Mary Jessica Hammes

Goodness!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:32:00 +0000

The best place to catch me these days is my blog , which is miraculously being updated again.

Lately, I've been writing for baby gooroo, the Athens Banner-Herald, and Georgia Magazine. I blog and maintain social media for the Etiquette & Leadership Institute and do a fair bit of editing work for Stislow Design + Illustration. Past clients include Flower Magazine and Mothering Magazine. I regularly teach feature writing workshops to high school students through the Georgia Scholastic Press Association. Fine people, all of them.

Also, I'm here, in a nutshell.

As you were.

Good heavens!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 01:53:00 +0000

Oh, hi everyone....I'm still alive!

I have happily spent many months writing on deadline and spending time with my son (now 3!) and husband and cats (Plinko, Hera, and Mister Lewis Burrows)...and learning how to grow our own food in our yard...and practicing hula hoop tricks...and drawing more comics...and co-directing a pirate-themed trapeze show...and finishing one YA fantasy novel and starting another...and getting thoroughly absorbed in Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica...

Hmm. Perhaps I should post some links to my articles, yes? Well, I certainly will. Soon. But first I must work on my essay for ATHICA's upcoming show, "Nurture" - I'm the guest essayist! - and finish an article for babygooroo.com.

'Til next time!

It's been too long!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:36:00 +0000

Have I really not posted since DECEMBER? For shame! At least I've got a good excuse: lots of work (Mothering Magazine, Athens Banner-Herald, Athens Magazine, Babygooroo, all sorts of good folks), lots of deadlines, and of course there's the whole hanging-out-with-a-2-year-old-thing.

Speaking of said toddler: it's pretty sweet to have such a lovely source of writing inspiration at all times. Writing for Babygooroo continues to be fun, and I particularly like this recent article over there about homeschooling and unschooling.

Also! I got to interview Michelle Duggar about breastfeeding for nearly two decades!

(For more of my Babygooroo stuff, go here.)

Oh yes - I've also just learned that I'll be writing centerpieces for the Athens Banner-Herald's new parenting section, which you can read starting sometime in June. Hooray!

I'll also be at the Harriette Austin Writers Conference this summer - I've got a book that needs publishing (well, I think so, at least).

Alright - my son is taking a late nap, and I'm going to get back to work!

A first!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:29:00 +0000

My first national magazine piece (that wasn't ghost-written) is out now!

It's a little strange seeing my face on the contributor's page...

Happy holidays, of course!

Nope.

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:39:00 +0000

If you'd like to learn all about how I plan to ruin Tommy's childhood by telling him Santa isn't real, please feel free to read all about it right here in my latest Babygooroo article. Ho ho ho!

Meanwhile, Tommy is enjoying watching his first Minutemen video. "Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing" just ended and he shouted, "Hooray!"

So, what have I been doing for the past few months?

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:33:00 +0000

Guess what? I am not dead, nor has any great calamity descended upon me. I've just been writing my brains out! I better watch out for zombies!

I'm still happily providing at least an article a week to Babygooroo, and have been helping expand the site to include new writers of the dad persuasion. It's been such a pleasure to find new writers, and I'm really proud of the information we provide over there (and how we provide it). You can see a list of my most recent articles for the Web site here!

I've also been pitching in on editing over at Athens Magazine while the editor is enjoying maternity leave, and I've kept up a steady stream of articles for them, too - in fact, I've got the cover story for the current issue.

One of my favorite articles I've worked on for the Athens Banner-Herald is the one I wrote on alternative building methods. I had the wonderful experience of spending time with Clare Adams, whose hand-built cob houses are gorgeous. Hanging out on her beautiful land and getting to know her lovely family reminded me how lucky I am with my work.

Eco weddings, Edward Cullen & art, always art

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:07:00 +0000

Hi, folks! How's your summer going? Me? Oh, I've just been crashing weddings, looking at gorgeous art, researching the highly scientific subject of vampire fandom and writing about it all - you know, the usual. Here's the sample:

"A week before their July 12 wedding, Beth Turnell and Rick Selleck didn't quite know what food would be on the table. They had a general idea, but so much depended on what would be growing and ready at local farms, especially New Ground Farm in Athens.

