July 31, 2008
Gratitude. Gratitude. 21 cards later, I’m surely forgetting at least a dozen more people that I need to thank.  I really could not have done Poynter on my own—that’s kind of the whole point, right?I took my indy.com editor out for lunch yesterday. She’s one of the main reasons I was so excited to come back. I’m such a millenial sometimes, I fit the description to the T. My editor send me a one-liner email telling me they’re excited for my return. I’m not sure why such a small thing made a big difference. But it did, it does.I’m pretty lucky I had a job to come back to. Swinging 6 weeks out of work is not easy. I work for a pretty cool place that invested in my personal and professional growth.I’m back now. Breaking into everything that’s changed over only a month and a half. New reporter, new marketing director, new general manager. I feel like everyone at indy.com was at Poynter with me. There’s more communication, better story telling, smarter visuals and different thinking all around. I have good thoughts about what’s going on here.It’s tough times in parts of the J world. You have to find the people that will hear you, then speak up.So far, it’s working.
Gratitude. Gratitude. 21 cards later, I’m surely forgetting at least a dozen more people that I need to thank.  I really could not have done Poynter on my own—that’s kind of the whole point, right?

I took my indy.com editor out for lunch yesterday. She’s one of the main reasons I was so excited to come back. I’m such a millenial sometimes, I fit the description to the T. My editor send me a one-liner email telling me they’re excited for my return. I’m not sure why such a small thing made a big difference. But it did, it does.

I’m pretty lucky I had a job to come back to. Swinging 6 weeks out of work is not easy. I work for a pretty cool place that invested in my personal and professional growth.

I’m back now. Breaking into everything that’s changed over only a month and a half. New reporter, new marketing director, new general manager. I feel like everyone at indy.com was at Poynter with me. There’s more communication, better story telling, smarter visuals and different thinking all around. I have good thoughts about what’s going on here.

It’s tough times in parts of the J world. You have to find the people that will hear you, then speak up.

So far, it’s working.
Dear Ron, Dear Mario, Dear Roy: Hey, thanks for Poynter. Mario Garcia and Roy P. Clark  sit with the fellows in The Great Hall wrapping up the end of a great summer. Ron Reason (left), helped begin the fellows program is taking a photo Mario Garcia (center) and Roy P. Clark (right), Poynter’s founding fathers. This was such a wonderful day. Ron spent a few days coaching with us leading up to a wonderful closing session with Mario. We then all gathered out on the floor and had a warm cozy campfire chat with Mario and Roy. We talked about the past, the future and really what we can be doing next. Mario’s advice: if you are just too scared to be making the move or next career leap, it’s the perfect time. If you wait for the right moment, it has already passed. I hope this advice will stay with me. Thanks Ron. Thanks Mario. Thanks Roy!

Dear Ron, Dear Mario, Dear Roy: Hey, thanks for Poynter.

Mario Garcia and Roy P. Clark  sit with the fellows in The Great Hall wrapping up the end of a great summer. Ron Reason (left), helped begin the fellows program is taking a photo Mario Garcia (center) and Roy P. Clark (right), Poynter’s founding fathers.


This was such a wonderful day. Ron spent a few days coaching with us leading up to a wonderful closing session with Mario. We then all gathered out on the floor and had a warm cozy campfire chat with Mario and Roy. We talked about the past, the future and really what we can be doing next. Mario’s advice: if you are just too scared to be making the move or next career leap, it’s the perfect time. If you wait for the right moment, it has already passed.

I hope this advice will stay with me. Thanks Ron. Thanks Mario. Thanks Roy!

July 10, 2008
Jahi Chikwendiu over in Washinton at The Post did a fanastic session on photo journalism and storytelling. There’s something about people like him. We had a wonderful opportunity to talk about traveling and journalism. And how, as a designer, do you do it if you’re fresh out of college. Not quite ready to be speaking at sessions or redesigning papers. I’d say, the answer is being both a reporter and a designer. Chatting with Jahi reminded me how much I love running around the world with my little backpack. A few days indebted to the showers and the fantastic discomfort that comes with being lost in a new place. Still planning that 2k10 trip to Brazil.

