Johngy in Print

In 2004, I learned that Louie's sister Barb was going to be inducted into the DePaul University Hall of Fame .  I approached our Managing Editor and pitched him the idea of a story on Barb.  Since Barb lived in our coverage area and since DePaul was one of the major universities in our coverage area, I thought it would be a good fit.  I also wanted to be the writer of the piece.
This was a hard sell (although it shouldn't have been).  One of the editors didn't see the news fit.  Another thought my interest was just because of Louie.  This is an example of the small brains in charge.
I finally persuaded them to let me write the piece.  Although I had written some guest columns, this was my first real news piece.  After interviewing Barb, Jean Ponsetto (DePaul AD) and Doug Bruno (former coach), I hunkered down and gave the story my best.  Then, I asked Laurie to edit it to help make it better.
Barb graduated from DePaul in 1984 as the school's all-time leading scorer.  She has since been passed (but, in my pettiness, I must point out that there is a 3 point shot now), but still ranks fifth.  Barb was also an outstanding softball player and has been very involved in the DePaul community over the years.
I was very happy with the way the article turned out.  I think I proved I could write a factual piece (in addition to humorous guest columns).  I am really proud of this.  I have not gone the path of my childhood dream of becoming a writer, but at least I have some great writing experiences and writing about Barb was one of them.

Aquaman is THE Man!

I just learned that May 2 was Free Comic Book Day. It is always the first Saturday of May. On that day, participating comic book shops around the world give free comic books to people for just coming into the stores. I don't know if you get to pick out specific comic books, but I know which one I would pick.
Anyone who knows me, knows all too well that my favorite Superhero is Aquaman. I am not sure when my fandom began, but it has been this way as long as I can remember.
I often refer to him as the most maligned Superhero ever. In fact, Maxim magazine once listed Aquaman at #2 on the list of most useless Superheroes (behind Robin). This was an insult, but not really important enough to really incur my wrath.
In mid 2003, when I heard that the producers of Aquaman were changing Aquaman by giving him a harpoon in place of one hand, I wasn't happy. It's one thing for a silly magazine to insult Aquaman with so little respect for his abilities. It is entirely another for his own makers to have so little faith in the depths of Aquaman that they needed to 'spice up' the story by giving him a harpoon hand.
I might have mentioned this a couple times (or maybe a dozen) around the office and particularly to Laurie. Her response (to all of my rants) was for me to write a column.
Laurie had a keen sense for what her readers would like. Fortunately, I rewarded her faith by producing a column (with a lot of help from her) which resulted in a handful of calls/emails from readers.
I am really grateful that Laurie allowed (and encouraged) me to write. I am also pleased that she liked my writing, since I was a fan of her writing before I really even knew her.

My Aquaman guest column from the Lerner Times-October 9, 2003.

