January 2024 Happy New Year! | |
|
In This Issue:
A Word from Executive Director Ginny McCabe
President Lori Duff Shares NSNC Highlights
NSNC Writing Contest Opens Submissions January 15, 2024
A Story About Giving Back
NSNC Member News
Jobs, Fellowships, etc.
Join us at NSNC "Writing Space"
| |
|
Hi Friends,
Happy New Year! I hope your year is off to an amazing start.
As we welcome the year ahead, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for all of your support of NSNC over the past year! The hard work, camaraderie, and encouragement have been the pillars of NSNC.
I'm also excited about the year ahead! This month, we'll launch our annual contest, which is always a highlight for me. I love seeing all of the fantastic work that is entered, and I know it represents how hard all of you work on a daily basis. I'm grateful we have so many outstanding columnists and writers in our midst, and I look forward to seeing all of the contest entries come in.
We hosted a virtual "holiday mixer" in December and it was a lot of fun. We look forward to hosting more social and educational events for our members this year, too.
May the year ahead be bright and happy for each of you. Thanks for all you do!
Sincerely,
Ginny McCabe, executive director
National Society of Newspaper Columnists
| |
Grow with NSNC in 2024!
We are expanding membership opportunities, partnerships, events, and workshops, including local "happy hour" media mixers.
As we approach 2024, NSNC Board Members unanimously feel that now is a crucial time for us to strengthen our vision and grow our organization.
A few things are already in the works.
Our event offerings will expand in 2024 and beyond. We will continue to host our highly successful annual conference, alternating between virtual and in-person. Watch for more about the 2024 NSNC Annual Conference in the months ahead.
We will also expand our "social" program which will give members opportunities to broaden their network in a fun, friendly, and relaxing setting.
Our first "online mixer" was held in December, and it was a lot of fun. It really felt like we were together, gathering in someone's living room. Of course, there were a lot of great stories and laughter!
We look forward to hosting more events like this in the months ahead.
We also plan to host in-person, regional "media mixers" for existing and new members alike. Watch for more details about these fun NSNC social events coming soon.
If you are interested in hosting a NSNC mixer in your local area, reach out to Ginny McCabe, NSNC executive director, at, nsncdirector@gmail.com. (These events can be virtual or in-person!)
Every year, NSNC supports journalists from every genre by sponsoring the NSNC Column Writing Contest and the organization gives out awards in a number of categories. Watch for details about the NSNC 2024 Column Writing Contest - submissions will open in January. You might be the next NSNC AWARD WINNER!
Please share our news on social media, your podcasts, and in your columns and newsletters, .
Your sharing helps us grow!
| | |
|
Welcome to 2024, fellow NSNC-ers.
I know. What will this year bring? I have no idea. I’ve given up on fortune telling. It never works. Well, not never, but it works in the same way that a stopped clock is right twice a day. And that’s a good thing.
The future unrolls in mysterious, exciting ways. Predictable is boring. If someone told you your writing was predictable, you’d take that as an insult. If someone described a television show or book as predictable, you’d likely not watch or read it.
Still, luck favors the prepared. And boy oh boy are we preparing for a great year for you. Stay tuned in the next couple of weeks for our annual contest launch, which is gearing up to be even better than ever.
This year’s conference committee is gearing up to bring you the best in speakers and sessions. If you want to be involved in planning, let us know – many hands make light work. We’re looking at webinars year-round, possible regional meetings, and how to bring younger writers and more bloggers and alternative journalists into our fold. Along with all of that, we’re pairing up (again) with student journalists, Ernie Pyle foundation, and the Will Rogers folks.
Got ideas? We want ‘em. We may not know which direction we’ll take in 2024, but we do know we want to expand the number of directions we can take. We can’t do that without fresh ideas and
perspectives. Feel free to contact me at lori@loriduffwrites and/or our executive director (and all
around keeper) Ginny McCabe at nsncdirector@gmail.com.
Lori Duff
NSNC President
| |
|
Enter the 2024
Columnist Contest
National Society of Newspaper Columnists Annual Column Contest
Opens: January 15, 2024 8:00 a.m. (EST)
Closes: April 15, 2024 11:59 p.m. (EST)
For Registration & General Guidelines visit: nsnc.submittable.com/submit
Email Adam Earnheardt, contest chair, with any questions at acearnheardt@ysu.edu.
