My interview at the Kalamazoo Gazette was terrifying. All the editors sat around a table and role played that a terrible thing had just occurred and a shell-shocked school bus driver was the sole witness. Twenty-year-old Emily, who had just finished her sophomore year at Western Michigan University, was supposed to play the role ofContinue reading “The Best Job I Ever Had”
Tag Archives: journalism
What’s the Story Here?
When I was twenty and working at a newspaper in Michigan, I was assigned to cover a belly dancing class at the library. I arrived to a henna-haired women in her late fifties whooshing colored scarves around and instructing the four children who were participating. Four children. How was I supposed to write a storyContinue reading “What’s the Story Here?”
The Western Lens
For my job, I recently had to pick out a photo that illustrates how the U.S. is working to improve health in Yemen. While the U.S. really does a lot to improve health here, the photo selection was slim. I asked a Yemeni co-worker where I might find some pics and he led me intoContinue reading “The Western Lens”
An Oily Party
You may have heard that there is oil in Yemen. Although this country has vastly less oil than some of its wealthy Middle Eastern neighbors — and the oil reserves are expected to be depleted in about five years — Yemen is still a place where oil companies operate. Don’t worry, this isn’t a postContinue reading “An Oily Party”