Community Reveals Hidden Talents

Poet Steven Leyva reads his original work, "The Bus Stop in Baltimore Where We Wait for #7" in true beatnik style. Leyva was the highlight of Open Mic Night at the Vineyard Community Church. (Claire Evans / November 1, 2008)


By Claire Evans | Towson University journalism student

Seventeen entrants revealed their hidden talents to an audience of forty at Open Mic Night in Millersville, Md., Saturday.

The Vineyard Community Church opened its stage to fifteen acts which performed songs, literary readings, and comedy routines. Other guests featured art, such as photography, handmade flutes and poetry.

“The diversity of talent made this event as successful as it was,” Brian Burns said. Burns, a Towson University student and flute maker, co-organized the event with Casey Odean, a sophomore at Anne Arundel Community College.

“I knew there would be some incredible talent,” Odean says, “but I was surprised by how many poets and writers the night seemed to draw.”

Poet Steven Leyva stole the show with a reading of his original four-part poem, “The Bus Stop in Baltimore Where We Wait For #7.”

His compassionate description of raw life and urban decay in Baltimore was accompanied by soft conga beats and soaring flute melodies (see photo). The performance conveyed a moody beatnik style.

Other poignant readings included prose and an original short story. Regarding such performers, Odean said, “I was…blown away by how vulnerable and emotional they allowed themselves to be.”

The wooden flutes were also particularly appealing to the crowd. Burns displayed his flutes, performed solo acts and accompanied other artists.

“We need more flute in our lives,” guitarist Ken Livi said with a smile. Cheers rang out in agreement.

After each act, participants drew numbers from an old, brown, fedora-style hat to see who performed next. Acts entertained on a stage decorated with symbols of the harvest season.

The sweet smell of sugar and warm hues of fall enveloped guests in the dimly lit auditorium. Happy faces glowed around tables adorned with flickering candles and autumn leaves. Snacks, sweets and hot apple cider were provided.

The relatively small crowd fostered a sense of community and creativity in an intimate atmosphere. Guest and flutist Bryan Gall said he was thankful for the “warm and friendly” reception.

Many visitors signed up to be contacted for future events and asked if it would be a once-a-month gig.

The organizers will consider hosting a quarterly Open Mic Night, and all are welcome. Want to show off your talent? Call Bryan Burns at 443-623-1161.

Author To Speak at Book Festival

Guest speaker Amy Goodman will present her new book in the Radical Bookfair Pavillion at the Baltimore Book Festival this weekend. In addition to hosting Democracy Now!, she co-authored Standing Up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times, which details individual stories of community activism and social justice. If Goodman opens the meeting up to questions, I will ask questions about successful strategy for social change. Especially interesting to me will be the age range and reaction of the audience.

Two independent bookstores advertising the fair will have tablers present. I plan to call ahead to Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse and Atomic Books with a few questions, and of course visit the table exhibits. I will likely quote from the speech and an audience member. Schedules of other guest speakers are posted here. Book and biographical information on Goodman is here.

Sweet Tweets

Multimedia journalists in Dr. Stacy Spaulding’s Newswriting course are practicing the AP's new 1-2-3 filing system with tweets to Twitter and posts to Blogger. Here are three sweet Tweets.

Jbyrne’s tweet is a pretty good headline because it is concise and uses the S-V-O format.
Budget cuts stunt new hire growth in Towson System

Kate1hop presents a lead that made me want to read on. In this article, the streamlined recycle bin is the story and the subject of her declarative sentence. This lead really summarizes the article and gives the what, where, when, and why.
Single-stream recycling to eliminate confusion with about 2,800 bins in residence halls and University buildings by December.

And finally, nicolebellman’s lead covering the TU-UR game summarizes the outcome while giving major details such as score and influential factors (the 'why').
Tigers defeated by Spiders due to turnovers and intercepts, 45 to 14. QB Schaefer and Tigers' defense at fault.

Online Papers Streamline Reading

Studying front pages of the New York Times and Baltimore Sun online, I notice several examples of summary leads and short reports. In fact, many more than a traditional printed paper. I am surprised I never noticed before that the online format lends itself to a customized read. Unfortunately, this is sometimes accompanied by a saturated layout.

Normally, a printed paper must chose a few headlines for its front page, and for each headline, a chunk of that story is represented. Then the reader is forced to flip through the pages to find the rest of the story. I’ve heard that maybe only 20% of readers make this jump.

Computer monitors are a different size and ratio than printed newspapers, so the online versions alter the traditional layout. Digital papers cram as many headlines as possible onto the screen, because the rest of the story is just a click away. Then the reader can view as much or as little as he or she wants. Additionally, related links offer even more information on the reader’s chosen subject. Though online papers may be accused of information overload, they offer a customized reading experience (who said newspapers were dead?).

One example of this new experience is in the Baltimore Sun’s online front page. The combination of an eight-word headline and a 24-word summary lead alerted the public to a shooting this morning. By definition, a lead summarizes the main interesting or important points of a story in 30 words or less. It is a straightforward declarative sentence containing a subject, verb and object, in that order. This lead about the shooting is a perfect example. Though it gives the most important information, its clickable headline offers a 234-word short report with a picture, links to maps, etc. Typically, a short report will contain one to three sentences using action verbs, but this one is a little longer.

