Today my editor wants a story on...
The joy of freelance writing is in its surprises: I never know what assignment might come through the (e)mail. I've written travel articles, cooking stories, hard news and commentary.
When Fresh Food Is A Luxury
June 24, 2008--East Cleveland, Ohio--Barack Obama got an ovation when he recently stood in a Chicago pulpit and scolded parents for giving their children cold Popeye's chicken for breakfast, according to The New York Times.
But a short drive around Euclid and Superior Avenues, a major intersection in this Cleveland area suburb, would reveal why fast-food leftovers take the place of bacon and eggs.
Read more at theroot.com
On A Roll
Curtis Chandler, a regular at the Rollerdrome skating rink in Euclid, rolls over to the sidelines for a chat, but his eyes are on the skaters.
"Look at that dude on the floor."
Chandler points to a tall man in a red shirt. "That's 30 years of skating right there."
The dude on the floor seems oblivious to the pairs of skaters whirling around him. They are the chorus to his solo. He spreads into a split, sinking close to the floor, then pulls himself back upright. He wraps his arms close to his chest and spins in a tight circle.
Chandler watches in appreciation. Performances like this have brought him back to the Rollerdrome Thursday after Thursday for years.
Read more at Cleveland Magazine
Web Extra: View the audio slideshow!
Obama's Win Inspires Dreams of Possibilities
On the night of Barack Obama's victory in Iowa's Democratic caucus, I picked up the telephone
and called my great aunt. She's the one in her 80s. She's the one who lives in Chicago. She's the one
who, like me, stays up all night long, reading and watching the news.
"Aunt Martha," I said. "We might actually see a black president in our lifetime."
"What did you say?" she asked.
I repeated myself, because I'd started to cry.
Listen at www.npr.org