"The NSNC Annual Columnist Contest gives columnists a chance to win awards for their submissions and be acknowledged by their peers."
- NSNC Executive Director Ginny McCabe
Submit your best work! You could be one of this year's winners!
| |
NSNC is a proud sponsor of the Fifth Annual Student Press Freedom Day
Celebrated on Thursday, February 22, this year's Student Press Freedom Day celebrates academic achievements TO TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT AND RESTORE the First Amendment freedom of student journalists. The theme for Student Press Freedom Day 2024 is "Powerfully Persistent." NSNC looks forward to celebrating with students across the globe on this important day.
Student Press Freedom Day
| |
|
A Story About Giving Back | |
 | |
A retired columnist-turned-playwright
(and former NSNC contest winner)
is offering his plays free-of-charge
to high school theater teachers.
Garret Mathews, 74, penned more than 6,000 columns and features for the Bluefield, W. Va., Daily Telegraph and Evansville, Ind., Courier and Press from 1972 until his retirement in 2011. Subject matter ranged from murderers and moonshiners to the members of a snake-handling church in rural West Virginia. His newspaper website is www.publishing.com. It includes favorite columns as well as material on Appalachia and the civil rights movement.
"Prep play directors pay hefty rights fees to stage productions," Mathews said. "I can bring that price down to nothing."
Why accept no remuneration?
"I've had a good career and don't need the money," he went on. "It's my way of giving back."
He has three featured comedy/dramas on garretmathews.com, a website devoted to his plays. They include "Climbing the No-Hope Rope" about a pair of teen nerds and their struggles to ascend the rope in PE class, "They Shall Pick Up Serpents" about the snake-handling church and "Make Me a Perfect Asperger's Match" about a young man and a young woman on the autism spectrum and their struggles to go on a date.
"I'm not smart enough to write plays about complicated subjects. I concentrate on what I know and my range of experiences. The majority of my work is G-rated, rural-based, and intended for high school audiences," Mathews said, noting that most of his plays have a run time of about 80 minutes.
Mathews' 12 books include "Swing, Batta" about coaching 9-year-old baseball players that was published by the Michigan State University Press and received a nice review in The New York Times. Several of his plays have been staged at the IndyFringe Festival in Indianapolis.
His ability to juggle a 16-pound shot put and two bean bags was featured in a recent story/video in The Indianapolis Star.
Garret Mathews can be contacted at garretmath@gmail.com.
| |
|
Humor columnist Dave Jaffe has racked up another award for his multiple award-winning Sleeping between Giants Book 2, Ask a Terrier: Professional Advice from a Licensed Dog, even though his dog Budleigh did most of the work.
Sleeping between Giants Book 2 has been named Winner in the Humor/Satire category of the 2023 Best Indie Book Award.
The annual Best Indie Book Award® (or BIBA®) is an international literary award contest recognizing independent authors.
Earlier this year, Sleeping between Giants Book 2 won a 17th Annual National Indie Excellence® Award (NIEA) and recently was named a winning finalist in two categories by the 20th Annual Best Book Awards (BBA).
In Sleeping between Giants Book 2, Budleigh the Terrier is back! And this time, he’s dispensing crucial advice to Giants and Canines on everything from space travel and sniffing Covid, to giving a TED Talk and shopping for purses.
As one reviewer wrote, “Budleigh is the Dear Abby of pooches. Or maybe Dear Abby is the Budleigh of advice columnists.”—
Sleeping Between Giants
Congratulations, Dave!
| |
|
 |
New year, new leap: a weekly column
Heart, Humor and Hope new column by Bob Welch
Find Bob Welch on Substack at: https://bobwelchwriter.substack.com?utm_source=navbar&utm_medium=web
Greetings,
Ten years ago this month, December 2023, I left The Register-Guard as a columnist. In terms of ideas, it seemed I was increasingly plowing already-tilled soil. And, inspired by a book called Necessary Endings, I’d realized it’s hard to have a new adventure if you don’t let go of the old. So, on a snowy afternoon—rare for Oregon’s Willamette Valley—I said goodbye to my colleagues, some of whom I’d worked with for nearly 25 years, and walked into the wintry unknown.