"On a recent visit to the farm, the bride and groom to-be surveyed the crops with their friends at Lee Epting Catering, who had agreed to create a wedding menu based almost entirely on what was available locally. Menu planner Emmanuel Stone sampled some tomatoes fresh from the vine, and owner Lee Epting plucked a handful of ripe blackberries.

"Stone ran his hand over some tall stalks of Johnson grass.

" 'Beth,' he said, 'what do you think about some of that in the glass bottles?'

" 'Yeah!' she said appreciatively."

The wedding, as you might expect, was absolutely gorgeous ("That night, children played in the grass on the front lawn as guests comfortably spread out with their bamboo plates of food, having served themselves from earthenware bowls on tables blanketed with moss, white hydrangeas and candles") and you can read more here.

Tip: Scanning dried photos on your scanner will not make your art as beautiful as Robert Creamer's. I know, I tried, because I was so inspired after interviewing him and looking at his work. (Not to worry, Mr. Creamer, you have absolutely no competition from me.)

Here's a sample of that article:
" 'Poppy with Morning Dew' is as fresh as it sounds, with beaded moisture clinging to the warm, coral-red flower. 'Lotus Position No. 1' is all ripe lushness with one open bloom beneath a burgeoning bud, plump and pink-tipped, at the top of a spring green stem.

"Those pictures are beautiful, but so is 'Peony After Degas,' in which fuchsia petals are crumbling and brown at the edges, curling into themselves. 'WindBurst' features a ruined lily, the color of a purple-back bruise, dusted with rich gold pollen that has seemingly just exploded near the old, curling stamen." Read more here.

Finally, I had the SUPREME pleasure of interviewing some of the most articulate, bright and lovely middle school girls about their favorite subject: The "Twilight" series. Here's just a bit:

"What do Katie and Gemma think of the hot and heavy kissing scenes?

" 'I don't mind it,' says Katie. 'I'm not like, 'Eww.''

'I don't either,' says Gemma.

'I always think it's weird how they trace each other's features,' giggles Katie, referring to Edward's habit of stroking Bella's cheek or hair. 'I'm like, what?'

'She apparently likes it,' shrugs Gemma.

'So weird!' says Katie. 'I also think it's kind of funny because he's like, 107, an old man!' "

Preach it, girls! For the record, they also think Edward is "moody and overprotective." Hee! You can read the whole story here, and the sidebar, in which fans posited their predictions for "Breaking Dawn," here.

'Til next time!

It's been too long, friends

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:02:00 +0000

Why, it's positively shameful how long it's taken for me to update this thing!

As I expected, teaching feature writing to high schoolers was an utter joy - especially since all of the proper stars aligned and I ended up with 12 of the brightest, funniest, sweetest, wonderful-est students I could have hoped for. I'm really proud of the work they did on their newspaper. Not a bad way to spend a week!

If you're in Athens, pick up the latest copy of Athens Magazine - I've got the cover story on kitchen renovations, as well as a smaller feature on road trip season. (Neither are online...so get thee to a bookstore!)

Some exciting ongoing projects include writing a script for an online marketing video (for the first time - I'm having fun!), and there's always my weekly parenting column at Babygooroo; click here to see a handy list of my recent stories there.

At the moment, I'm knee-deep in vampires and werewolves and Bella Swan. Oh, yes. I'm writing about "Twilight" for the local paper, in anticipation of "Breaking Dawn" coming out on Aug. 2 (which I am so reading).

Until next time (which will be sooner, promise):

"Some are ethereal and light, with candy-sweet pinks and blues. One bottle is so wispy it could be a little glass ghost, softly resting against sandy-colored ground and a cloud-filled sky." Read more here (and yes, there is TOTALLY a Dalek reference!)

"Swarms of jellyfish gently undulate near the ceiling to the tune of whale songs and bubbly underwater sounds. A 40-foot whale swims on one wall against flat waves of blue, green and lavender. Tiny crabs and starfish are underfoot, and seaweed and coral reefs push up from sand-colored hardwood floor. When it's finished, an enormous octopus with five-foot long legs will sprawl in the middle of the room." The Lyndon House Arts Center was transformed into an aquarium, thanks to the efforts of a bunch of summer campers; read more here.

"Mildred Rutherford - former Athens resident, T.R.R. Cobb's niece and the historian for the UDC from 1910 to 1915 - made 75 scrapbooks chronicling the organization's history, gave frequent educational lectures in period dress, and lobbied for various causes.

