The Clapping Oak serves the business and nonprofit communities by writing content, editing client-created content, and providing staff development training in various aspects of communication.
We also provide editing services to individuals writing memoirs and other books, blogs, and other written communication.
Behind the name “The Clapping Oak”
The name was chosen to illustrate the vision and mission of our business that sets us apart.
An acorn grows into a tree. Tall. Strong. Beautiful. Useful to its community of other living creatures and to Earth itself. When the winds blow, its leaves rustle and clap. The oak shares the joy of its being.
The Clapping Oak was formed to be a means of growing strength and expressing joy of being, for us, for our customers, for the communities we call home.
Trees communicate through their roots. Like trees, we require healthy, clear communication to grow and bear fruit. And just like them, we all need each other.
Much like the deep roots of a tree, this vision undergirds and feeds everything we do and everything we make.
Like the branches of a tree, our services and products take several forms:
- Services: Content writing, editing, communications workshops, private tutoring.
- Products: Books, bespoke sewn goods from repurposed vintage textiles.
About Carol Willis
I am a content writer and editor, a communications trainer and consultant, an author and a continuous learner.
Words have been my friends since my dad taught me to read when I was five years old. I wrote bad poetry in high school and was news editor for my school newspaper. After 2 ½ years as an English major at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana, I set school aside to get married and raise children, returning later to earn a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, at Regis University in Denver.
I’ve written and edited professionally and taught all things writing for more than 20 years. My experience also has included working in nonprofit development and communication, and copyediting for a daily newspaper.
Creativity rarely follows just one branch. Mine comes out to play with words, but also with fabric, color, and texture. My grandmother taught me to sew, and I’ve sewn for myself, my children, my home, and others all my adult life. In my Etsy shop, aptly named The Clapping Oak, you can see some of my creations that incorporate vintage textiles.
My natural habitats include libraries, bookstores, fabric stores, thrift stores, and farmers’ markets.
I live in Colorado where I enjoy investing myself in my local community and hanging out with my friends, my children and my grandchildren.
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein