Get to know Ambur Masen
Ambur Masen is an award-winning writer and editor currently residing in New York State. Right now, she is writing with MendoWerks Magazine, The Electric Hawk, and Lightwood; she is also open to new publishing opportunities and contract work.
After pivoting a degree in environmental geochemical science, Ambur found herself interning with an indie publishing press, working as a writing tutor, and gaining her first two publishing credits before graduating cum laude with a B.A. in creative writing with a concentration in the craft of fiction. Less than a year after graduation, Ambur was invited to collaborate with her former thesis advisor and creative writing mentor, Larry Carr, on the launch of Lightwood Press and its online publication, Lightwood. In addition to her editorial duties at Lightwood, Ambur writes about contemporary music (alternative rock and EDM/wave).
Fueled by a deep-rooted passion for music and artist development, Ambur began her journey into the industry side of things in 2021. This includes web presence management, digital promotion, marketing, and creative consulting. She became the technical director for MendoWerks Magazine after a few months of regular contributions to their blog. Later, Ambur would go on to join the Unleashed Music team, working alongside industry pro Geordie Gillepsie on various artist projects. In 2022, she launched a column at MendoWerks dedicated to all things wave music and spent the year traveling around the world, documenting wave music history as it unfolded. This led to interviews with key artists and figures, documentary contributions, and more. She has also been quietly working on the launch of her own small business as well as a few wave-related projects, and is excited to announce them soon.
In recent news, Ambur was welcomed by The Electric Hawk as a staff writer in January, and less than six months later, became an editor. Ambur’s unyielding passion for the artists she loves continues to bring her to strange places, including the winding paths of a secret forest within New York City, and the streets of downtown Austin during SXSW 2023.
When she isn’t manning the circulation desk at her part-time library job or taking a quick time-out to refer her well-worn copy of Steven Pressfield’s Do The Work for creative guidance, Ambur enjoys hunting for cool rocks and driving up the Interstate, soaking in some Adirondack air and daydreaming of what her next project may entail.