'Mildred Rutherford vehemently opposed women's suffrage, but she went to the legislature to make that case,' says Cox. 'It's such a contradiction - she was being political about not wanting to vote!'"

I loved interviewing Karen Cox about the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Read more here.

Take care, all!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Sat, 31 May 2008 18:39:00 +0000

I no longer feel the heat of summer, for lo, I have an ice cream maker and a lot of recipes for vegan ice cream. Rock.

And of course, I've been writing!

"Vitale's two large paintings are riots of color; at first glance, they don't even seem to be made with watercolor, the colors are so deep, heavy. Her smaller paintings are quieter moments with lighter colors, and suggest abstract images of nature. Meanwhile, her two acrylic pieces in the show belong to other worlds entirely: one of a constant wintry night, as seen in her painting of bare tree limbs, or perhaps an alien planet with a purple sky and unpredictable landforms, as seen in an enormous abstract painting." That's from an article I wrote about a thoroughly enjoyable art show I reviewed; read the rest here!

I also had the extreme pleasure of reviewing a gorgeous show by Margaret Morrison. Do yourself a favor and look at this painting for a minute. Or, I don't know, maybe this one while you're at it. There are more images at the article. Here's an excerpt from that, by the way: "There's a shared sense of place in many of Margaret Morrison's oil paintings, and one gets the feeling something very bad has happened there."

In other news, I have several parenting articles up at Babygooroo, and you can read them all (covering topics from traveling with your kid to advice on working from home) here. I've also been finishing up several articles for the next issue of Athens Magazine, available in fine local bookstores.

Finally, I am super excited about teaching feature writing again this summer to a bunch of bright and wonderful high school students at the prestigious Georgia Journalism Academy. Just two weeks away! What an honor!

So. Much. Stuff.

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Sun, 04 May 2008 18:44:00 +0000

I'm very proud of two recent articles I wrote: one that is a collection of extra-unique local birth stories (one woman had her baby in parking lot!) which can be read here, and one that is a preview for a showing of "The Business of Being Born," and the issues surrounding maternity care and birth in the U.S., which can be read here.

Whew!

I also had a great deal of fun getting to know some local crafters for this story. And it was an honor to get to interview Andrew Manze, conductor of the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, for this article. (I believe I reached him at a hotel in Sweden - the person who answered the phone spoke in Swedish, and I very brightly replied, "Er, hello!" Of course she immediately began speaking in English. Wouldn't it be nice if most Americans had the same skill?)

I recently covered a city-wide arts event which featured visual and performance art in unexpected places; read it here. I've also been busy covering some local theater, like a UGA production of "Uncle Vanya" (read it here!) and a community theater production of "Beyond Therapy" (read it here!). Good ole Chekhov and Durang!

I also covered a new local film festival, which presented the sobering documentary "Burning the Future," about coal mining in Virginia; read it here. (Here's a lengthy preview of the film on youtube; it's pretty astonishing, really.)

Finally (for now), the State Botanical Garden of Georgia turned 40, and I wrote about it here. I do love that place, and getting to go there, wander around and take notes on what was in bloom was a very pleasant part of research for the article!

Um, did I mention I have a kid? No wonder I haven't updated lately. I think I need a nap! As always, I'm very happy to be able to write this much, and I'll be back soon!

FLUKE!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:32:00 +0000

ust checking in super quick to say there are two great articles on FLUKE this weekend, both of which extensively quote my smart-soundin' husband, Robert.

Item 1,

and

Item 2.

Hope to see some of y'all there!

New writing project!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:47:00 +0000

This web site is in dire need of updating - turns out there are a LOT more articles I've written lately than I thought! I also need to update my resume. I'll get around to that...after I finish judging some literary magazines for the Georgia Scholastic Press Association and write a few more articles!

For now, I just wanted to share some really exciting news. I'm now a weekly contributor to BabyGooRoo (cute name, eh?).

I am absolutely flattered that Amy Spangler asked me to contribute. You might have heard of her name - she's an incredibly well-respected nurse and lactation expert, and she's written several books on breastfeeding. She's also just all-around awesome. (Thanks to Cameron for facilitating introductions!)

