Andrea Goto shares her journey in finding freelance magazine journalism

Written by Emma Pilger. Photo courtesy of Andrea Goto.

Writing professor Andrea Jean Goto is known among students for her cheery attitude, lighthearted demeanor and wit. Goto is anything but dull, which is proven by her authenticity and cleverness in the classroom. Outside of the classroom, however, she is a passionate and respected freelance magazine journalist.

Although her love for magazine journalism may be clear to her now, Goto’s journey to finding creative non-fiction and journalism took decades to unfold. Her connection to writing began as a sophomore in high school in Bellingham, Washington. 

“I wrote a memoir piece all about my pain and abuse and whatever,” she laughed. “It was the first time I ever wrote something like that and my teacher really liked it, so then that validated me. But I felt so good writing it.” 

After receiving praise for her writing in high school, Goto wanted to be an English teacher, assuming that was the only path to take. Although she loved creative writing more than studying literature, she pursued English. After obtaining a Master’s degree in Literature and Philosophy from Georgia Southern University, she began to teach English Composition at the university.

While teaching undergrads, Goto used “Tell It Slant” by Brenda Miller and Susanne Antonetta– women with whom she had obtained her undergraduate degree– in her course readings. Classified in the creative non-fiction genre, “Tell It Slant” reshaped her idea of what her career could be. “When I was having the students write the prompts, I realized this was the kind of writing I wanted to do,” she said.

After a few more years of teaching at Georgia Southern University, Goto started teaching in the writing department at Savannah College of Art and Design. She took courses related to creative non-fiction, finally fully understanding her passion for writing. Shortly after, she started an internship at South Magazine. After uncovering her love for magazine journalism, she began working at Savannah Magazine, immersing herself in the craft.

After gaining experience at Savannah Magazine, Goto began to pursue magazine journalism as a freelancer working for multiple different magazines. She enjoys focusing on health and wellness as well as interviewing people living in Savannah. “I always end up adoring the people I talk to. Hearing their stories is so cool,” she said.

Although Goto is consistently working on articles for various publications, she is still a full-time professor, wife and mom. She explained that her work-life balance is a work in progress, but she hopes to take weekends off in the future. “I always say, ‘This is going to be the quarter that I’m not going to work on weekends,’” she said. “But I never feel like I’m off. Something is always hanging over my head.” 

As busy as she may be, Goto’s passion for freelance magazine journalism is visible in her expression when she speaks about it. “The freelance stuff has been really fun. Every now and then I’m like, ‘I wonder if I could just do this?’” she said, “But then I worry about it becoming a hustle. And I really like teaching, too.” 

As for her future in magazine journalism, Goto wants to expand her work to larger publications and grow her freelance repertoire. Currently, she is writing for several publications local to Savannah and a few beyond the city’s limits. In the future, she said, “I’d like to keep jumping up a little bit, maybe even to international online publications,” she said. “I just enjoy it so much. I enjoy telling all these stories.”