Writing with Olympic Confidence

Since publishers can cancel a writer's book right up to the point of production, the writers of such work remind me that so many world athletes don't win in the Olympics. Dreams are dashed and hearts are broken, but these athletes still made it to the Olympics. That's worth something. I know I would feel devastated with such late and final judgment, but such athletes inspire me to write with Olympic confidence.

Losing Lebron

Minutes after Lebron James announced his decision to play next year for the Miami Heat, ESPN aired some live video of a Clevelander burning Lebron’s jersey in the street. Putting this matter into perspective, my city almost went to the Super Bowl. We lost twice in the World Series, and we suffered a sweep in the NBA Finals. For so many of us, Lebron really was that shining beacon in the dead of night. But I won’t demonize him.

The Cause of America

"The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind."
~ Thomas Paine

Beyond Form: Singing and Writing

On Friday, May 21, the Cleveland Indians faced the Cincinnati Reds in the season’s first instate game. Thanks to the invite of a close friend, I joined the Men of Independence behind home plate to sing "The Star Spangled Banner." The Indians lost to the Reds, but I came away from the game with a renewed appreciation for connecting with an audience.

Multimedia Journalism for High School?

Adobe CS5 offers significant improvements to some programs high school students are already using: InDesign, Photoshop, Premiere Pro and After Effects. The continuing buzz for multimedia journalism may represent more than a potential replacement for print journalism; this blended media appears to be a preview of the exciting future that's already here.

2010 CSPA Conference ~ Write on!

 

You can use every form of social media to interact with others, but the demand for meaningful content remains. The digital age can in fact strengthen story development. At the 2010 CSPA conference at Columbia University, I encouraged high school students to consider a multimedia approach to journalism study.