The 5 W’s and the H

March 21, 2009 in Daily Adventures, Reflection, Research
Tags: interview, journalism, questions, reporting, Research, volunteer

Today was week three of Children’s PressLine. Last week, my aunt made me take my cousin because she needs a spring activity and she didn’t play softball this year. About 8-10 kids come pretty regularly, ranging in age from 8 to 13 — Eugenie is the oldest at 16. The kids read newspapers, looking for [...]

Survivor’s guilt

March 5, 2009 in Field Notes, Research
Tags: community, help, Hurricane Katrina, report, reporting, survivor's guilt

If there was a silver lining in the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe,, it was the boost of civic involvement and sense of community. Young and old, rich and poor, albeit in different ways, all went through Katrina. Some New Orleanians who didn’t experience extreme damage or loss, like reporter and now city editor Gordon Russell, felt [...]

An interview and a history lesson

January 31, 2009 in Field Notes, Stories
Tags: Creole, Creole townhouse, homes, New Orleans, reporting, Stories

On Tuesday, I picked up an assignment to feature a restored 1830s Creole townhouse for the homes magazine, due next Friday. I met the owner, Mary, at her home Thursday morning. I rang the bell (an actual bell-shaped bell to the left of the door) and Mary opened the shutters and let me into the [...]

Hunting for stories

January 27, 2009 in Reflection, Stories
Tags: Facebook, friends, homes, reporting, stalking, Stories

People ask what I do all day. I cook, clean house and hunt for stories. And I drink a lot of coffee in between, usually at a different place than the time before. Each day starts with the Times-Picayune and cold-brewed coffee. I read looking for unanswered questions. I check out events listings. I run [...]