Student Journo Program: Will Write For Food

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Will Write for Food is a program that allow a small group of college journalists to act as the editorial team for Homeless Voice, the publication of the COSAC homeless shelter in Florida. I found out about this program from journalist Michael Koretzky's blog.

This program looks like it could be very rewarding and Koretzky mentioned that the program hasn't had one African American applicant. I still deciding if I have the cahones to apply for this program but, if you think you do, I encourage you to check it out.

Here's an excerpt for Koretzky's blog:

What did you do last Labor Day weekend? If you have to think about it, you weren’t at Will Write for Food.You weren’t one of the 18 college journalists who took over the nation’s second-largest homeless newspaper, and in 36 mostly sleepless and very stressful hours, published a 20-page paper that was sold on the streets of South Florida…

You didn’t eat dinner in a homeless shelter that’s so hardcore, many of its residents were kicked out of other shelters for being too addicted, disturbed, or disorderly.You didn’t dress in their clothes and report what it’s like to panhandle. You didn’t tag along with the outreach van and meet a Desert Storm veteran who’s now a male stripper. And you didn’t interview shelter residents like Johnny One Leg (that’s what he wants to be called)…

…but you can do all of this and more during Labor Day weekend 2011. Although maybe you shouldn’t. Will Write for Food isn’t right for every college journalist.
While we pay for your hotel, your meals, and a chunk of your travel, we demand a lot in return from our reporters, photographers, and designers. What we don’t demand, weirdly enough, is that you possess a lot of journalism experience – we just need you to be possessed about journalism.Don’t get us wrong, you need to know your shit. You’re going to work on deadline with very little sleep in depressing (and occasionally uplifting) circumstances. If you haven’t mastered your craft, you’re doomed.Then again, just your journalism experience won’t save you. We’ve seen it at previous WWFFs: Sometimes the most seasoned college journalist caves under the pressure, while a tough-as-nails freshman bull-rushes right through it.So before you apply, read the rest of this post and seriously consider if this is for you. Because it’s not for everyone. And we like it that way…

If this seems like something you'd be into, go to Koretzky's blog for more information.

AABJ Meeting!

L to R: Ernie Shuggs, Rashida Rawls, Rod Hicks, Me

As I do every month, I went to the general body meeting for my local NABJ chapter and in my opinion, this was one of the best meetings I've attended. I won't give a synopsis of the whole meeting but if you want one, you can check out the chapter's newsletter, the Byline. The story should be out in a couple of weeks.

Anyway, I was able to network, as usual, but at this meeting, I got to meet a couple of folks I've been eager to meet since I started blogging--- Rod Hicks, chairman of the NABJ convention committee, and Errin Hayes, candidate for VP of print. Both of them are the sweetest people and I can't wait to see them at the convention. If anyone else plans to visit Atlanta (or is based here) and would like to meet, let me know! I love meeting new people. 

Voting Has Officially Started!

NABJers! Voting has begun. To submit your ballot, go here.

To see the list of certified candidates, go here.

As you may or may not know, students come first on this blog so look out for profiles of the student rep candidates, Marissa Evans and Wesley Lowery, in the coming days. In the meantime, to learn more about the student rep candidates, check out the links below.

Marissa Evans

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Show and Tell: Portfolio v. Wix

I started writing for the Signal, my university's newspaper, two years ago and I have saved almost every issue for clips. As the convention approaches, I have been thinking about the medium I want to use to show my work. Traditionally, print journalists have used portfolios to showcase their work. These portfolios are usually simple black folders with plastic coverings that hold clippings of the writer's articles.

Nowadays, journalists of every medium and career level have started to use web hosts like Wix to create digital portfolios. Unlike the traditional portfolios, these websites include more than a resume and a few clips. I have seen digital portfolios with detailed biographies, videos, online clips, scans of print clips and blogs. I am eager to make a digital portfolio but I am trying to figure out how I would be able to showcase my work without having to whip out and carry around my heavy laptop. 

I was thinking of making a mini portfolio with a few of my clips and printing labels with a link on them to place on the back of my business cards. That is what I have so far and as usual, I would love some feed back.

If you have any ideas, leave a comment!