The NSNC president’s newsletter column
By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President During this season of flying caps and tassels, I’ve been a soupy, sentimental mess. In the last month, I’ve watched my son graduate from college and my daughter graduate from high school. My eyes are swollen and puffy, I’m tired of entertaining visiting family members, and I’ve gained ten pounds…
By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President As my time as NSNC’s President grows short, I’m looking back at the eight years since I joined this unique group of journalists and realizing how NSNC has enriched my life not only professionally but personally . Of course, I learned the tricks of the trade by taking copious…
By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President As writers, we’ve all fantasized about swanky lunches with agents, book deals offered by publishers headquartered in Manhattan, huge advance checks, round-the-block lines at book signings, charming cottage retreats to escape the flashbulbs of the paparazzi, and steady streams of royalties. *Sigh* Alas, ever since writers have been cast…
Interview was conducted by Lisa Molinari as part of her March, 2018 President’s Message. First, I’d like a little more background on you other than what is in your bio. How did you come to be the marketing director at Smashwords? My background is in high-tech marketing and PR, where I spent the first 20…
By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President There was once a folksy columnist and distinguished wartime chronicler who left such an indelible mark on journalism that NSNC gives its most prestigious award in his name, and celebrates National Columnists Day in his honor. That journalist was Ernie Pyle, and today NSNC is proud to announce a…
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…
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 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…
By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President This time of year always reminds me of my mother coming into my room on the first day back to school, ruffling the tangled hair on my sleeping head, and singing her own version of mess call, “Soupy, soupy, soupy, cornbread, and beans!” It was the undeniable signal that…
By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President As columnists who must meet strict deadlines, we know that one of the best ways to combat burnout is to take a vacation. It’s good for us to release ourselves from the looming pressures of our next writing assignments for a week or two. But let’s be honest –…
By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President Registration is now open. Register HERE. You may have recently unpacked from our wildly successful #NSNC17 conference in Manchester, New Hampshire, but mark your calendars again, because you’ll be traveling to the Midwest next spring! In a unanimous vote on the final day of our June conference, NSNC’s general…
By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President The theme for this month’s NSNC Annual Conference – “Live Free and Write – But Not for Free” – was no afterthought. We all know that column writing is a craft, not a job; a form of art, not a task; a manifestation of expression, not a business. However,…
President’s Message By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President By now, you’ve seen the social media hubbub about #NSNC17 – the National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ 2017 Annual Conference being held June 8-11 at the Downtown Radisson Hotel in Manchester, New Hampshire. The $299 reduced conference registration rate for NSNC members ended at midnight on April…
President’s Message By Lisa Smith Molinari President National Society of Newspaper Columnists You open the mailbox, and there it is. The envelope is so thin, it seems almost empty. But you know exactly what’s inside. You run a fingernail under the sealed edge, pinch the contents with thumb and forefinger, and hold the precious instrument…
President’s Message By Lisa Smith Molinari President National Society of Newspaper Columnists I could feel the tiny glands in my armpits firing off, one by one. I fidgeted, pushed the lettuce around my plate, and smiled blankly at the gentleman beside me, too distracted to make conversation. It was no use. I would be a…
By Lisa Smith Molinari President National Society of Newspaper Columnists Roughly three decades ago, technology took journalism and publishing for a wild ride into the Digital Age, and ever since, columnists have been hanging on, wondering where the runaway train will turn next. Should we fear what lies ahead? Or should we throw caution and…
By Lisa Smith Molinari President National Society of Newspaper Columnists She’s been called “an antagonist of the White House,” “an equal opportunity faultfinder,” and “a striking redhead with a deceptively kittenish demeanor,” among other things. But no matter what you call Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, the fact is, she is one…
