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Articles by Laura Laing
ASJA Stands for Free Speech and Salman Rushdie in the Aftermath of a Brutal Attack
On August 12, 2022, as he prepared to speak at the Chautauqua Institution, the novelist Salman Rushdie was stabbed several times by a man who rushed the stage. Rushdie was there to discuss the U.S. giving asylum to artists in exile. He experienced serious wounds and is now recovering in a hospital, after being taken off a ventilator. His injuries are described as “life changing.” The motives of the attacker are still being investigated.
Getting Paid: What I’ve Learned in My 25-Year Freelance Writing Career
I never expected to be a freelancer. Too much risk, especially in getting paid for my hard work. So, after quitting my state job as a high school teacher, I had long conversations with friends and family members about what was next for me. “I want a boss and a salary,” I said confidently. Six years later, I was on my fourth salaried job and freelancing on the side. Five years after that, I had quit the salaried job. Getting paid is what makes freelancing so tough.
American Society of Journalists and Authors
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash On March 16, I drove to Philadelphia for my first in-person conference in two years. Ironically, AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) was the last in-person conference I attended in 2018. I was excited to get back into the thick of things, to be inspired by interesting sessions, and to see friends that I’ve only Zoomed with over the last two years. I was also nervous. I’m always nervous going to a conference.
American Society of Journalists and Authors
Photo by Ian Hutchinson on Unsplash On a chilly November morning in 2018, Milt Toby and I stood in a line outside the steps of the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. We were in town for the ASJA Regional Conference, arriving a day early to catch a Supreme Court hearing. Milt and I follow the Supreme Court like it’s a sports franchise. As a long-time attorney, Milt has good reason for this obsession. Me? I fell in love when Justice Sandra Day O’Conner joined the bench.
Breaking the Traditional Narrative Arc
Additional Information In her recent book On Freedom, Maggie Nelson quotes social theorist Brian Massumi: “Freedom always rises from constraint—it’s a creative conversion of it, not some utopian escape from it.” The traditional narrative arc is a creative choice that restricts how action, climax, and eventual resolution will flow through an essay’s or book’s structure. But what happens when you abandon that approach?
Hacking Productivity: How I Get Through Each Day, Each Assignment
This year marks my 22rd as a journalist and writer, my 20th as a freelance writer and my 12th as a member of ASJA. I’ve had many careers, but this is by far the most comfortable and enjoyable. I’m not always having a good or easy time—words can be so elusive at deadline!—but by and large, I’ve found that researching/reporting and writing is what I’m built for. It’s a life of learning, which suits this library-loving soul, and I never tire of hearing others’ stories and translating them to the page.
Finding Focus; Slowing Down
By Laura Laing Posted on Monday, August 30, 2021 I’m tired. Plumb tuckered out. Ready to take a two-month vacation. This is confusing to me, because especially through the pandemic, I’ve been so fortunate. My family stayed healthy and so did I. I kept working, even with stress and anxiety. Sure, I’ve gained a few pounds and my sleep cycle is wildly different, but as an introvert, I pretty much enjoyed hunkering down, reaching out to other humans only when I felt like it. I was in my groove.
Open Season
By LAURA LAING Wythe County, VA, 1985 The rifle is heavy and hard in my arms, the butt jammed up into my right shoulder, just like Lee showed me. Peering down the nose of the gun, I can see the line of targets—coffee cans, plastic milk jugs, and Coke cans—lined up like birds on a fence. The air is cool and wild, and a breeze comes across the hollow carrying the sweet smell of hay and manure.
We Asked, You Answered: 2021 Membership Survey Results
By Laura Laing Posted on Tuesday, August 3, 2021 Ideally, ASJA surveys its members once a year—to check in on how we’re doing and to look for new ways to serve members. This spring’s survey was the first in three years, and we got a lot of important feedback that the board and committees are excited to put into action. Before digging in, there are some caveats. First, it’s important to note that only 27% of our membership responded.
ASJA Launches Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative
By Laura Laing Posted on Monday, July 5, 2021 Diversity is having a seat at the table. Inclusion is about having a voice. Belonging is about having that voice be heard. –Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy Diversity is a hot topic in all sorts of places. Companies are being criticized for all-white, all-male c-suites, boards, and tech departments, and brands are getting better at featuring people of color, disabled individuals, and queer folks in their advertisements and product designs.
Two Great Tastes that Taste Great Together!
By Laura Laing Posted on Monday, June 7, 2021 Prediction: “hybrid” will be one of 2021’s word-of-the-year finalists. It’s perhaps not the best choice, but no one can deny its ubiquity thanks to the pandemic. First there was hybrid school and religious services, then hybrid conferences, and now hybrid workplaces. For some, the pandemic has ushered in a new way of learning, worshipping, and working: virtual and in-person. Of course, the word has been around for a long time.
A Look Under the Hood
By Laura Laing Posted on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 We mostly notice machines for what they do—dry our laundry, print a document, take us somewhere by land, sea or air. The details of why those machines work may be interesting, but it’s difficult for each of us to master all of the information needed to understand the hows. Perhaps you can change the oil in your car, but replacing the air filter might require a mechanic. Most of us depend on specialists to keep machines humming in good and useful order.