It was the best job I’d ever had, and I was only fifty-nine. I wasn't sure how I'd replace my R-G income. But a decade later: no regrets.
Since that day, I’ve taught at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism & Communication; returned to work at The Register-Guard as a part-time associate editor in the editorial department for two years—during a historically contentious presidential race; watched hundreds of games involving our five grandchildren; traveled to the Caribbean, Hawaii, the Czech Republic, and Poland, specifically Auschwitz; scattered my 93-year-old mother’s ashes at Yachats; taken my first (and last) surf lesson; fallen back in love with golf; recalibrated my Christian faith; collaborated with five authors to write their books, one about a woman featured on ABC’s “20/20” who learned her biological father was her mother’s gynecologist; edited and/or designed books for seven other clients; and written four books of my own, one based on my experience of hiking the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail. (Seven Summers and a Few Bummers.)
In other words, I think I got the adventure I sought, the most mind-bending, soul-stretching, foot-blistering decade of my life, which is primed to reach the 70-year mark on February 3, 2024.
So, now what? Glad you asked.
Beginning the first week of January 2024, I’m going to write a weekly column on the Substack platform. No Register-Guard affiliation. No affiliation, period. Just me and readers, a relationship made possible by the good people at Substack, who will facilitate the effort.
The focus of this literary offering? Think of my Register-Guard column, only with no local boundaries that the paper required. Think of the heart, humor, and hope that I shared at my three Hult Center events. Think laughter one week, a lump in the throat the next, and a disbelieving shake of your head the next. Variety.
Some writers are experts in one area—and beat that same drum, bringing them great financial rewards. (See John Grisham and his courtroom thrillers.) Me? Whether writing books or columns, I’ve always set my sails, then let the wind decide where I should go, my frequent tacking making me very average sums of money—but providing me great satisfaction in the meantime.
Same with this venture, I hope. In a month’s time, I might—in the spirit of low-hanging fruit—tickle your funny bone about something stupid I did, inspire you with a story about random acts of kindness, inform you about the secret life of a ghostwriter and wax poetic about winter storms in Yachats that occasionally turn the surf into whip cream. (At times, with photos to illustrate my themes.)
Pacific Crest Trail hiking, history, culture, places, books, writing, weather, sailing, seasons, sports, adventure, family, faith, authors, Oregon icons, Lane County trivia, Eugene idiosyncrasies—you name it, I’ll probably write about it. I might even make occasional forays into faith and politics, in the same way one reaches into a jar of bees. But the overall thrust of the column will be upbeat, optimistic, and encouraging.
In many ways, these are dark times; perhaps my words can offer a glimpse of light. And with the sad demise of the once-mighty Register-Guard, it’s become more difficult to understand the very place we live and the people who live here. I hope I can do a little something to change that, even if it might only be a one small finger in the leaky dike of ignorance. I hope I can make you better understand this place we live, better understand the people who live here and, for better or worse, better understand yours truly. (The paint is still drying on who I am, for which I'm glad! Too many people refuse to change—and change is often good.)
“Some vulnerability is essential to the personal essay,” writes Phillip Lopate in The Art of the Personal Essay.
I will aspire to offer you that.
So, the ingredients for this literary trip will be: (a) one part flawed writer; (b) however many readers choose to get on the bus; and (c) roughly a thousand words per week.
Why this? Why now?
- First, I’ve found myself thinking, “Oh, that’d make a great column” but had no way to share the idea with readers.
- Second, at book events, writers’ workshops, and elsewhere, I’ve been humbled by former readers of mine who tell me that they miss my stuff.
- Third, with the PCT hiked and most (but not all) of my books written, I find myself with more time than usual.
- Finally, technology — specifically Substack — now makes it possible to email such a column to subscribers, charge a nominal fee for it, and get reader feedback.
I know, I know, I had you at “nominal fee.” Some of you might be thinking: Wait, I have to pay for this? The bad news is yes. The good news is it’ll only cost you, per month, roughly what you pay for a Starbucks white chocolate mocha.
