Susan has been involved with newspapers for the past 15 years, starting out as an obituary writer and working her way up the ladder. She's been a reporter, copy editor and newspaper editor for local dailies and weeklies. Selling her soul, she left the news behind as her full-time job for a few years to pursue public relations. However, she couldn't abandon her passion for community journalism, so she was lured to Patch as a regional editor by an old buddy and doesn't plan to look back!

She is also very involved as an alumna of Mount Holyoke College, writing for the alum magazine and serving as an admissions rep and president of the local alum club. She lives in Worcester, Mass., with her wife and their 3 black cats and 1 chocolate Lab puppy, Hazel, with another, Violet, on the way! To reach Susan, e-mail susan.manning@patch.com or follow her on Facebook (facebook.com/Patch.MetroWest) and Twitter (@Patch_MetroWest).