Category: Annual Conference

News about our annual conference – check back for updates!

Patriotic Duty: Macon in May

"Let's incentivize the columnists with a conference discount," Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner tells the president during a flight to Macon, Ga. (Neither will be there May 4-6).

“Let’s incentivize the columnists by extending the conference discount,” Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner tells the president during a flight to Macon, Ga. (Neither will be there May 4-6). Humor by Ben Pollock See? Everyone agrees. It’s your duty to attend the annual conference of the National Society of Newspaper  Columnists. It’s May 4-6 in Macon,…

Dedra Grizzard at 2012 Macon Conference

“It’s official. Dedra Grizzard, widow of the late Lewis Grizzard, the South’s most famous newspaper columnist, is on the program.” announced Ed Grismore, Conference Chair of the 2012 Conference in Macon, Georgia, May 3-5. Ed tells us Mrs. Grizzard is not only honored but thrilled to come. And furthermore, she is going to ask Jim…

Online Payment for Macon 2012 Conference

Pocket protector with pens

  After signing up for the May 3-6, 2012, NSNC Conference via the online registration form, please pay by the secure PayPal buttons below.  You may have already paid during the registration process. Member — Early Bird Rate ($249) (Deadline, March 31) ________________________________________ Guest — Early Bird Rate ($199) (Deadline, March 31) ________________________________________ Non-member Rate…

No Taking Ulysses for Granted

  Ben S. Pollock President National Society of Newspaper Columnists Spring — OK, this is winter but I’m an optimist — is busy-time for the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. • We’re halfway through gathering entries for the annual Column Contest. Have you sent yours in? Bloggers: You can’t win if you don’t enter. Like…

Tomlinson on Conference Agenda

Macon, Georgia

Breaking News – Tommy Tomlinson added to conference agenda A new name has been added to the list of guest speakers at the Macon Conference. Tommy Tomlinson, popular columnist of The Charlotte Observer, has accepted an invitation to lead one of our seminars . Tommy has a Georgia connection since he studied journalism at the…

Gail Collins Named Lifetime Achievement Winner

Columnist Gail Collins of The New York Times is the winner of the 2012 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award. She will receive the prestigious award sponsored by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists at the organization’s annual conference, Macon, Ga., May 3-6. Gail Collins joined the Times in 1995 as a member of the editorial…

Macon Whoopee! 2012 Conference

By Ed Grisamore 2012 Conference Chair In its 84-year-old history, the song “Makin’ Whoopee” has been sung by everyone from Eddie Cantor to Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Mel Torme, Louie Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. In recent years, it was recorded by actress Michelle Pfeiffer in the movie “The…

Board Meets – Discusses Georgia Conference in Spring

The NSNC board of directors met Monday evening online. The major topic was the the 2012 NSNC Conference in Macon, Georgia, May 3-6 at the Marriott Hotel.  Ed Grisamore, conference chair reports, “Everything is going great. Sponsorships falling into place. Programs lining up.”  Ed is getting help from the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and a…

Board Chooses Conference Date

The 2012 NSNC Conference will be in Macon, Georgia, May 3-6 at the Marriott Hotel.  Macon is 85 miles south of Atlanta. The board voted to accept Ed Grisamore’s recommendation at the regular business meeting last Sunday with a quorum present. The conference chair recommended this date since Macon is the “prettiest place on earth in the spring.” It…

New board members, conference, topics at board meeting

Brian O’Connor reported to the board on the outcome from the Detroit conference. Russell Frank said, “I think I speak for all that he did an amazing & much appreciated job.”  Tracy Beckerman commented, “It was my first conference, but I was knocked out by it! Really felt very well-organized!’ Brian is still finalizing the last few…

Think Macon 2012

Macon, Georgia

By Ed Grisamore The (Macon, Ga.) Telegraph Years ago, my wife had a shirt that boasted some of the great cities of the world. London. Paris. Rome. Macon. Macon? That always got a chuckle. In fact, I might propose a 2012 National Society of Newspaper Columnists official conference T-shirt: Dallas. Philadelphia. Detroit. Macon. Do I…

2011 Contest Winners — NOW with Judges Comments

trophies image

DETROIT, Saturday June 25, 2011 — Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times for the second straight year was named best online columnist/blogger, large website, by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. The 2011 winners of the annual contest, for work originally published during 2010, were announced at Saturday’s concluding dinner banquet of the NSNC’s 35th…

NSNC considers innovative ways to energize conferences

Conference Chair Brian O’Connor in a conference recap at the annual membership meeting reported that the Detroit conference finished in the black. The effect of the downturn in the economy has been felt in conference attendance by many organizations. O’Connor emphasized the need for a committee of members to manage various aspects of the conference…

The Takeaway from Detroit

By Suzette Martinez Standring NSNC Past President It was a Detroit I had never imagined – re-energized, creative, and hellbent on resurrection.  The conference title, “Rebound in Motown,” was an apt metaphor for both Detroit’s transformation and our own evolution as columnists. The educational programs were as inspiring as the social activities.  I suspect Conference…

President’s Column

Paneling for the Benchley Den   By Ben S. Pollock NSNC President Once again, an NSNC columnist conference astounded its audience with information and fun. The June 23-26 session in Detroit catered to would-be and published book writers, gave fresh tips to free-lancers (and in “custom content” not just columns), took on humor and twisted…

2011 Conference Columns & Blogs

When columnists go to a conference, it’s only natural that they want to write about it. Below are links to articles written about the NSNC Detroit Conference. More links being added all the time. Conferees are invited to submit links or URL’s to columns and blogs they’ve written about the Detroit weekend at the contact…

2011 Conference, Contest in the News

Contest Entries Pile Up

Below are links to articles in the top media about the National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ 2011 conference or the 2011 column contest. The list will be updated. In a few days, another list will be begun with links to columns and blogs written by conferees themselves. Conference National Society of Newspaper Columnists Coming Here…