By Andy Butcher Imagine going to church next weekend and finding the women in the choir have traded their gowns for micro-skirts and midriff-baring halter tops. When you inquire about the new dress code, you’re told that people expect a bit of skin these days, so we’re just giving people what they want—only in a […]
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By Randy Petersen I have no words. For a writer, that’s a strange place to be. Maybe you’re feeling something similar. This is no “writer’s block.” We know all about those cerebral deserts. Channel some bad Hemingway, laugh about it, and you can usually write your way out. But there’s no laughing now. Just a […]
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Race, Grace and Forgiveness? Can We Write Our Way to Racial Healing? This was the subject of a candid and interactive exploration of how writers of every background can help heal racial wounds by writing truthfully about our racial struggles and journeys. What’s required? How does one start? What narrative and spiritual elements make a […]
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Like a good meal, the best journalism depends on having the right ingredients. Gifted cooks can make macaroni cheese taste pretty good, but they can’t produce a real banquet without having the best fixings to work with. It’s why so much of today’s go-with-what-we’ve-got instant “news” is just fast food, a few morsels to be […]
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Have you ever written a first-person article and wondered why it fell flat? If so, maybe I can help you with a tried-and-tested writing principle. This principle has a particular application for first-person articles, but it pertains to all nonfiction writing. I didn’t learn this from a writing book, but inferred it after reading Dale […]
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By Chris Maxwell Poetry is, at least for me, like life. Life isn’t a three-point sermon. Life isn’t a doctrinal debate. Life isn’t a lecture series. Life isn’t a new platform for the coolest and newest and tightest and loudest performance. Life, to me, is poetry. I know. Many poems aren’t smooth. They aren’t always […]
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Some EPA members have asked for guidance on securing permission from people mentioned in articles. The following questions were sent to editors of some of the largest publications/organizations represented in the EPA membership. What is your publication doing in regard to securing permission from real people who are used in stories and articles? Do you […]
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By Andy Butcher I have always found the Journalism 101 guide—who, what, why, where, when, and how—to be of limited help. It’s a bit like telling an Olympic track hopeful that all they need to do to win a gold medal is run faster than everyone else. Yes, but… Which whats? What whens? Whose wheres? […]
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By Michael Longinow There are two questions every interviewed source wants to know about a journalist’s questions: “Why do you want to know?” and “How are you going to use what I tell you?” The second is closely related to one more: “Can I trust you to do what you say you’re going to do?” […]
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The Evangelical Press Association and the Associated Church Press are co-sponsoring three one-day regional intensive seminars in select cities this fall. In Washington, D.C., magazine consultant Lou Ann Sabatier will teach a class on content strategy on Friday, October 26. Lou Ann is a highly sought-after publishing consultant, renowned for her high energy and infectious […]
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