Smiley Anders The Advocate, Baton Rouge It takes a lot to shut up a bunch of columnists. These are people used to expressing their opinions forcefully – and often. On Saturday I was in a bus full of them, and they were finally at a loss for words. At the 32nd annual conference of the…
I was going to write about our upcoming conference in New Orleans, or how I’ve spent the week doing stuff like recording podcasts and scripting Web videos and producing parody ads. But I can’t. Not right now. My friend Jim Hubley died. He had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor just a few days…
By Terry Marotta Columnist, The Citizen of Laconia (N.H.) Last Tuesday a seventh grader named Danielle wrote to the National Society of Newspaper Columnists with some questions about our work. She needed the answers by Friday and was sorry this was so last-minute, but she did hope someone could help her. As a proud member…
Seeking the Story Behind the NSNC Logo By Sheila Moss, NSNC Web Editor With contribution by Jonathan Nicholas, NSNC President, ’96-’97 Have you ever wondered about the NSNC logo? What is it anyhow and where did it come from? A few people have voiced strongly negative feelings about “the head,” while others find it curiously…
They love Mark Lane in Florida. The longtime columnist for the Daytona Beach News-Journal drew highly favorable comments about his book, “Sandspurs.” One critic called him “the best thing to come out of Daytona since Bike Week.” Another noted that “he makes us laugh at our own misadventures.” Lane was a featured speaker at…
By Dave Lieber Fort Worth Star-Telegram Columnist Secretary, National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation www.yankeecowboy.com Listen up! If you write a newspaper column that appears three times a week, once a week or once a month, and that’s all you do related to that work, then you, my friend, are dead in the…
How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep By Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D. Forget taking pills or counting sheep. Just make sure you can answer yes to five simple questions. Do you have trouble sleeping? If so, you’re not alone—and the price you pay can be significant. Think about how irritable you can be and how…
By Mike Argento, NSNC President York (PA) Daily Record A couple of episodes ago on “The Wire,” a terrific TV show created by former ink-stained wretch David Simon, there was a scene that may be of particular interest to columnists. To digress, each season of the show has dealt with a different institution that has…
By Dave Lieber www.yankeecowboy.com Fort Worth Star-Telegram Columnist Secretary, National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation Suzette Martinez Standring underwent a career change in the 1990s, deciding to pursue her dream of becoming a newspaper columnist. She launched a column, joined the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, became a self-syndicator, acquired a base of several papers,…
By Suzette Martinez Standring Syndicated Columnist, GateHouse News Service A definite purpose, like blinders on a horse, inevitably narrows it’s possessor’s point of view. Robert Frost (1874-1963) Wanted: a strong, personal point of view, emphasis on “personal.” No other form of journalism but column writing allows the writer’s individuality to shape both a message and…
By Mike Argento, NSNC President York (PA) Daily Record A new baseball stadium opened this summer in our small city here in the heart of what we fondly call Pennsyltucky. It’s a beautiful ballpark, even if it is still under construction. It sits in a crook of the Codorus Creek, which flows through the center…
A Way to Build Name Recognition By Monica McCabe Cardoza Entering a contest says a lot about your devotion to your craft. It proves that you take column writing seriously enough to want to be recognized for it. But before you say, “Oh, I never win those things,” consider this: Winning a top prize…
By Robert Haught Getting yourself syndicated is an achievable goal, but it doesn’t come easy. It takes a lot of hard work. That’s the primary advice offered by Jim Miller, a model of success in self-syndication. Miller, a member of the faculty for the 2007 Will Rogers Writers’ Workshop, syndicates his “Savvy Senior” column to 400 newspapers and…
NSNC Loves Philly – Conference Highlights By Sheila Moss, Web Editor The City of Brotherly Love opened its arms to the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the Newspaper Columnists fell in love with Philly. The NSNC annual convention opened June 21st and was greeted by both the Mayor, John F. Street, and the Governor of…
Oklahoma City Workshop Well Received By Robert Haught, Workshop Director Writers from 25 states across the country who participated in the Will Rogers Writers’ Workshop in Oklahoma City March 15-17 judged it a successful undertaking. A sizeable majority said the experience will be beneficial and many of the attendees expressed an interest in going…
By Dave Lieber Fort Worth Star-Telegram Columnist Secretary, National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation Competitors One of the best things about being a newspaper columnist is you get to compete, really compete, with columnists on other regional newspapers. And you can laugh at their foibles, and they can laugh at yours, too. It’s all…
COLUMNIST ENJOYS A CELESTIAL STOGIE By Mike Argento, NSNC President (This first appeared in the York Daily Record January 22, 2007) Jan 22, 2007 – Art Buchwald appears at the Pearly Gates and is told by St. Peter to take a seat. “Mr. Buchwald, it’s about time you got here.” “Call me Art, please.”…
