Syracuse University Ed2010

One of the first things Esquire writer Chris Jones told his audience gathered in the Herg last Tuesday afternoon is that he has a reputation for being a dick. “This is a safe room. You can say whatever you want,” Jones said. “Later, if you bash me on Twitter, I’ll work to end your career.”

Jones writes because he doesn’t like talking much. And when he writes, he writes for magazines, not books. He didn’t go to J-school. In high school, teachers told him he should be a writer. But he got an undergrad degree in politics instead. And then a masters in urban planning. Go figure.

After what he claims was the worst job interview of all time, Jones got hired at a Canadian newspaper and became one of 12 inexperienced writers who worked under one enthusiastic editor. Though Jones’ roots are in sports writing, he now works under his contract with Esquire, for which he writes six feature stories a year.

Read on to find out more about the talented writer who won the National Magazine Awards for feature writing in 2005 for his Esquire story “Home,” about astronauts stranded Continue reading →

This past Friday, creative writer Denise Grollmus came to Syracuse to chat with Ed members about breaking into the magazine industry, developing writing skills, and surviving in a competitive industry.

Her story began when she graduated in 2003 as an English major from Oberlin, a liberal arts college in Ohio. She started freelance music writing, then graduated and got an internship at the Akron Beacon Journal where she covered events like rock festivals. She noticed that with dailies, she wasn’t able Continue reading →

Ed is gearing up for the latest event!

Denise Grollmus reports from the street and from her subjects’ brains, delving into their innermost pathos and sketching the scenes that tell the best, most vivid stories. Her writing cuts to the heart of current issues and speaks to real people’s problems, whether those be personal, crime-, or sweater-related.

Need proof? Read Denise’s article about her “rock’n'roll” relationship with Black Keys drummer, Patrick Carney, or her thoughts on the Joe Paterno scandal and the Danger of Making Gods Out of Men.

Grollmus’s work has appeared in The Best American Crime Writing 2006, Spin magazine, Salon.com, Wax Poetics, The Cleveland Scene and other Village Voice Media papers. She is currently at work on a memoir and her MFA in creative nonfiction at Pennsylvania State University. Visit her on the web at denisegrollmus.com and check out more of her published work.

She’ll give edsters advice on standing out and being creative with your writing, the importance of blogging, and breaking into the world of freelance.

WHO: Denise Grollmus, freelance writer
WHERE: Check your Ed2010 listserv!
WHEN: THIS Friday, March 2nd, 3:00 PM

Like always, Ed will be serving mid-afternoon treats. See you all there!

Last Friday afternoon members of Ed2010 gathered to chat about the magazine industry, internships, and beer with Matt Allyn, Bicycling.com’s online editor. The 2007 alum who doubles as a certified beer judge and home brewer traveled back to his alma mater for an insider event with Ed.

Allyn was originally a mechanical engineering major before transferring to Newhouse and graduating with a magazine journalism degree. After gaining campus experience editing for Jerk’s Opinions/Noise sections and writing for What the Health, Allyn was ready to tackle his first internship at Men’s Health. There he worked as a Front of Book editorial intern where he learned that good writing has to be surprising, actionable, and concise. “If you can write long, you can write short,” Allyn said. At Men’s Health, he realized the value of incorporating service into stories. “Good service comes from specifics,” he said.

While interviewing, Allyn said Continue reading →