NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest - Deadline Extended to May 1

Consider a Gift to the NSNC Education Foundation

NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest - Deadline Extended to May 1

Contest submissions will be accepted through May 1! 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.

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

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…

What’s Your Best Column Ever?

Contest Entries Pile Up

you, the columnist  By Dave Lieber Fort Worth Star-Telegram Columnist www.YankeeCowboy.com   Nice publicity hit on the top-15-columns-of-all-time survey at the NSNC conference. Book researcher polls our membership. Results make news.    Thanks to Newsweek-The Daily Beast senior political columnist John Avlon for asking us to help him do research for his new book, Deadline…

Meet the NSNC Vice President

Larry Cohen             It was the author G.K. Chesterton who explained that “journalism largely consists in saying ‘Lord Jones is Dead’ to people who never knew Lord Jones was alive.”             I chose to assume that Chesterton was writing about the “news” side of the business. Much of the columnist business is devoted to explaining…

In the August Newsletter

Don’t miss the August edition of the e-Columnist, which includes; — President Ben Pollock goes to WordCamp — Dave Lieber wants to know, “What’s your best column?” — New feature — Columnists Tip Sheet. All members are encouraged to participate in the sharing of information and ideas. — New books, awards and other news about…

Death of a Bookstore Chain

Borders closed 200 stores nationwide in February and announced last week that it’s going out of business for good. Market experts believe that Borders was unable to compete with cheaper online retailers and  electronic readers. We can see a parallel between the decline of the book industry and the decline of the newspaper industry. E-readers…

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…