Jonathan Cohen has generously been described as “a Wikipedia that can survive a power outage.” In truth, he only knows a little about everything—but such knowledge comes in handy in all kinds of contexts. Says Professor Haun Saussy, “A bibliography in eight languages with at least as many different reference styles, not to mention gaps in information, was blocking the completion of a 650-page manuscript. Jonathan tamed the monster quickly and elegantly, making order out of confusion.” Grammar, syntax, and usage are key, but useful queries and sympathy with the author do help. “Jonathan served as the ‘technical reviewer’ for my book, but what he really did was read the manuscript as carefully and sensitively as any writer could hope for, then offered specific suggestions that made the finished product really sing,” says Professor Steven J. Venturino.

Jonathan has been editing since 2003. In the course of his work, he has edited manuscripts that discuss the modern-day armaments you must pack to attack a small ranch, the day-to-day existence of a soldier in one of the Massachusetts brigades in the Civil War, and an era when the Centers for Disease Control had quasi-police powers to extract information and enforce public health compliance. He has edited and reviewed numerous manuscripts, guides, and products for the U.S. Department of Education through its contractor, Instructional Research Group. He also has worked on several notable books in the field of public health, including the late Dr. Paul Farmer’s Partner to the Poor, and many other academic titles.

Jonathan’s creative nonfiction has been published multiple times in the Santa Monica Review; his work has also been published in CITRIC ACID and the Omnium Gatherum Quarterly. He was a member of the 2004 cohort of the Community of Writers.

Jonathan earned a B.A. from Yale, summa cum laude. He received six University-wide awards for essays on English and French literature, a Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities, and an M.A. in Comparative Literature from UCI. “Jonathan has a smart sense of language and on numerous occasions he has helped me clarify my use of it,” says Professor David Brody. “He also has a vast fund of knowledge. Jonathan is a remarkable editor.”