One year’s worth of columns—52—will run you $5 a month—the least amount Substack will allow me to charge. Or $50 per year, a 20% savings compared to paying weekly.
Everyone likes a deal, so I’ll sweeten mine with the promise of four bonus columns: one of my “Q&A” columns each quarter of 2024. Similar to what I did at The Register-Guard, I’ll answer questions about minutia related to Eugene, Springfield, Lane County and Oregon. Questions you have. Questions I have. All in the spirit of solving those nagging mysteries that keep us awake nights, like, “Why does the City of Springfield have turn-arrows on Q Street along I-105, where, if you followed the guidance of such arrows, you’ll ram your car smack into a concrete barrier, since there are no streets to turn onto?”
Part of the fun of this new adventure will be the uncertainty of it; I’m riding the bicycle even as I build it. That’s the “great unknown.” Like hiking the PCT, I don't know what’s around the next bend or over the next pass. Will my adventure fly? Will it flop? Who knows? But as they say: the greatest risk is not taking one.
Email me at: bobwelch@bobwelchwriter.com.
| |
New Member Spotlight: Steven Hawkins | |
Traveling to New York City
by Steven Hawkins
I have visited the City of New York many times; and "The Big Apple" is truly an All-American City. It is the Capital of the World, the city that Never sleeps. As the Largest City in the United States, it draws people to its city from around the world. It is the home of the United Nations; and it is the financial capital of America. There are four places that I have visited in the City of New York over and over again. Those four places are The Empire State Building, Chinatown, Times Square, and Downtown Brooklyn. So, make sure you make a trip to New York City once in your lifetime. You will never forget it.
The Empire State Building, located at 350 Fifth Avenue, is located on the West Side of Fifth Avenue. It is located on Fifth Avenue between 33rd Street to the South and 34th Street to the North. Going up to the elevator to the Top floor is an experience in itself! You actually feel the height of the building all the way to the top, and it makes you dizzy. So, make sure you Get some rest in your hotel before you visit the Empire State Building. And when you go to the Top of the Building, you can look out at all of Manhattans' surrounding areas. Visiting the Empire State Building is truly an experience in itself. It very much is a Testament to what "The Big Apple" is all about, and a very popular tourist attraction in New York City.
And in the Heart of Downtown Manhattan is Chinatown, which contains the largest ethnic Chinese population outside of Asia. It is a place you could find all kinds of goods and souvenirs all at reasonable prices. The Chinese men would shout out to you ''Two dollars"; and you then could get a cheap deal from a very reasonable broker. Chinatown is one of my most favorite attractions in New York that I have visited many times through the years.
| |  |
|
Visiting Times Square in New York City truly is off the chain! Seeing the neon signs lit up all over was out of this world. They have a lit-up financial sector with TV screens also in London and Tokyo; but this area of New York is much better than those Two other World-famous cities. Traveling with my family and friends on a motor coach bus back in 1994 as a young boy from Greenville, SC, I also got to see all the Broadway shows being advertised in this area of Manhattan. It has made me a patron of local theater and art here in my home in Upstate SC ever since.
Visiting Downtown Brooklyn was also an experience in itself. They have some of the Best Deli Restaurants in Brooklyn that are out of this world, such as David's Brisket House, Mile End Deli, Mills Basin Deli, and John's Deli. The Royal Rib House, located at 303 Halsey Street, is one of my favorite places to eat in Brooklyn. And Junior's Cheesecake, located at 386 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, has some of the best New York-style cheesecake in all of "The Big Apple."
Traveling to the City of New York is truly a wonderful experience. It is very much the city that Never sleeps, and "The Big Apple" is a wonderful tourist destination. You would fall in Love with the United States all over again when you visit the City of New York; it is an All-American city. I Look forward to visiting the City of New York very soon again. New York City truly is the Capital of the World.