Similarly, a short report on the front page may entice the reader to view an in-depth story. For instance, a short report entitled “Rescue, cleanup in Texas,” with no byline appeared on the Baltimore Sun’s digital front page. The story offers only 74 words, but when the reader clicks the headline, he or she is directed to a longer story entitled, “Nearly 2,000 brought to safety in Texas after Ike,” written by Christopher Sherman of the Associated Press.

Newsworthy: My Working Definition

* originally posted in "News in B-more" on 9/10/08

How often do you see, read or hear a story and say, “Can I have those two minutes of my life back?” Stories considered news in some venues are far from important in other arenas. As a journalist in training, I have been pondering the concepts of news and newsworthiness. Here is my working definition of news: Accurate, relevant information regarding a current event which is reported to a particular audience.

My textbook, All The News, gives much more detail. It lists nine factors that determine what is reportable. Community impact and proximity to the audience are key factors to publication and placement of a story, but there are other determinants. For instance, prominence (ie: public figures), unusualness and timeliness go without explaining.

Many have heard of human interest stories which are rooted in emotion. Another factor is currency. A story that is current will be related to other stories already in the news. Obviously, conflict makes up a huge portion of news content. “People are interested in other people who share characteristics…with them,” according to the text. This is called affinity.

News in B-more: Fire, Schools + War

While scanning the Baltimore Sun today, I found three stories particularly newsworthy. First, the top story described a fire at a local playground. I can see why this was the lead story. This story fulfills many of the criteria for newsworthiness. First and foremost, the playground’s location in the city impacts residents—young and old. The tragedy is particularly sad because this playground was built only three years ago by a community that pulled together for the common good.

The second story, about an issue close to
every parent’s heart, also has a huge impact on the community. Often a school is so important that it dictates where parents will buy their home. Naturally, a story about the school board’s approval of nine new schools will make headlines.

And finally, a story about the incoming president of Pakistan caught my eye. Although this is international news, it could potentially affect the current war. Pakistan borders Afghanistan, which is becoming a more important site in the conflict again. It is speculated that Osama bin Laden has been going back and forth between the neighboring countries. So, whoever is governing Pakistan plays a key role in how relations and events will unfold. I think this is relevant to anyone who has a friend or family member in the armed forces. This changing of the guard may also be important to the many local federal employees and contractors working for the Department of Defense.

Example of Multimedia Journalist

A great example of this new professional in the biz is Rachel Youens who works in Austin, Texas. She probably always has a good camera to catch examples of cutting edge fashion on the street. Rachel likely also has a digital video recorder (see right) on hand for spontaneous interviews on the beat. The colors used on her site are visually pleasing, and her style has an edginess that is appealing.

Journalism’s Rewrite

Our culture's need for instant information is changing the face of journalism. Specifically, this demand has produced a new kind of multimedia professional: the backpack journalist. This professional is a self-sufficient news source with mobile publishing capability--usually a blog or website. Since average joe became CNN's i-reporter, mass communication students and graduates must ramp up their game. In true entrepreneurial spirit, he or she should always be ready to gather the visual, textual and audio story.

One such journalist, Jared Silfies, is equipped with a 13-point pack list, which he calls a "mobile journalism kit." He explains, "Basically if I'm in a wireless hotspot I can publish anything either to my college's newspaper site, this blog or anywhere else."

His backpack includes: a planner to keep track of appointments and interviews, a reporter's notebook to dash down notes, a laptop to type and upload stories, a wireless mouse to avoid using the annoying touch pad, a digital camera for better photos than those from a cell phone, and 2.5 G of space on flash drives.

Also in his goodie bag is a multi-tool, which, I can only imagine doing illegal things with! Other essentials include a cell phone and an ipod. The ipod is great for uploading stored music and audio to accompany multimedia slide shows. A power adapter ensures mobile juice because he can't be wireless all the time.

Jared also sports a pocket protector with pens and pencils--this adds a touch of nerdy nostalgia. Finally, he totes around the ever-important Elements of Style, by Strunk and White. This proves that a writer is never too good to reference the basics.

Order the 50th Anniversary edition of Elements of Syle.

Introducing.....me!

Hi, my name is Claire. Welcome to my blog. I am attending Towson to pursue a degree in Mass Communications. This blog will serve as a digital notebook for my Newswriting class.

Since I left my hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I have lived in California, Texas, Tennessee, and Virginia. My current residence is in the Baltimore burbs. I am married to an awesome guy, Russ. Marriage is fun, as long as you allow yourself to be silly! I used to be a licensed massage therapist. In addition to research and writing, I enjoy using Photoshop for the 2-D design process. Also, I love metalsmithing and jewelry-making.

I love to sing. Anything from folk harmonies, to R+B and gospel, to opera (although I didn't do so well with the formal singing lessons!). When I visit Baton Rouge, I like to sing for my family with my brother, Mike, just for fun. Mike majors in Mass Comm at LSU and runs his own business as a professional musician. His two projects are:
A Reason Y, his solo work, and Two if By Land, a duo-show with his friend Shane. Mike and I plan to write a book together someday. OK, enough about me for now!