I'll be writing a mix of research-type articles on all sorts of parenting issues, as well as stories based on personal experiences (y'know...kind of like a blog). You can read my first post here!

And you can see the kind of amazing company I'm keeping at the bio page for all contributors (I can hardly believe I'm up there with all of those folks!).

I'm always open to story ideas, so let me know if you have any burning issues you'd be interested in seeing addressed there.

Hooray!

babies' butts and buzzing bees

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:02:00 +0000

I just posted a brief (ho ho ho!) manifesto of sorts on cloth diapering here, where I post my more mama-centric ramblings. And if you feel like reading about an amazing drug-free birth experience, scroll through the older posts and read Cameron's beautiful story of giving birth to her first child in the comfort of her own home. (She's a professional photographer, so there are also lovely photos of wee Owen, as well.)

In other news, I'm proud of the work I did on this article. The kind of terrifying decline of the honeybee isn't exactly breaking news - that was last year - but I feel like I not only pegged an important issue to a timely event (a lecture at UGA) but also managed to really break it down and make it understandable to all readers. That's what I think, anyway!

I've got so much work to do in the meantime, and not all of it will be seen here - editing projects, press releases, that sort of thing. Take care, y'all.

Busy, busy, busy, busy

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 19:35:00 +0000

At the moment, I'm in the middle of writing articles for the Athens Banner-Herald and Athens Magazine. I'm also writing PR and various other projects for Perfectly Polished, an area etiquette school. And, I'm doing some writing and editing for the Brooklyn-based Stislow Design+Illustration, working on an annual report for an educational foundation.

It's good to be busy. And I'm so grateful that I'm able to do all of this work - each project is so different from the others.

So here's a round-up for you!

" 'I didn't make a big deal out of it,' she says of her time away from making music. 'I didn't make them listen to Pylon. In some ways, I think they were surprised.' " That was Vanessa Hay talking, and I got to interview her and a slew of other folks for a story on a Valentine's Day Hoot. What's a Hoot, you ask? Find out here!

In related news, the Banner-Herald asked me and a few other folks to list our top love songs for a Valentine's feature. This was very exciting to me, and harder to compile than I thought! Read it here.

"Batman becomes flamboyant Catman, complete with a cat phone that plays the Meow Mix theme song; old favorite Mandrake the Magician is now Dubya the Decider. His female counterpart, says Contini, is a cross between 1980s cartoon character She-Ra (a pal of He-Man) and Condoleezza Rice." I am, of course, talking about Augusto Boal and the Theatre of the Oppressed movement. Really! Read all about it here.

Finally, I so enjoyed interviewing Ruth Roberson Hughes and speaking about her new book about St. Luke AME, possibly the oldest African-American church in town. She was a total sweetheart, and the book (available in Athens) is part memoir, part history of the church community, and completely fascinating. Read about it here!

'Til next time...

I have been remiss

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 01:50:00 +0000

My goodness, I do apologize for not posting here in so long! I assure you it's because I've been plenty busy.

Some recent highlights:

"'But sometimes I go over to one of the orphans' rooms and play' after the show, she adds. The cast of orphans might all be professionals, but they're also kids: sleepovers among the young girls are common, as are plenty of in-jokes and backstage chatter, she says." It was a real treat to interview the 10-year-old star of the national tour of "Annie" that came to town. I...er...bet your bottom dollar (sorry) you want to read more here.

"Walking through the room takes you throughout the year. Bare branches criss-cross against winter skies. Springtime trees look like cotton candy erupting in blush-pink blossoms. Summery light makes a swamp vibrant. Radiant sunflowers light up autumnal fields, while crimson and gold leaves do the same in dusky shadows." Mmmm, art. Read more about a truly lovely exhibit here.

"One dancer said she was afraid of boiled eggs." Hmmm...what's this about? Trust me, it has something to do with the Atlanta Ballet performing in Athens; read more here.

"Somehow I was really driven, and as I was beating the pavement and trying to rally mainly friends of mine behind the cause of helping a friend, people immediately started confiding to me about their own, or their friends' or families' histories with mental health issues, and gradually I realized the magnitude of the cause at hand." Read more about the origins of Athens' Mental Health Benefit here.

