NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest - Now Open

Sunshine Week March 15-21, 2026

Consider a Gift to the NSNC Education Foundation

Join NSNC and Reap the Benefits!

NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest - Now Open

Contest submissions now open! We are accepting entries from columnists, bloggers, and serial essayists  for our 2026 Annual Columnist Contest (for work published in 2025). We will accept entries from columnists, bloggers, and serial essayists published in 2025.  Everyone is welcome to submit. You don’t have to be an NSNC member.

Sunshine Week March 15-21, 2026

We’re counting down to #SunshineWeek 2026, March 15-21. Together, we champion #OpenRecords and #OpenGovernment nationwide March 15-21. #FOIA #transparency. Free resources: sunshineweek.org

Consider a Gift to the NSNC Education Foundation

The National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation is a tax-exempt charitable organization [501(c)3] devoted to the education and training of new and experienced columnists everywhere. Donate here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/NSNCEdFnd

Join NSNC and Reap the Benefits!

We are excited for What’s in-store for NSNC members this year. We are gearing up to launch the NSNC Annual Columnist Contest on January 15, so you’ll want to be sure your membership is up-to-date. Also, if you have ideas, suggestions, etc., please share them with our President Meredith Cummings at meredithcummings@gmail.com or Executive Director Ginny McCabe at nsncdirector@gmail.com. Thank you for your support of NSNC!

Chartrand in Kansas City Star

David Chartrand recently wrote a column about his mother and father that appeared in the Kansas City Star called “Holding on to memories for dear life.”  You can read the column on the KC Star website. Chartrand was the winner of a first place award in the 2002 NSNC writing contest. The humor and commentary…

A Humorous Collection of Ladies’ Lingo

Anna Lefler is the author of the forthcoming humor book The CHICKtionary:  From A-Line to Z-Snap, the Words Every Woman Should Know, published by Adams Media.  The book is scheduled for release this November and is available online for presale at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The CHICKtionary is a humorous dictionary of the words…

Opportunities from NSNC Collegues

Mike Argento, Past President writes: I have a new novel coming out this fall and the publisher asked me for a list of people to send advance review copies.  So if anyone is interested, they can e-mail me at mike@ydr.com and I’ll pass it on. The book is titled “Don’t Be Cruel” and it’s about…

Rave Review for Lieber Book

Bad Dad Update The Fort Worth Weekly gives Dave Lieber a rave review on his latest book, “Bad Dad” telling more about the story covered in the book. Lieber and 11 year old son Austin were having breakfast at a McDonald’s not far from their home. Austin finished and started acting out, nagging Dad to…

Blog on, Blog off

President’s Message By Ben S. Pollock President, National Society of Newspaper Columnists   Instead of polishing this column, I should have been sewing nametags into my clothes and shaking out my sleeping bag for WordCamp. If I showed up with that stuff, even the geeks there would laugh. We’re all geeks at WordCamp, www.wordcamp.org. The…

We Border on a New Day

By Cynthia Borris NSNC Member Draped across the storefront the oversized banner beacons – Store Closing. One more time around, I circle the parking lot. Resigned to a long walk, I pull into a stall and reconsider. Do I really want to go to Borders today? Is there anything there that I need?Silent, I study…