging authors to the magazine. She prioritized local literary coverage, including a Book of the Month in print, monthly web-exclusive Q&As with Wisconsin authors, and the monthly Sunday Reads newsletter. She also oversaw the fact-checking and proofreading process, training numerous editorial interns in that critical practice.

Former Managing Editor of Madison Magazine

Award-winning magazine writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience

Creator of The Essayist guest creative writing series spotlighting emerging and published authors

Led literary initiatives including Book of the Month, author Q&As, and the Sunday Reads newsletter

Freelancing Career & Contributions

Maggie Ginsberg was also a long-time freelance writer and regular contributor to various other regional and national publications before moving full-time to Madison Magazine in 2020 and publishing her first novel in 2022.

She began as as a staff writer for the Mount Horeb Mail Newspaper from 2006-07, one of the most satisfying and fulfilling years of her career. She went on to write regularly for dozens of print publications including travel coverage for Midwest Living; features on the Dignity Model, John Gottman, substance disorder recovery, and extraterrestrial life for On Wisconsin; and numerous start-up focused articles for Entrepreneur magazine, including a look at the apprenticeship model for small businesses, how startup founders can thrive in their hometowns, franchisors navigating the pandemic and the labor shortage, and the French Taco craze. She also profiled the No. 1 winner on the Franchise 500 List for three years in a row (DunkinTaco Bell and Taco Bell again).

Her writing has appeared numerous magazines, including…

entrepreneur
forbes
sky
rochester
on-wisconsin
milwaulkee
midwest-living
isthmus
madison
farmhouse
bride
country-sampler

Advocacy Through Storytelling

Maggie’s advocacy and journalism work has long focused on intimate partner violence and survivor storytelling. In the mid- to late-2000s, she began collaborating with local service providers and advocacy organizations to write and report on domestic violence issues.

This work, combined with her personal writing in the blogosphere, led to the creation of Violence UnSilenced, a nationwide storytelling platform that supported survivors in sharing their experiences in their own voices. The now-retired effort was recognized by numerous media outlets and organizations including a community service award from Domestic Abuse Intervention Services.

Her related published work included:

seeing-is-believing

“Seeing is Believing”

October 2018

Why-Doesnt-She-Just-Leave

“Why Doesn’t She Just Leave?”

October 2011

safe-at-home-isnt

“When Safer At Home Isn’t”

January 2021
A finalist for the 2022 National City and Regional Magazine Awards in the Civic Journalism category

Magazine Awards

2023 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards

Best Photo Essay or Series, Gold, for “The Man Behind The Kiss” with photographer Glenn Trudel in Madison Magazine.

2023 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards

Best Business or Consumer Story or Series, Silver, for “Wings Not Strings” in Madison Magazine.

2022 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards

Best Hard Short Feature, Bronze, for “Borderline Solutions” in Madison Magazine.

2022 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards

Best Soft Short Feature, silver, for “I’d Rather Be Flying Dogs” in Madison Magazine.

2022 National City and Regional Magazine Awards (finalist)

Civic Journalism category, for “When Safer At Home Isn’t” feature story in Madison Magazine.

2021 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards

Best Explanatory Story or Series, (Bronze), for “Where the Grass is Greener” Madison Magazine feature story, with Holly Marley-Henschen’s “Wisconsin’s Original Green Cemetery.”

2021 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards

Best Pandemic Story in Print (Bronze), for The Lion Hearts cover story in Madison Magazine with Andrea Behling, Maija Inveiss and Celia Young.

2020 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards

Best Explanatory Story or Series, (Bronze), for Where Our Garbage Goes cover story with Maija Inveiss’s Tips for Low-Waste Living in Madison Magazine

2019 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards

Best Long Hard Feature Story, Gold, for The Person They Were Meant to Be cover story in Madison Magazine

2018 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards

Best Public Service Story, Silver, with The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, for Facing the Truth Behind the Statistics cover story in Madison Magazine

2017 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards

Best Long Hard Feature Story (silver) for To Be Muslim in Madison cover story in Madison Magazine

2017 ASJA Excellence in Reporting winner

from the American Society of Journalists and Authors for Out of the Shadows cover story in Madison Magazine

2017 National City and Regional Magazine Awards (Finalist)

in the Civic Journalism category for Out of the Shadows cover story in Madison Magazine

2016 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards

Best Long Feature Story (bronze) for Out of the Shadows cover story in Madison Magazine

2015 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards

Best Multi-Story Coverage of a Single Event (silver) for The Days After the Tony Robinson shooting in Madison Magazine

2015 NCDJ Notable Entry Katherine Schneider Journalism Award

for Excellence in Reporting on Disability for Wheeling and Dealing cover story on accessibility

2014 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism awards

Best Long Feature Story (silver) for a Madison Magazine cover story on heroin

2008 International Regional Magazine Awards (IRMA)

Profiles (silver) for Iditarod Trailblazer in Wisconsin Trails Magazine

2008 International Regional Magazine Awards (IRMA)

General Features (Gold) for Mission: Mississippi in Wisconsin Trails Magazine

2006 Wisconsin Newspaper Association award

for a feature on U.S.S. Indianapolis survivor Florian Stamm