Selected articles from the NSNC newsletter; only members get the entire contents of the monthly newsletter
By Robert Haught Hurricanes, floods, forest fires, and other tragic events have struck several parts of the country this past year. If your community suffered a natural disaster, did local news media get involved in coming to the aid of victims, during and after the event? Was there an individual columnist or other writer who…
By Suzette Standring NSNC Executive Director The NSNC welcomes Chris Carosa as our new vice president. The weekly columnist with The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel of New York stepped into the vice presidency after Mike Morin resigned mid-term. Carosa said, “I’m very honored to be invited to serve. I’ve always sought out groups that I…
By Suzette Martinez Standring, NSNC Executive Director Get ready to win! The annual NSNC Column Writing Contest is now open, and the entry process has been streamlined and made easier for both contestants and judges. First, second, and third place winners receive cash prizes! Simply upload your entry into one or more categories. An entry…
Dear Alex, How can a writer rebrand themselves; what columnists have done so successfully? After writing a book and hundreds of blog posts, I’m officially uninspired writing for my particular niche market. Sincerely, Same old, Same old This Month, Dave Astor and Mike Morin offer advice: Dear Same old, Same old, Leonard Pitts Jr. is…
By Bonnie Jean Feldkamp Communications Director and NSNC18 Conference Chair The Cincinnati Zoo, Graeter’s Ice Cream, and Cincinnati Public Radio come together for a special afternoon on Friday, June 8th, during the NSNC annual conference. Attendees will enjoy “Sundae Service” courtesy of historic Graeter’s Ice Cream at the Treetops Facility in the Cincinnati Zoo while…
By Paul Lander NSNC Member Yes, I admit it, I am way too proud of accumulating 41K+ Twitter followers and inappropriately boastful of the occasional death threat. And, that Judd Apatow has retweeted me six times, causing my mom to say, “That Judd seems like such a nice boy.” So, it’s no wonder I get asked,…
By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President Does this sound familiar? You’ve finally arrived home after numerous trips to the local strip malls to buy the latest toy for your niece, twinkle lights for the porch, ear warmers for your spouse, and supplies to bake 12 dozen pecan tarts for the neighborhood cookie exchange. Then, it…
by Rick Horowitz NSNC Member Can We Be Honest Here? “Society” is a ridiculous word to describe us. “Society” is posh. Precious. Pinkies are extended. Platitudes are uttered. We’re talking about columnists, for pity’s sake! A national “society” of columnists? You might as well speak of a “mob” of philatelists. A “coven” of neurosurgeons. An…
By Dave Lieber Dallas Morning News columnist If you’re reading this, you, the columnist, already believe you have strong messages, insights, and opinions to share in your writing. Nobody without that kind of self-confidence could ever be reading this columnists’ newsletter, right? But how did you get here? Chances are you were helped by a…
Does Winning Make a Difference? By Suzette Standring NSNC Executive Director Get ready! The NSNC Column Writing Contest is coming up and national bragging rights could be yours. Eight categories, 36 ways to place, and cash prizes! A specially designed NSNC Winner’s Badge is given to all winners for personal website posting. Your frustrations were…
President’s Message By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President Unless you plan to spend the entire month writing your Thanksgiving dinner shopping list, November is the best time to finish those literary projects that never seem to get done. You know, the manuscript that you started years ago that is buried in your document files. Or…
By Dave Astor NSNC Archivist The National Society of Newspaper Columnists is proud to announce that our 2018 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is…Connie Schultz! Ms. Schultz – the much-admired, widely read 2005 Pulitzer Prize winner for commentary – received the award during the NSNC’s June 7-10, 2018, conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. When asked…
This is the 24th in a series of articles about winners of the NSNC’s annual Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award. By Dave Astor NSNC Archivist Three great writing names of the past and present came together last year when Leonard Pitts Jr. received the 2016 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award at the Will Rogers Ranch…
By Cathy Turney October is National Self-Promotion Month (really!), and there is no less expensive, faster, and easier way for journalists and bloggers to promote themselves and get their writing before thousands of eyeballs than Twitter. “My Twitter followers have helped me grab the attention of powerful influencers, got one of my stories 30,000 reads…
By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President Sometimes, we writers take ourselves too seriously. Many have implied that they wouldn’t exist without their craft, claiming, “I write; therefore, I am.” However, a more realistic statement for columnists today might be, “I write; therefore, I have a day job to pay the bills.” Perhaps a more apropos…
This is the 23rd in a series of articles about winners of the NSNC’s annual Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award. By Dave Astor NSNC Archivist Judith “Miss Manners” Martin received the 2015 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award at our conference in Indianapolis, but I didn’t take notes during her acceptance speech. Bad manners by me?…
By Bonnie Jean Feldkamp Communications Director Many of us are freelancing these days — which means we’re looking for leads, reading submission guidelines, and pitching stories to new publications on a regular basis. Ideally, every publication would have clear writer’s guidelines that include the managing editor’s name, contact, columns accepting submissions, and desired word count. However,…