Steven Hawkins is a Freelance writer from Greenville, SC. Since 2014, Hawkins has written for some of the Largest Newspapers in South Carolina, North Carolina, and around the country. In 2019, Hawkins published a Book Collection of his opinion Editorials and other writings with AuthorHouse entitled "Letters from South Carolina." And on the WSPA CBS affiliate Spartanburg SC News7 "Your Carolina" show, Anchor Jack Roper announced Hawkins' 44th Birthday on November 9th, 2022. In 2023, Hawkins even had his work featured on the "Yung Joc and the Streetz Morning Takeover," a nationally syndicated radio show that broadcasts from Atlanta.
See his web page at: Steven Hawkins
Published as submitted.
| |
|
The Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop is sold out, but it’s not too late for writers to experience the conference’s special blend of joy and laughter, support, and inspiration. Registration is open for Erma Home Schooling, a package that includes five keynotes live-streamed from the in-person workshop as well as four exclusive workshops. Early bird rate: $199 by March 1. The fee is $225 after March 1.
For those who can’t afford to attend the workshop, applications are being accepted through January 22 for the DC Stanfa Memorial Writers’ Award, which provides financial assistance to two worthy writers. Preference will be given to underrepresented writers.
| |
|
|
Guest Column by Dave Lieber
If Jimmy Breslin were alive today, he’d have no time to write
By Dave Lieber
The Dallas Morning News
[Note: This was written solely for The Columnist.]
In this fantasy story, columnist Jimmy Breslin runs past the computers in the newsroom and heads straight to his office, the one with the typewriter. He types – or inputs – one of his most famous leads:
Dies the victim, dies the city.
Before he can go on to paragraph No. 2, his assistant managing editor, Chuck (why are they
always named Chuck?), taps on his door and asks “Gotta minute?”
“No.”
A minute with Chuckie is usually a 20-minute discourse. He walks over to Breslin’s desk and
sees the lead.
“Where are your keywords, Jimmy?” he asks.
“Screw ‘em.”
“Jimmy, your engagement dropped last month. People spent only 1 minute and 10 seconds, on
average, with your story. That’s barely enough time to make it to the inside jump.”
“My readers are old,” he replies. “One foot in the grave old. Measure that!”
“Jimmy, we need younger readers! Why don’t you cover the new skateboarding park in
Canarsie? Also Beyonce is coming to town this weekend. Maybe interview her.”
“Stop right there,” Breslin says. “Your minute of fame is over. Get out.”
Jimmy starts to type again. Paragraph No. 2: “Nobody flees New York because of accounting
malpractice. People run from murder and fire.”
It would become a legendary lead, but Chuck hated it.
“Be specific. Man dies on 27th street in broad daylight. Also, you could do better counting characters.”
“Like my bar characters?”
“No, 90 characters for your headline and 100 for the subhead. Then 130 characters for the
meta description, but only 65 for the Google summary, and don’t forget to write the caption.
Jimmy, you’re not taking photos with that iPhone we got for you, and we’d like to see one video
a week from you.”
“I accidentally dropped the idiot phone in the sewer. Whoopsie.”
“We’ll have to talk to Mary in risk management about that. Now Jimmy, put out the cigar. No
smoking here, man. I’m looking at your stories for your annual job review and notice that
you’re not ordering up any graphics or charts, like how many people have been killed in that
neighborhood. You know, with a map.”
Breslin is starting to fume. He could give a darn about any of this. But Chuck isn’t done.
“I notice you haven’t updated your Twitter account in three years, and you need to go to the
newspaper’s Facebook page and answer reader comments. Oh, and most important, please
don’t forget to do your weekly newsletter, OK? That’s all for now. Next week, I’m gonna set you
up on Threads.net.”
“What the? Oh, never mind. I’ll be ready. I’ll bring my wife’s sewing kit. Too-do-loo Chuckie!”
|  | |
Jobs, Resources & Fellowships
Westword, the brash and independent voice of Denver journalism since 1977, is looking for a news editor to lead and manage the award-winning reporting team at this iconic alt-weekly turned digital powerhouse. The ideal candidate for the job will have at least five years of editorial management experience and a firm basis in SEO and social media strategies. More info here.
State Affairs, a national, digital news site reporting on state legislatures around the country, is in search of an experienced journalist to cover critical news and policy coming out of the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh, NC. Check out the details here.