Jahi Chikwendiu over in Washinton at The Post did a fanastic session on photo journalism and storytelling. There’s something about people like him. We had a wonderful opportunity to talk about traveling and journalism. And how, as a designer, do you do it if you’re fresh out of college. Not quite ready to be speaking at sessions or redesigning papers. I’d say, the answer is being both a reporter and a designer.

Chatting with Jahi reminded me how much I love running around the world with my little backpack. A few days indebted to the showers and the fantastic discomfort that comes with being lost in a new place. Still planning that 2k10 trip to Brazil.

July 3, 2008
I would love to do creative exercises in the newsroom. Sara gave us an assortment of letter noodles. During a grids and type session we tinkered and spelled out little words. We then took those words and used them as a title for a magazine cover that we then designed. Worked different photographers and designers than usual. Allisence is a sharp one.

I would love to do creative exercises in the newsroom.

Sara gave us an assortment of letter noodles. During a grids and type session we tinkered and spelled out little words. We then took those words and used them as a title for a magazine cover that we then designed. Worked different photographers and designers than usual. Allisence is a sharp one.

July 1, 2008
similie.mit.edu
Matt Waite came in from the St. Pete Times and spent some great one on one time with me talking data driven stories. So many opportunities, so many numbers. It reminds me of that Wired story in the End of Science issue that says sometimes you really have to start taking numbers and variables away to get a better picture. Gotta love looking for trends.
June 29, 2008

Miss Florida

I ran into someone from my high school today. She’s running for Miss Florida. We both studied journalism. Funny how different our lives our and both ended up in the U of South Florida dorms.

Small world. Both of us simltanously asked “What are YOU doing here?”

June 28, 2008
Shan Carter over at the Times in NY did an excellent sessions on interactivity and user experience. Darla and I have been waiting and waiting for a this. Keep it simple, but sometimes use cilantro. Looking forward to the hands on workshop tomorrow in the lab. Jan Leach (right) over at Kent State here is showing us the Journalist fight club. Jan’s been my guiding light through the world of copy editing. While at heart and experience I am a designer. Poynter decided, hey—Nina’s going to copy edit this summer. So I did and thanks to Jan, I have some idea of what I’m doing.

Shan Carter over at the Times in NY did an excellent sessions on interactivity and user experience. Darla and I have been waiting and waiting for a this. Keep it simple, but sometimes use cilantro. Looking forward to the hands on workshop tomorrow in the lab.

Jan Leach (right) over at Kent State here is showing us the Journalist fight club. Jan’s been my guiding light through the world of copy editing. While at heart and experience I am a designer. Poynter decided, hey—Nina’s going to copy edit this summer. So I did and thanks to Jan, I have some idea of what I’m doing.

June 25, 2008
Tableau Vivant. Our friends at the St. Pete times had a session with the Visual Journalists (VJs). Each group of three selected a photo or painting to recreate. Here I am Matisse’s Jazz Icarus. The photo links to the original painting. This was surely a test of patience and endurance. The whole project was done in 90 minutes and I was awkwardly and unnaturally laying like that for about an hour. I’m wearing black napkins on my feet and hands, a blazer on backwards, a dress over my head and an apple is cut in half to make the heart.

Tableau Vivant. Our friends at the St. Pete times had a session with the Visual Journalists (VJs). Each group of three selected a photo or painting to recreate. Here I am Matisse’s Jazz Icarus. The photo links to the original painting.


This was surely a test of patience and endurance. The whole project was done in 90 minutes and I was awkwardly and unnaturally laying like that for about an hour. I’m wearing black napkins on my feet and hands, a blazer on backwards, a dress over my head and an apple is cut in half to make the heart.

June 22, 2008

Orlando Sentinel Redesign

Grilled the copy editors from Orlando on the redesign while at the ACES conference. Tory Hargro showed up and there’s just so much more to talk about!

tory tory tory tory

Tory was here for a few days and first and foremost it was wonderful to see him again. I snapped photos during his “How I plan to stay employed for the next 10 years” but they didn’t do him right.


His presentation was wonderful and engaging. Also, I think the designers are quite happy because he had a warm way of sharing his techincal expertise.