"Here, the saint is disemboweled and having his intestines tugged out and neatly rolled into a primitive version of a windlass, or a machine that moves the anchor chain or rope on a boat. Appropriately, he later became the patron saint of sailors." Juicy! More here.

A quick word: the University of Georgia's College of Public Health just published their first magazine. I'm proud to say that I wrote nearly every article in it; however, there is an error - the very first article in the magazine is attributed to me, but I did not write it. As I know you all hang on my every word, I feel it is my duty to announce this. Stop laughing.

Item!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:32:00 +0000

"Everyone has a right to be unique. Everyone has the right to love and take care of the cat and everyone has the right to die, but this is not an obligation."

That's part of the constitution of the Republic of Uzupis, and a new Athens-based professional theater company draws its inspiration from that bohemian community; read more here.

In some very exciting news, my friend Cameron Clark - possibly one of the hottest pregnant gals I've ever known - has invited me to contribute to a new birth-themed blog; you can read my first post right here.

Cameron is a fantastic photographer (we met when we worked at the same newspaper years ago), too - you can see her work here.

Thanks for the opportunity, Cameron!

Art, dance, rock. Salt & Pepper (go together).

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 02:22:00 +0000

Writing is always an opportunity to learn new things, and I've really enjoyed polishing up my manners while writing PR for the Etiquette & Leadership Institute. For instance, did you know that the pepper and salt shakers should always stay together on their little tray, and that you offer both at the same time? I do!

I spent last summer writing the entirety of the first magazine issue of the University of Georgia's College of Public Health. It came out just a few days ago, and a friend who works there tells me that it's a hit. I am pleased.

I recently dug up an old article of mine (it ran in in 2002), an article on the (sadly) now-deceased Hasil Adkins. I still remember that interview: he was such a sweetheart on the phone. I enjoyed re-reading that story and thought you might like it, too, so here it is.

The local comedy scene is growing, and so is Pete McBrayer's open mic night. My article ishere.

Not far from Athens, there's a new craft studio and studio; think of the Penland School of Crafts for a similar notion. Read the story here.

"A children's yoga class doesn't look or sound much like an adult yoga class. In place of silence, there is often a cheerful cacophony. Instead of long, measured poses, movements are quicker to suit shorter attention spans. Animal names replace Sanskrit names for poses - Mason Vaught's favorite is something he calls 'the turtle,' because 'you walk slow, and if you hear a noise, any noise, you get to hide in your shell.' " Children + yoga = cute. here's my story.

Two local churches collaborated to put on Langston Hughes' "Black Nativity." For more on the play, the music, and thoughts on whether to cast a real child or doll to play Baby Jesus, read here.

"Tango is different than any other dance. It either really speaks to you or it doesn't. You can't dance tango casually." An art show inspired by music has that same sort of passion; read more here.

"On a very cold day, Will Donaldson is standing in his dad's backyard in Bogart. He isn't sure exactly how big the land is, but figures it must be several acres. Green slopes stretch out all around as a tangle of dogs joyously chase and nip around his heels." Sounds pretty pastoral, right? There was a rock festival held there, and you can read all about it here.

Whew! As always, more to come!

So many things!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:57:00 +0000

Please forgive my sporadic updates - but look, I come bearing many a-link!

"What if you could manipulate a road like you could bend and curl a ribbon?" That was the inspiration between one of Athens' new artist-designed bus stops. Read more about them here . One is bright magenta!

"This love affair between audience and celebrity chef sparked a thought in Vance's mind: 'What if he's trapped, he's created this character and can't escape it?'"
Local playwright John Vance's most recent show was a witty take on a miserable celebrity chef who wants out; read more here.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Richie Rich creator Sid Jacobson, who came to Athens to talk, in part, about "The 9/11 Report" graphic adaptation he wrote (with artist Ernie Colon -a highly recommended read). He was just as pleasant in person when I met him after his talk on UGA campus. What a lovely man! It's interesting that the headline writer chose "Comics for Grown-Ups" for my story on his visit, as it suggests that comics are mainly viewed as being created for children. Yet, as Jacobson said during his lecture, "Comics for children are dead." (He was referring to comics created for a young readership made without commercial tie-ins.) Sad and true.

The beaded gauntlet show at the Georgia Museum of Art is pretty stunning; here's my story on it, along with a sidebar on a local artist, Jared Brown, whose had some pretty exciting luck with his own beadwork.

