It’s the summer again and I’m completely bored. So, I’ve decided to do a couple of projects for Towson’s Starving Journalist, my feature writing blog. I have two ideas for feature stories that I can cover.

The weekend after Independence Day, July 9-11, is the Shoreleave Convention in the Hunt Valley/ Timonium area. Guests at the three-day science fiction event include Edward James Olmos, Blade Runner and television’s Battlestar Galactica, Katie Sackhoff, Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica, and other science fiction actors and writers. I will be interviewing people at the convention, particularly the dealers and writers attending for discussions and autographs.

There are a bunch of stories I could write for the blog based on that idea. The only thing is that I don’t know any Towson students coming for the event. Some of the people sitting on the couches in the University Union are interested in a different convention called Balticon, which involves so much more than science fiction such as fantasy, steampunk, comics and more.

Another idea I have is to do a business story on a relatively new new age gift shop/cafe and holistic center that just opened up in my neighborhood. I know the owner personally and I can set up an appointment with her and maybe some other people who teach and perform different practices of holism such as reiki, yoga, therapeutic massage and tai chi. I could also interview a few people who attend the events in the cafe and go to meetings in the holism and yoga center.

I have a short time to do any of this because I’m taking a summer class starting next week and summer goes by pretty fast, so I better get to it. Until then, stay tuned for more of This American Campus and Towson’s Starving Journalist. Later!

Professor JoAnne Broadwater of Towson University is a former reporter for the Baltimore Sun and has 25 years of experience in freelance. Photo by Rachel Beth Ahrens.

JoAnne Broadwater is a Towson University professor who teaches Introduction to Mass Communication, Journalism and New Media I and Feature Writing. A former Towson alum, she has had experience as a freelance writer and a reporter for the Baltimore Sun and she continues to prepare students for the changing journalism field.

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The anchor’s lead in was very effective, telling how the pharaoh was “worshiped as a god” but he had many physical problems. Later in the story, reporter’s writing was brief and easy to understand, yet very descriptive of the matters at hand. Although the audio story didn’t have any natural sound, the actualities made up for it by explaining the king’s pain and describing his illnesses from inbreeding. The writer also helped visualize the topic by describing how scientists found that Tut had a swollen, clubbed foot and his bones were dying from a degenerative disease.

There were a few problems with the story, however. The writer could have made the report shorter since four minutes is a long time to listen to a full story. One thing is that he could have left out or shortened the part on the speculation of how Tut had physical feminine qualities and an odd head shape. It was nice to know that, but I didn’t need to know the details of that unless the facts were true. The reporter confirmed that Tut didn’t have any feminine qualities and his head shape was normal, unlike some scientists’ assumptions. I would have liked to hear more than just the two speakers that were used in the story and it would have been nice if some natural sound was used from the machines for the tests done.

Overall, interesting listen and great story on a young Egyptian king.

Listen to the full report here

See video>>>>

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Sophomore exercise science major and bassist Brian Diller performs at Paws in the group Railaway.

Rock-reggae band Railaway performed at Battle of the Bands last semester, but lost to The Dialogue. However, they have a following and they still plan to sign up for the event again in the spring. 

Learn more about Brian Diller, the bass player of Railaway, at the Local Scene Concert that took place on November 17. 

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So, here’s what I’m thinking about doing:

For my trunk, I will briefly explain what this beat is about with some quotes from students about the different things happening and how they’re enjoying it. The links to the stories will be inside the trunk, which will include the drag show, the slideshow of Railaway at the Local Scene concert, the Russian cult film event, and a few other events in the past.

The video will include the Towson University Marching Band, who will be having a send off on Monday because they are the only college marching band who will be walking down Broadway in Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. Or, I could cover the Central America celebration on Thursday, December 3 (the week after Thanksgiving).

The FAQ’s page will contain questions pertaining to the beat and the different articles that are in the pages. They will be like: What does LGBT stand for? What is slacklining? Et cetera.

There will also be two additional articles that go with the blog, including the “Meet the Greeks” event back in September with some information on the band that played there, LVT, and the slacklining that took place outside of Smith Hall for most of the semester.

I was going to go to the informational event with the former Playboy girl who was diagnosed with HIV at the age of 22 yesterday, but I decided to take all the time I had last night working on the slideshow project. 

I think all of that should do the trick. I have all of the information on my IOmega external hard drive, in this blog and in my notebook. All I would need to do now is to get information on a couple more events by the end of this semester, write and edit everything, and that will be it.

I just hope I’ll have enough time to put it all together and finish another big paper for a different class all by the last week of class. Both the non linear story and the paper for Political Science are due in the exact same week. Oh dear.

“I’m staring at the mess I made…”

There is a band that’s an unsung hero of the Towson area called Railaway. I’ve interviewed them in the past for a different article on Battle of the Bands last semester. See it here: http://tiger.towson.edu/~rahren1/pages/thedialogue.html

However, the article was mainly about the event and I focused mostly on The Dialogue, who won that evening and eventually played for Tigerfest 2009 with All American Rejects. This time, I’m going to focus on that one band in particular and tell the story of their music journey and what plans they have in the near future.

Are they going to perform at the Battle of the Bands concert again next semester? Do they have a following? How did they start? Have they recorded anything? How are they holding up or are they breaking up soon?

The answers I will provide shortly, before the Thanksgiving holiday. I will also report with the fans who chant “Railaway! Railaway! Railaway!” every time they come on to the stage.

See you at the show!

Apparently, I don’t have to create my own video story, so that’s not such a big deal. Whew!

However, there is a slideshow story that’s due in a couple of weeks, so I might want to get started on that soon. I’m currently playing with some ideas. The slideshow assignment needs to be a profile story, so it has to be about a person.

I could have called Recher Theatre sometime earlier to do an interview with solo artist Ingrid Michealson or rock band Say Anything, but Michealson’s concert is tonight and there’s no way I can fit in an interview with her or the band right now.

Here are my other ideas:
*Interview someone at the So You Think You Can Dance? dance off competition at Paws at 7 p.m. on November 12.
*Interview one of the contestants at the Mr. TU Male Beauty Pageant at Susquehanna Terrace, 7-9 p.m., November 9.
*Get a profile story on rock band Railaway after they perform at the Local Scene concert on November 17 in Paws. Railaway is a band that performed at Battle of the Bands last semester, with a whole bunch of fans cheering them on. They lost the competition, so they didn’t play at Tigerfest, but they’re back for the upcoming concert to perform anyway. I have a good reputation with them because I interviewed them last semester for a hard news story on the Battle of the Bands concert, but I really didn’t get much of their profile in there. So, this may be a good idea to get an interview in with them.

That’s really all I have because there’s not much I can find in order to do an interview with someone. I was thinking of interviewing Rebekka Armstrong, a former Playboy Playmate, who was diagnosed with HIV when she was 22. She’s going to be a guest speaker for HIV and AIDS awareness on November 19, but that’s when the story is due.

I wish there was someone else I could interview that also fits in with this beat that sounds interesting enough.

One of the drag queens dances before an audience of college students at the Queer Student Union Drag Show.

Don’t be shy! Get down with the drags and have a little fun! Students were exposed to the LGBT community and viewed a drag show at Towson University.  Listen to this story on the QSU’s biannual event held during homecoming week. http://thisamericancampustu.wordpress.com/towson-goes-drag-page1