Delighting in Gratitude
By Laura Laing Posted on Monday, December 7, 2020 One of my friends writes a gratitude post on Facebook every day. Sometimes she’s grateful for a banana, sometimes it’s more profound, like a clear medical test or the fact that she has a roof over her head. Her posts are simple, short sentences that begin, “Today I am grateful for…” It’s the simplicity of those statements and the fact that she shares them with a wide audience that fascinates me.
Crunching the Numbers of ASJA Membership
By Laura Laing Posted on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 I love spreadsheets, perhaps more than the typical person. A good day is when I can build a few formulas and crunch some numbers. If that sounds strange, know this: I’m a writer with a math degree. Writing and mathematics are generally considered incongruous, but honestly, the practice of mathematics is remarkably similar to the act of tracking down a story. Both require proof.
We’re All Newbies-and Sometimes that Sucks
By Laura Laing Posted on Wednesday, July 6, 2016 Rejection sucks. Radio silence sucks more. But this is the life when a writer is breaking into a new genre and new markets. Now that the publishing industry is rebounding—perhaps not to its original state, but a new, more profitable normal—I’m jumping into the deep end of the publishing pool, where the big, popular kids swim.
Paying it forward
In terms of size, W.A. Ranches’ gift to the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine (UCVM) is the biggest donation of ranch property ever made to a North American university, adding up to 19,000 acres of land and 1,000 head of cattle for a total value of $44 million. Although precedent setting in many ways, at its core, this donation made by Wynne Chisholm and her father, J.C. (Jack) Anderson of W.A. Ranches Ltd.
My Queer History: “Fugitive”
I didn’t intend to hide for her. I wasn’t aware of my queerness; I couldn’t know that loving another woman was weightier than a simple college romance. I didn’t myself, which was in itself a risk. I didn’t flee or fight; I froze, hiding myself between the pages of number theory textbooks and under the covers of the twin bed we shared. This was a thrilling, secret affair.
12 Easy Fixes for Pumping at Work
The toughest decision many working moms face is whether to wean or continue breastfeeding. To nurse while working outside the home, you'll need to feed your baby immediately before and after work—and if you decide to nurse exclusively, you'll have to express milk on the job and then transport it home. This requires the use of a breast pump; those that can be used on both breasts at once are the most efficient. Even though it sounds inconvenient, pumping at work has many advantages.
Ben Voss's path to business leadership and success at Morris Industries
Learning how to do your own laundry? Learning how to fail? They may sound like an odd combination and an even odder recipe for business leadership and success, but according to Ben Voss, shareholder and newly appointed president and CEO for Morris Industries Ltd., they’re essential for understanding how he got to where he is today. A former CBC Saskatchewan Future 40 winning entrepreneur, 42-year-old Voss has had a varied and successful entrepreneurial career.
Masks 2017 - The Rumpus.net
By Allyson McCabe October 26th, 2017 Allyson McCabe talks with Lois Weaver and Peggy Shaw, two of the founders of the performance group Split Britches, about their lives and work.
Scars Of War: Watching Battle Of The Sexes
Battle of the Sexes should come with a trigger warning for us oldish dykes who watched women’s tennis in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s in order to catch glimpses of women who might be, well, you know.
Nuance - rather than just numbers - helps tell the full story
Ah, the precision of numbers! For editors and journalists alike, the right number can slam a story into high gear, giving it a clear message: this is why you should care. Reporting the numbers gives a story its footing, and for a good reason. As the queen of the sciences, mathematics pulls the abstract down to the ground, where it can be applied to everyday life.
Perspectives on the Writing Life
Mini Master Class with a Master Pitcher: A Q&A with Author and Freelancer Linda Formichelli Linda Formichelli and I met in an online freelancers group in 2001, I think. She had been in freelancing for a few years, but I was impressed by her eagerness to learn more about the business and with her willingness to share what she had discovered. More than that, I was impressed with her clips.
Perspectives on the Writing Life
ASJA Launches Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative By Laura Laing Posted on Monday, July 5, 2021 Diversity is having a seat at the table. Inclusion is about having a voice. Belonging is about having that voice be heard. –Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy Diversity is a hot topic in all sorts of places.
What Was I Doing? Procrastination and the Writing Process
“Writing process: Hang out on Facebook until bored. Then hang out on Facebook more. Ignore the drier buzzing. Eat peanuts. Finally, get bored enough that writing actually looks exciting.” This was my Facebook status one day last week. I’m in the last month before a book deadline, and procrastination has taken root. Each morning, I rise with fresh dedication, new goals, and pristine plans. By the time I’ve had my second cup of coffee, I’m off track again.
3 Ways Stats Can Screw Up Your Story
hether you’re writing a non-fiction book or crafting a piece for one of the big consumer publications, numbers can help your message hit home. It’s easy to say that Texas loves its high school football, but when you report that Alan High School in the suburbs of Dallas spent $60 million on its new football stadium – well, that’s quite an illustration.
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