Melara Enterprises seeks a business journalist to join our team in developing and producing original content for multiple news distribution channels, including Baton Rouge Business Report monthly magazine; businessreport.com; Daily Report, our twice-daily e-newsletter; multimedia projects; and social media. Find more info here.
The Sentinel, a Lee Enterprises newspaper in Carlisle, PA, is looking for an enterprise reporter who will write in-depth stories about issues affecting Cumberland County and central Pennsylvania. Details here.
Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Seeks 2024–25 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship Applicants. Launched in 1949, the Edward R. Murrow press fellowship seeks to promote the quality of responsible and discerning journalism that Edward R. Murrow exemplified. The fellowship offers a distinguished foreign correspondent or editor the opportunity to spend ten months in CFR’s New York office researching and writing on a critical foreign policy topic. CFR awards one fellowship annually, beginning in September. Qualified applicants must be U.S. citizens and possess a strong record of professional achievement. More info here.
| |
|
Share your news!
We are now accepting member news and article submissions for
upcoming issues of the NSNC newsletter.
Send us your news items; tell us about a recently published book send a news article, or a send an update on your new project.
Send to Debbie West, newsletter editor, at westdeb7@gmail.com.
| |
|
NSNC Has So Much to Offer Our Members
| |
|
Call for Award Winners, New Podcasts, Book Releases, and Other Good News
-
Your newsletter (URL, topics covered, free or subscription based?)
-
Your podcast (name, URL, cover art, description, date & time, where it can be listened to)
-
Your upcoming book release (title, how to buy it, book cover, author headshot & short bio)
-
Someone who inspires you with their grit, courage, and integrity.
Send your good news to Debbie West, newsletter editor, at westdeb7@gmail.com.
Preference will be given to current NSNC members.
| |
|
Join Us in the NSNC Writing Space on Zoom
Join us! See our meeting times and details -- on Wednesdays and Sundays -- below.
| |
|
"It’s been over two years and our NSNC Writing Space is the place to get things done. Dave Lieber finished a play. Joe McGonagle, Dot Fleming, and Kathy Eliscu made huge strides into their fiction and memoir books. Daniela Gitlin is making headway into her psychiatric textbook. And my own romance novel wouldn’t have gotten this far without our collective writing energies on Zoom. Join us!" Suzette Martinez Standring
The National Society of Newspaper Columnists invites you to our Wednesday and Sunday “NSNC Writing Space” where friends get together, write quietly, and get our projects done! Email Suzette Martinez Standring to be put on a reminder email.
| |
|
Sundays
Pacific Time: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (PDT)
Mountain Time: 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (MT)
Central Time: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (CT)
Eastern Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon (EDT)
Join Zoom Meeting Link
Meeting ID: 958 8989 6420
Passcode: 940130
Wednesdays
Pacific Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (PDT)
Mountain Time: 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (MT)
Central Time: 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (CT)
Eastern Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EDT)
Join Zoom Meeting Link
Meeting ID: 964 7713 8466
Passcode: 861637
| |
National Society of Newspaper Columnists | |
Editor
Debbie West
Copy Editor
Dave Astor
This Newsletter
The Columnist is the newsletter for members of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. By columnists we include bloggers, vloggers, indeed all writers of the serial essay, where the work is published in newspapers, magazines, and other print media, on personal and major websites, and in video and audio formats. The Columnist aims to educate, inform, and entertain as well as announce members' latest books and news. It is delivered electronically on a monthly basis.
Email Updates
Please email changes in address and other news items to NSNC Newsletter Editor Debbie West at westdeb7@gmail.com.
Postal Mailing Address
205 Gun Hill Street
Milton, MA 02186
Facebook
Twitter @NSNCgroup
Your Membership
NSNC remains one of the best bargains in membership in writers groups or other associations, $75 a year. Details are at our website's Join or Renew page.
NSNC Statement of Purpose
The National Society of Newspaper Columnists promotes professionalism and camaraderie among columnists and other writers of the serial essay, including bloggers. NSNC advocates for columnists and free-press issues.
Some Fine Print
The editor and NSNC board reserve the judgment whether to publish information in The Columnist, on the NSNC website columnists.com, and/or through one or more of NSNC's social media accounts, or at all.
| |
| | | |
