The Mackerel Wrapper

A weblog for Pete Ellertsen's mass communications students at Benedictine University Springfield.

Friday, February 20, 2009

COMM 209:In class Friday

The Good Interview by Laurie Hertzel, writing coach at The Star Tribune in Minneapolis, who compiled these tips on interviewing for her monthly newsletter, Above the Fold. She has a couple of good things to say about surprise ... how to ask questions that surprise your source, get answers that surprise you, too, and surprise your readers.

Something to know about your journalism teacher: He likes surprises.

Something else to know: So do readers!

* * *

Scribbling with Purpose by Steve Buttry, writing coach at The Omaha World-Herald, who compiled this handout for a workshop he developed on taking notes. Good advice. Always timely.

Followed by interviews for the profile of your classmate that's due Monday (to be posted above over the weekend).
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About Me

Springfield (Ill.), United States
I'm a retired English, journalism and cultural studies teacher at Springfield College in Illinois (acquired by Benedictine University and subsequently closed). I coordinate jam sessions for the "Clayville Pioneer Academy of Music" at Clayville Historic Site and the Prairieland Strings dulcimer club, and I sing in the choir and the contemporary praise team at Peace Lutheran Church in Springfield. On Hogfiddle I post links and video clips for our sessions and workshops on the mountain dulcimer (a.k.a. "hog fiddle"), as well as research notes on folklore and cultural studies, hymnody and traditional Anglo-Celtic and Scandinavian music. I also posted assignments and readings in my interdisciplinary humanities classes. The Mackerel Wrapper (now on hiatus), carried assignments and readings for my mass comm. students. I started teaching b/log when I chaired SCI-Benedictine's assessment committee, and reopened it as the privatization of public schools grew increasingly troubling and closer to home.