Joe
Erbentraut

Joe Erbentraut (he/they) is a writer, editor, content leader, and a lactose-challenged Scorpio originally from rural southern Wisconsin. Currently, he works as a deputy political editor for the Midwest at COURIER Newsroom.

Prior to that, Joe worked as an editorial director at Thrillist, a Vox Media travel and lifestyle publication, and a weekend editor for PEOPLE Magazine’s PEOPLE App. He also was the senior news editor at Built In, managing editor at Dose/OMGFacts, and a senior reporter and editor at The Huffington Post.

Joe’s work has also appeared in the Village Voice, Fodor’s, Outside, Taste of Home, Better Homes & Gardens, Loyola Today, A&E, Block Club Chicago, Only in Your State, Riot Fest, INTO, Gapers Block, Windy City Times, Chicagoist, and the 2013 queer anthology Boys. In 2017, he was a National Press Foundation fellow. He holds a degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Joe’s writing on politics and pop culture can be found in the Queering the Burbs newsletter and in his zine series of the same name. His insights on digital journalism have been featured on Your First Byline, Inbox Collective, Debt Heads, and The Interviewist. He is also a member of the Writers Guild of America East and the NLGJA.

Beyond writing, he previously co-hosted the pop culture podcast Coffee and Bars. He also worked as DJ and co-founded both an annual Kate Bush tribute night in Chicago and a monthly LGBTQ+ community fundraising event called Subject to Change.

Joe currently lives in the Chicago area with his husband Stefin, a pair of torties named Rosemary and Baby, and a sizable vinyl record collection.

Joe is available for speaking engagements, workshops, and other collabs. Get in touch here.