Behind the Scenes: Community columnists (still) wanted

I am appreciative of everyone who responded. But it has occurred to me that I should have been more specific on the sorts of columns we’re searching for.

Well, as I like to say (sometimes multiple times a day; ask my co-workers, they’ll vouch): Details are boring.

What we are looking for — what we are really in need of — are columnists to cover the goings on in their local Gorge communities. Things like: What’s going on at the school. Community events. Club gatherings. Fundraising dinners. New businesses. Holiday happenings. Happenings in general.

In other words, all of the little things that make a community what it is.

There are so many small communities in the Gorge. Since we cover five counties, it can be hard (well, it’s impossible, really) to cover every single one. That’s where community columnists come in — they serve as our feet on the ground.

You may be asking yourself, “Trisha, do people even care what’s going on in my community?” And I would say yes, they do — because we all live in the Gorge, and it’s interesting to see the similarities and differences between our little spaces in it. We also serve as the official newspaper of record for the entire area, meaning we preserve the stories of those small communities for generations to come.

That sounds dramatic, but it’s the truth.

What we’re not looking for are opinion columns or anything even remotely political. (You can write a letter to the editor for that.) I did get a couple of cool pitches for what I’ll call “issue” columns that will begin in January. I’m going to purposely leave you in suspense here as to the contents, but I’m excited that my query resulted in topics that wouldn’t get a lot of coverage otherwise.

So again I’m putting it out there: Community columnists are wanted in all parts of the Gorge. To find out more, email me at trishaw@gorgenews.com, or call 541-386-1234 ext. 109.