Here’s some news for anyone who reads my column in the Salem Every-0ther-Weekly. My column, Desperately Seeking Salem, has been cut from the paper. I got the message this afternoon from the paper’s new editor, Shawn Estes, who replaced Eric Howald, the guy who turned the paper around and brought me on last year.
I wish I could say that after much discussion, I have decided to stop doing the column, but that just isn’t the case. As Shawn told me this afternoon, it just doesn’t fit with the current direction of the Every-other-Weekly.
Gotta say I completely agree with that.
For those of you who have read and loved the column, thank you. For my trolls, I love you, too! Thanks for being the bees in my bonnet!
It was a good run.
With no Salem Every-other-weekly column to write, I can write more for the blog. I guess it’s time to start taking ads.
UPDATE: Added an old Emily: Angry! pic for good measure. No worries, I’m not angry. I’d like to announce that I’m spending more time with my family (as if anyone can spend any more time with family when she’s at home with a 5-month-old).
RIDICULOUSNESS. Though if this means more Emily blogging, I am all for it.
This is too bad. It was one of the only readable things in the (bi) weekly.
Thanks for reading it, Adam! Perhaps it really does work better as a blog. Oh, new media, you meddling kids did it again!
Are you kidding me?!? New Direction? What frickin’ direction is that?
Looking forward to reading you wherever I can.
Thanks, Will. I have some mag stories in the works that I’ll link to when they come out.
Not sure the direction, but my column is being replaced by “Ask a Mexican.” Ironic, no?
Ha! I couldn’t script it any better! Tee hee.
Isn’t Ask A Mexican a National column? How does that address the Salem voice? Not sure I understand.
For my vote, I felt your voice worked just fine in the paper and was more than reasonable outside of a blogging context. Great writing and regional perspective that I enjoyed a great deal.
Thanks, Ryan. I like the conversation. Strangely, it happened more on the blog anyway… but I did get to meet such great people through the column!
And yes, Ask a Mexican is written by a reporter for the Los Angeles Times.
http://www.askamexican.net/
Unbelievable. I don’t always understand the “direction” things take around Salem in general. Seems like a “non direction” to me. I will continue to read the blog. Thanks for writing it!!
Thanks, Kirsten. I think I’m going to ramp up the blogging now that the UO semester is over and my baby is sleeping pretty darn well, thank you very much.
Wow, I actually looked for the Salem Monthly because of your articles.
And to your benefit, I’ve often taken my family to places you’ve written about. Our new favorite restaurant is WoM.
Oh well, their loss… good thing I have your blog bookmarked.
We were just at Word of Mouth on Wednesday. It wasn’t that busy, and our server actually took our baby so we could eat uninterrupted. Unbelievable!
What! You and Eric revived that paper. I guess if I look at the bright side, now I don’t have to go searching all over town trying to figure out where I can pick up the latest copy. I’ll just look for you online. Please link to your other work. Good luck, you’ll find plenty of buyers for your words and perspectives. I just wish eatsalem.com had the money to pay you.
Oh dear, Salem Man. The magazine work is going very well right now. I just had a blurb run in AAA Via, gotta track that down. Sigh. I know well how tenuous freelancing is and I never wrote the column for the money. I have missed Eric’s direction very much, and I’m guessing the readers will, too. He was the unsung hero of the SM revival.
So they dropped the only reason that I would pick up and open a copy of SM/SW/SEOW on a regular basis? WTF? Ask another Mexican? You can see where the appeal of that column is lost on me. Meh. You rule Emily.
Are you Mexican, Nick? Well then, if I have any questions about Mexican-ness, you can be sure I’ll just pop you a line. That column is written by a guy in Los Angeles and is likely being syndicated by the new SM editor. Probably costs less to pay for syndication. Could be an interesting way to try to increase readership among local Latinos, if that’s what they’re going for, but personally, I think they should have replaced DSS with another local perspective. If you really want to read Ask a Mexican you can do that all over the web already.
Sad that the management at Salem Monthly didn’t see the perspective you brought. An honest and fresh look at the good, the bad, the stoopid, the amusing, the unappreciated in Salem. Just when I thought we were making some cultural progress in Salem! Well, I’ve got you bookmarked…keep up the good work.
Thanks, Alik, that’s sweet. I wish that every person who lost something they cared about got such great support from strangers. I feel like Arrested Development!
Bummer…though a good thing for your site! What a weird decision on the part of SWSM. Another example of Salem going for the chain vs. the real deal, something that plays out every year when folks choose their favorite “local” restaurants.
Bummer about the death of your column….but just as you took the opportunity to show us what’s new and fresh and interesting about Salem, I’m sure you’ll make this into a cool new and fresh and interesting thing for you and your bright writing career. I’m looking forward to it! And maybe I’ll catch you for dinner at Jan & Chris’ real soon, would love to meet that handsome young man from your photos (not Adam, I’ve met him!)
Thanks, Cara. Dash is humungous! He must be 20 lbs. by now. Giant, adorable baby. Hope we see you at the Nordlund’s sometime!
Oh man! You are our Arrested Development — chopped in your prime. Not cool. However, I love your blog so I’m happy that there may be even more of it for me to read these days.
After losing half my job recently (the good old economically-challenged business was like, “yeah, you’re gonna have to do your job in 25 hrs/wk now, sorry you can’t afford your first home after all!”) I realized that having the extra time to be not-at-work was really great. I’m more creative and have more fun getting home earlier. I walk the dog or cook a complicated dish for dinner… I have been unwilling to get another full-time job since, in fact. I hope this change works out similarly wonderfully for you. Financial implications not included (I really wanted that house).
Well, SM was never exactly paying the mortgage. It was but a small blip in my invoice folder, but I liked writing the column very much. I’m doing more work this year than I did last year around this time… but am naturally struggling with the same things that all work-at-home mamas struggle with.
I’m sorry you can’t afford your first home! We’re still in super savings mode. Does that mean I can’t visit you at your workplace like we talked about? I’m back to cooking now that the baby can sit by himself and watch. Three months ago, I thought I’d never want to see a pot again!
Thanks for caring, Sophie, it’s the readers who made it worth it.
Oh no- say it isn’t so!
A sad loss for Salem Monthly – even if they don’t realize it (yet).
Time for me to add your blog to my RSS feed.
Emily — you can still visit me at my workplace like we talked about — said restaurant is my second job to help supplement the lost office-job income. We still can’t afford a house, but maybe the truth is I just don’t want what’s really in our price range. Our little apartment has tons of window light and a great kitchen, so I really can’t complain!
I’m glad you are able to be cooking more again! I can’t imagine managing a household, a babe and a home-based business. Amazing.
Well that’s good news. We’ll have to make a trip down to Salem’s hoppingest new neighborhood.
Re: managing baby, business and household — I didn’t say I was good at any of it! But something has to fall by the wayside. Generally, it’s the house.
This is why I don’t subscribe to the Statesman anymore. Sad. Glad I will still get your e-mails along with my Oregonian!
Thanks! Never did write for the Statesman… that was Salem Weekly, Monthly, or Every-other-weekly. This kind of stuff happens all the time in the world of journalism. My cheeks have not lost their luster.
Glad to see you still have your luster. I assumed the bi-weekly was published by the Statesman. That’s embarrassing Now, I have some luster in my cheeks too!