Look for my work in the current issue of Athens Magazine (How to be a Good Host!) and the next issue, too (How to Organize your Life! And yes, I see the hilarity in someone like me writing that).

In other exciting news, I have art up in a comics-themed show at the Lyndon House Arts Center in Athens; you can see snippets of that work, "Clownie & Button-Eyes" here.

And, for fans of the 8-Track Gorilla, I appear in the recent documentary of this wily and mysterious subject, "Tracking the Gorilla." The premiere was Friday night, and I'm pleased to report I don't come off too much of a lunkhead on film (although I was heavily pregnant when interviewed, I was filmed from the chest up, so I just come off as being puffy-faced and a bit out of it - lovely!) There was some talk of it going to SXSW; I'll keep you posted.

Til next time!

Oh, Ichabod

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:33:00 +0000

"Imagine poor Ichabod's dismay: new in town, just blown it with the girl of his dreams, riding home in the spooky woods after an evening of ghost stories, and then, right behind him, he can hear the dreaded noise everyone's warned him about ... Clip clop ... Clip clop."

Clip clop indeed! Read all about that spooky headless dude here! (Free registration required.)

Chekhov & Western swing

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 03:30:00 +0000

Two recent stories:

"...they are supremely unlucky in love, and the audience is privy to miserable marriages and affair after affair. Years pass, children are born, careers take their course. The sisters simply live." Read more about a local production of Chekhov's ever-jovial "The Three Sisters" here (free registration required).

And, for fans of the North Georgia Folk Festival:

"'We were raised on a farm,' begins Mary Lomax. 'We'd work all day in the fields, you know, and then we'd come in and feed the horses, the cows, the pigs. ... After that, we'd go in to eat supper. And my father - we called him Papa - would sing those old songs every once in awhile. And that's how we learned to sing.'" More here (again, free registration required).

More on the way!

Tea, tea, tea. Tea is good for you & me.

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 20:14:00 +0000

"'This has nothing to do with the rules,' says Lori Kunkle, pouring hot vanilla tea from a fine china pot into elegantly mismatched cups in her kitchen.

"She's talking about the imagined rules and sometimes constricting propriety that often surround the business of plants and art and tea - the kind of panicked feelings that might prevent someone from picking up a trowel, paintbrush or teacup for fear of doing it wrong."

I'm just now getting around to posting my article that ran on the tea/art/garden venture I mentioned earlier, and here it is! (Free registration required.)

Bits and pieces

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 19:09:00 +0000

* Spent a week teaching feature writing to a bunch of high schoolers from all over the state at a camp sponsored by UGA's journalism school. Some of the kids were there because someone made them come (as I suspect is always the case with such things), but everyone was a good sport and some of the kids were just amazing -bright, funny, gifted. And we got to make a newspaper! I think they got a kick out of that.

* Two of my features are in the current issue of Athens Magazine.

* Recently filed the last of the stories I wrote for a UGA publication that will be out this fall - that was a huge project!

* Got to interview a lady today about gardens, and she served me tea. Not just tea, though - the whole service, complete with a 3-tiered tray of snacks and sweet dainty cups and saucers. Awesome.

Whistle while you work

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:38:00 +0000

The end is in sight for several large freelance projects! In the meantime...

"The robustly feathered and perky star of the photo "Bluebird Dream" looks like it could land on Snow White's outstretched finger, a cuddly and soft ball of sky-blue and rosy brown feathers."

Read the rest here!

Back online...

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Fri, 18 May 2007 02:24:00 +0000

After a brief hiatus due to laptop repairs, it's good to be back online! A few articles of mine ran in the Athens Banner-Herald; this is the latest. I have a story in the current issue of Athens Magazine about Cine, Athens' new arthouse cinema - on newsstands now! (I just turned in two more feature-length stories for upcoming Athens Mag issues, and had a contributor's photo taken just the other day.)

As always, more coming soon!

A brief respite

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Jessica) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 01:54:00 +0000

Things might slow down a little bit on this site with updates, but that is only because I am blessedly busy with upcoming projects - including several features in Athens Magazine that will run this summer and fall, and lots of work for an internal publication at UGA. Come back to visit, though, and in the meantime, enjoy a Dalek or two.