Laura Birek

Hi, I'm Laura Birek

I'm a professional web developer, writer, podcaster, and knitter living in Los Angeles, California.

With over 20 years of experience as a professional web developer, I've built sites of all shapes and sizes. My specialty is super-custom Wordpress magic, and my client list includes Fortune 100 companies, international development corporations, indie authors and local salons. If you need a new site or are looking for someone to help you update your existing web presence, check out my web developer page.

I have a master's degree in professional writing, with a focus on screenwriting, from the University of Southern California. In 2008, I wrote the book Picture Perfect Knits (Chronicle Books), and my writing has been featured in Parents; The Los Angeles Times; O, The Oprah Magazine; Shondaland and more. Please visit my writing page for more about my literary pursuits.

I'm also the co-host and producer of the weekly podcast Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey.

Finally, knitting started as a hobby and has since turned into a great passion and career. I've published patterns in books, magazines, and on my blog, Nocturnal Knits. Click through to my knitter page to see pictures of my creations and blog posts.

What's the deal?

People often ask me why I don't have separate web sites for my different professional endeavors. I suppose if I wanted targeted branding for each specific skill set I could have a bunch of different sites: one for writing, one for knitting, one for my podcast, and one for web development.

The truth is I don't see the point in compartmentalizing myself in that way. All my endeavors inform my work, and I bring the same professionalism to every project, whether it's writing a magazine article, designing a knitting pattern, or developing a web site.

While my interests may seem disparate, I've always considered writing, web development, and knitting to be complementary pursuits. Each requires fastidious attention to detail, a specialized understanding of language (whether it's CSS, English grammar, or pattern abbreviations), and creativity. I've learned to embrace being a multipotentialite.

That said, you'll notice my "podcaster" link goes to the external site for my pregnancy and parenting podcast, Big Fat Positive. There's only so much I can include on one site, after all.