Looking Back:Johngy in Global Traveler

A little over a year ago, Lisa Matte, Editor of Global Traveler magazine contacted me about writing an article for the May 2008 issue. The fact that the piece was to be about Chicago made it an absolute no-brainer.
Matte knew that I had done some writing before. I had several pieces published in Lerner Newspapers and a few random pieces published in autograph or collecting publications. This piece would certainly be my biggest in terms of size and exposure.
Using the format for the 'Destination One' section in which my Chicago article would appear, I broke down my assignment into 5 parts. The first and most important part would be the interview with Mayor Richard M. Daley.
In other GT pieces, the interview segment would often highlight a Director of Transportation at the airport. In smaller cities, occasionally a Mayor was featured. Clearly, Mayor Daley would be the biggest interview subject and I was determined to land hizzoner!
I immediately contacted an old colleague, Brian Steele, who was Director of Communications for the Chicago Dept. of Transportation. Steele guided me to several other members of Mayor Daley's staff. Each would play a vital role in the article.
One of Steele's leads was Kate Sansone, a spokesperson for Mayor Daley. Sansone was very receptive to my request, but Mayor Daley was very busy, of course. Sansone promised the interview, but time was an issue.
With that on the backburner, I finished the easiest part first. The 'Info To Go' section is a few paragraphs on transportation in and out of Chicago, as well as around the city. Basically, this was a blurb on O'Hare, Midway and the CTA, including website info.
With one part done and another part simmering, I tackled the toughest part, the meat of the article. With Chicago's rich history, I had too many options on my mind.I decided I didn't want to simply regurgitate the history of Chicago for the umpteenth time. I wanted to present today's Chicago, as I have seen it change in recent years. I wanted to concentrate on Chicago's ascension to world class status under the regime of Mayor Daley.
I did a quick 3 paragraph recap of the history of Chicago, just to set the stage. Then I immediately jumped into the improvements made during Mayor Daley's reign.
I discussed the beautification plan. I talked about how city investment had been followed by private development in many areas of the city. I mentioned Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics. All of these factors and several more were reasons why Chicago is poised to take its rightful place on the global stage. I also included a quote by Jennifer Martinez, Director of Media Relations to add some color.
A few (about 25) rewrites and this part of the article would be tight and (more importantly) done. I trimmed it and reworked it until I really thought it was solid.
Two parts were now finished. Sansone had kept in contact and kept assuring me that Daley would come through with the interview. I was starting to worry, but threw that energy into the next part, a section called 'Diversions'.
This section is a several paragraph mini-article about things to do in a day in Chicago. I refused to go the typical high-brow (boring) route. I wanted to list stuff real people did and enjoyed. I researched on the web and through friends. I came up with several activities such as a Shoreline Sightseeing Cruise, a ball game at Wrigley Field and a concert at Ravinia. I was happy with this part.
Later I would realize that the 'Diversions' section contained the one error I did not catch. I mentioned the 146 foot Ferris wheel at Navy Pier. I never liked the metric system and it came back to bite me here, as the Ferris wheel is actually 146 metres or about 3 times the size I listed. Oooops.
That made 3 parts down, one in limbo and one to go. The last part I did was the highlighting of 3 restaurants and 3 hotels in Chicago. Again, I did not want to go with the standard easy choices. I wanted to pick places from a Chicagoan's point of view.
For restaurants, I picked Gibson's, Costa's and LaLuce. I have eaten at each and each is outstanding. For hotels, I chose the Amalfi (a trendy hotel just north of the river), the Sheraton (an awesome hotel with a great view of everything) and the Peninsula (a favorite of GT readers, as well).
Like in any great drama, just when I thought it was hopeless, Sansone came through for me and I had my interview with Mayor Daley! I couldn't have been more pleased!
I breathed a sigh of relief and anxiously waited for the article to appear in print. Coincidentally, I received a copy direct from Fran Gallagher (the Publisher), while I was in New York for a GT event. I absolutely loved seeing it in print.
I really appreciated Fran and Lisa for giving me the chance. I give thanks to Brian, Kate, Jennifer and Mayor Daley for their cooperation. I also thank Laurie for honing my skills at Lerner and giving me confidence to be able to do such a piece ("she started it").

I Love My Coke

After my local White Hen eliminated Coke products from their fountain beverage selections, I was angry, not to mention thirsty. I had a nice routine of getting a turkey sandwich and a fountain Coke for lunch most of the time. I'd maybe get another fountain Coke later in the day.
Most of my friends question my (sanity and) allegiance to fountain Cokes. I staunchly maintain the Coke is the best beverage and fountain Coke is the best option. Most of my friends eventually agree that fountain beverages do taste better. Eventually, they realize that not all fountain Cokes are created equal.
I was espousing this theory to Laurie when she suggested I write a column about my search for the best fountain Coke in my area. Some people might say that was her way to get me to shut up (and they might be partially correct), but Laurie would never use her newspaper like that. She legitimately thought it would make an interesting column.
I was excited and I worked very hard to make it a good column. I was willing to drink as many fountain Cokes as necessary to ensure the column was credible.
Writing for Laurie was always interesting. She is a tough Editor and I loved the challenge and the synergy. Laurie has a knack for making any piece so much better without ever losing the voice and feel of the author. I have to say I was ecstatic with the outcome and a few of her readers even voiced their pleasure with it, too!
A copy of the Coke column now hangs in Rex's Italian Foods in Norridge (IL). I giggle silently every time I see it there and I know it wouldn't be there without Laurie (much like this blog). I had no writing career (just a long dormant interest in writing). Now, whatever writing I do really does stem back to those columns Laurie encouraged me to write.

My Coke Guest Column from the Lerner Times-January 1, 2003.

Johngy in Print

Believe it or not, I have written several pieces which have been published by legitimate, credible publications. I have written serious pieces and I have written not-so-serious opinion pieces.
My most "prolific" period was 2002-2004. I was the Director of Circulation at Lerner Newspapers in Chicago (IL). Lerner occasionally ran guest columns. Most of my columns were printed in the Lerner Times, which had an adventurous, successful Editor at the helm. Laurie had a very loyal following, because she was talented and she knew her readers. However, my first piece in this period was written for my local newspaper, the Skokie Life.
It started when I went to the local White Hen for my usual lunch of a turkey sandwich and a big fountain Coke. During my purchase, Joe (one of the Managers) told me the White Hen was switching from fountain Coke products to fountain Pepsi products.
As a staunch Coke drinker, this deeply saddened me. (Okay, it enraged me.) I wrote a letter to the Editor of the Skokie Life, the late Don Alexander, a likable curmudgeon.
It was a bit long for a letter, but Alexander ran it as a 'Guest Column'. My "writing" career was back on track, although it wouldn't "flourish" until I started appearing in Laurie's Lerner Times. More on that in future posts.

My Guest Column from the Lerner Life-November 14, 2002.