My magazine piece

My story is about someone I know relatively well. She is a student and a very good one at that. She pretty much excels in life in general and I want to write about that because she intrigues me. Not in a creepy way, but more in a Wow-you-are-awesome-I-wish-I-was-like-you type of way. I hope that the reader understands where I am coming from. This idea came to me because she and I were having a conversation on the Obama presidency and she made a comment, that I'm sure she's forgotten about by now, but I remember it. She said something like 'people really just complain about such unimportant things, try drinking muddy water or hearing gun shots.' I was just in awe. I routinely complain about things that are not important or not bad and I had some prior knowledge of her background but never had I considered the environment that she was rescued from at age 7. Its just shocking in a way. I'm trying to make this important and relevant and interesting.

She is all of 4feet and 10 or 11 inches. She can shoot a rifle. She was overseas for 2 years in the Air Force. She is an amazing student. And she has had all the odds against her. I guess a lot of my impression of her is directly in relation to me. I was afforded plenty of comforting things in life, never had to drink muddy water, never in real fear for my life, never adopted and learned a new language, never served in the military, I do so-so in college, kind of just to get by and after interacting with her I find myself thinking about how much I have taken for granted.

Blog post for Jan 27

Won't You be my Neighbor?

The article for class today written by Tom Junod was an interesting way to attack a profile. I did not really enjoy it mostly because Mr. Rogers really scared me as a child and still today. My mom would not allow me to watch it. I can however, appreciate the story for what its worth.

Junod wrote the article skillfully almost like he was mimicking Mr. Rogers. He kept repeating "Once Upon a time" like we are listening to a story. This really adds to the power of story telling. The mini-anecdotes could have been a disaster but he's careful to make the anecdotes mesh with the story instead of debunk it.

I remember him talking about the kid with cerebral palsy and then teaching a kid to pray, just like the "God" he is. Like I already mentioned, he does creep me out so this was giving me more ammunition for my beliefs. If you only read the story once, it would be easy to read it as a satire or joke. If you care about Mr. Rogers, then it could, instead, be more nostalgic.

Blog for class, Jan 27

Today we are listing off our interview questions and responding to the reading.

I am interviewing a student and her mother, and a faculty member for my profile assignment.

The interview questions are as follows: (this is a sample, not necessarily the full list)
For the student
1. Describe your life in a few sentences for me.
2. What was your childhood like?
--follow up: what are your first memories as a child in Africa?
--what are your first memories after being adopted?
3. What is your family like?
--follow up: with whom are you the closest?
4. Did you have an epiphany moment or any type of identity struggle growing up?
5. What made you decided to join the military?
6. What type of student would you say you are?

For the faculty member:
1. What type of student would you say Kelem is?
2. What is she like in class?

For her mom
1. What was it like raising an African child?
2. What is your background?
(I asked this because she works with adoption agencies and kids)
3. Did you ever have any issues explaining her identity to her?

Adult Entertainers

In the article called the Peekaboo Paradox we are taken into the world of an adult who has obtained success or at the very mimimum happiness. We are first introduced to him as the Great Zucchini and on first glance, one might laugh. But the author carefully and artfully creates a picture of a dysfunctional man who laughs and plays probably in order to mask the realities and pains that are in life everyday. The Great Zucchini makes a living making kids laugh at parties and social functions. He works only a few days a week and yet makes a six figure salary. We learn later that this salary is mostly consumed in gambling. An interesting parallel considering that the Great Zucchini is gambling with adulthood.

The writer, carefully structures a fun and twisted ride which lasts for more that 19 pages, something you don't even realize is happening. The writer also juxtaposes reality to Eric's reality (Zucchini). This is an excellent example of an intriguing profile.

Assignment

In class, we are to use our knowledge that we acquire to actually get out and write stories of our own, which is exactly what I was looking for. I have choosen to do my story on Kelemwork Tariku-Shotts who escaped from a rough life in the depths of Africa to a 3.5 student in the Kelley School of Business Honors College. She is an incredible inspiration with an unusual story. She and her mother have appeared on the Oprah (Winfrey) Show, and she is surprisingly humble despite her accomplishments and life.

I have already contacted her and we plan to meet Thursday night at 7pm. I have begun speaking with her via telephone already and she and I are both excited for the article.

Blog post for J342

In this article assigned for class, we the readers are taken on a swift and methodical journey through the life of a professional liar and con-artist. Despite initial reaction to hate this mystery woman, you instead find yourself rooting for her. Through the title you can assume that a woman tricks an ivy league. What unravels later on in the piece is that she not only tricks an ivy league, but also everyone around her, including herself. She lives in constant agony knowing that any misstep could potentially cost her the livelihood and peace that she had come to love.

The article which appears in the Rolling Stone, carries us like a really good episode of Law & Order. The kind of episode that you don't even want to get up and go to the bathroom for fear that the commercials will end too fast and you will miss something incredibly important. Sabrina Edrely captured my attention from the very beginning and never let it go. The tone is clearly similar to a detective trying to unravel a case. The plot is somewhat of a mystery and thriller all rolled into one, with a little action and drama sprinkled on top. Overall this was an incredible piece.

Query Letter #1

I'm unsure how to attach this file, as it was initially typed in a word document.

Query Letter – Magazine Writing – Jeremy Shere

ESSENCE
135 West 50th Street
4th Floor
New York, NY 10020

Dear Angela Burt-Murray,

It is my understanding that the demographic of your award-winning magazine is African American males and females ranging in age from 18-75+ in urban, surburban, and rural areas from all walks of life. Your magazine has been a staple in my household for as long as I can remember, and I know the same is true for friends and associates of mine. Your mass appeal to our minority population means that you have a powerful voice in agenda-setting and providing commentary on the world around is in a flavorful and inviting way.

An interest of mine is sustainability and eco-friendly living. I have interned for Enterprise Community Partners, a national non-profit that works in inner-cities to place low-income families into homes that are built up to LEED silver standards. I am now interning at my college with the Indiana University Sustainability Office as the First Year Experience intern, incorporating green living into the first years of college and theoretically for a lifetime. It would be both timely and insightful for you to run a features or news story about how we can green our lives to create more green. This concept of greening an economy is relatively modern but has huge impacts on our communities, and in all honesty African-Americans have the most to gain if we buy into this idea.

I would love to write a story for your magazine with the aforementioned items in mind. I have been trained on concise and effective writing during my time in the Journalism school of Indiana University in Bloomington, and I am available for consultation or further questions and comments. My contact information will be below. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Briana A. Bobo

Senior, Journalism Student at Indiana University-Bloomington

Phone                        314-800-7470

Email              bbobo@umail.iu.edu