The following are sessions at this year's Fall Conference.
The official programs will be given to delegates at registration at Arledge Auditorium at Lerner Hall, 115th St. and Broadway on Monday, November 5, 2012.
Registration opens at 8 A.M.at Arledge Auditorium at Lerner Hall on 115th St. and Broadway.
9:30 a.m. - 10:15
a.m.
ADVISERS/LAW &
ETHICS
Advisers and the
law
Adam Goldstein. Student media advisers may have the toughest
• and riskiest • job in school. As advocates of students and employees of the
school, things can get pretty complicated. Get some practical and legal
guidance.
ALL PUBLICATIONS
The Power of the
Huddle
Alan Murray. Learn principles of leadership, teamwork and
ingenuity in managing both web and print publications on a low budget. The
session will discuss strategies for communication, organization and the use of
low-cost tools to help energize staff, attract an audience, and save money.
Verbal-Visual
Connection
Ray Westbrook. To get readers into a story, words alone
won't do. Today's readers demand visual stimulation -so you must work with
artists, designers and photographers to create a well-thought-out visual
palette. Using dynamic headline packages, photography, artwork, inforgraphics
and the article itself, you can complete the "sale' and guarantee a satisfied
reader.
DIGITAL MEDIA SHORT
COURSE: A TRANSITION FROM PRINT TO PIXEL
Organizing Staff and
Workflow for Online Publications
Melissa Wantz. Digital journalism can be a 24/7 operation
even at the scholastic level, but how do you organize the staff to take
advantage of the crucial benefits and demands of online publishing? Come learn
how one staff does it. We'll leave time for Q&A and for trouble-shooting
your issues or problems.
MAGAZINES
Writing Persona:
Speaking in Someone Else's Voice
Erica Miriam Fabri. Playwrights must constantly find a way
to say the words that belong in the minds and mouths of numerous characters,
some real and some fictional, but always someone other than themselves. Poets
and fiction writers also work in the genre of the Persona, which is, writing in
the voice of someone else. We will read examples of Persona in poetry and
fiction and then do a few exercises in the art of "Speaking in Someone Else's
Voice."
Surrealism: Its
Relevance to Writers Today
Dean Kostos. Frank O'Hara said that surrealism made it
possible for poets to write love poems in the twentieth century. Explore this
image-driven language of dreams to better articulate any emotion in the
twenty-first century.
In Praise of
Walking
Christian McEwen. Learn the relationship between writing and
walking.
Design 2012: Bring
Magazine Design to Your Publications
Jacob Palenske. Your outdated publication design probably
looks like the clothes in the back of your parents' closet. Your student body
is laughing at (and then ignoring) both. Learn how to update your publication's
"wardrobe" with eye-catching, clean and modern design ideas.
NEWS
We all Know the
Score, Now What?
Jenny Dial. Sports writing does a lot more than tell the
score of a game or the record of a team. How to follow a team like a pro beat
writer and get the stories behind the teams, the games and the programs to make
your stories stand out.
Why Nobody Reads Your
Paper
Robert Greenman. How to make the very next issue of your
paper more interesting, relevant, timely, consequential and journalistically
impressive than the one you just published.
News and Feature
Writing
Helen Smith. Learn how to provide well-written leads and
stories to serve your readers' needs.
Heavy Trucking
John Taglareni. Strong writing, theme concepts, plus
exciting graphics are an effective way to cover complex issues in outstanding
double trucks. Learn how to put them together in this session.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Improving Photography
in Your Publications
Mark Murray. Strong photography leads to great newspapers,
yearbooks and magazines. Take a look at examples of strong photographs and
learn some tips for capturing images like them for your publication.
Buttons, Knobs, and
Dials: DSLR 101 (Part 1 of 2)
Mike Simons. That little green square isn't enough when it
comes to using today's new DSLRs in your yearbook photography. We'll take the
mystery out of using your camera on YOUR terms, relying more on control and
less on luck! At the end, we'll walk through lighting on a budget and how to
stretch every dollar as you invest in equipment.
YEARBOOK
Beating the Boring
Out of Yearbook Copy
Mary Kay Downes. Snooze, yawn, snore! Are these the sounds you
hear while others read stories, captions, headlines in your yearbook? Come learn
tips on how to revitalize all of your copy so that reading excites your
readership!
Better, By Design
Paul Ender. Using the principles of design make the
difference between good yearbooks and great ones. See how knowing what subtle
changes to make can create a drastically different look in terms of
sophistication and polish.
Making yearbook
exciting and fresh to a contemporary audience
Kathy Zwiebel. Learn how to get everybody involved and
thinking outside the box for coverage, copy and design.
10:30 a.m. - 11:15
a.m.
ADVISERS
Collect cash quickly:
how to sell ads effectively
Alena Cybart-Persenaire. Whether you're a novice adviser or
need some refreshers on how to boost ad sales, learn how one young newspaper
staff raised several thousand dollars in a few weeks. Handouts and business
plans provided.
ALL PUBLICATIONS
You Sound, Like,
Um...Stupid? Ya Know?
Jacob Palenske. Interviewing is as much about your
credibility as the questions you ask. Speaking like an inarticulate reality TV
star and mumbling sentences filled with the words "like",
"um" and "ya know?" won't result in good answers from even
the friendliest source. This class will teach you how to use your voice, your
words and your body language to be an outstanding, intelligent-sounding
interviewer (or interviewee.)
The difference
between illustrating and decorating your publications
Bruce Watterson. Knowing when to stop using type, color,
line, photos, and all the graphic "design tricks" to ensure the
perfect combination of visuals-verbals. Building on the premise that "less
is really more," this session stresses the four strengths necessary for a
successful editorial team to earn their readership's respect (and potentially
snag awards in the process): intellect, passion, drive and maturity.
DIGITAL MEDIA
Getting Real in
Online Publishing
Alan Murray. Learn how to deliver better results in online
publishing by developing a focused philosophy, keeping things simple, and
spending less time talking about ideas of how to solve problems and more time actually
solving them.
DIGITAL MEDIA SHORT
COURSE: A TRANSITION FROM PRINT TO PIXEL
Anatomy of an Online
Article: 5 Differences from Print
Melissa Wantz. If you are considering the move from print to
digital, or if you are already there with a web-based publication, you should
know how online articles differ from print. Come to this session to learn five
simple "rules" for online articles that will help your digital stories be more
easily found, read and enjoyed.
LAW & ETHICS
How to Fight For Free
Speech
Adam Goldstein. Young people are facing more challenges to
their right to freedom of expression than they have in the last forty years.
Find out how we got here and what we can do to change things-both in the
classroom and in the world at large.
MAGAZINES
Writing the
Impossible
Erica Miriam Fabri. When writing fantasy and when creating
characters and situations that are, or seem to be, impossible, the writer must
be even more devoted to the art of "reality." Stories that are dream-like,
unrealistic and far-fetched need to be even more specific and detailed in order
to draw the reader into the scenario. This session explores how we can write
from our imagination and wonder, but still cut deep into a reader's heart and
emotion by making our "impossible" stories seem real.
The Journal of
Autobiography: A New, Vibrant School Magazine
Robert Greenman and Vanessa Santaga. How to invite, gather,
organize and edit material that is poignant, dramatic and funny, and publish a
magazine your readers will come to you to buy.
Poetry: The Language
of Art - The Visible Word
Dave Johnson. Learn to write poetry with visual art.
Memoirs &
Personal Essays
Dean Kostos. Use the craft of writing scene, summary, and
retrospection to transform experience into art.
Across the Bridge of
Dreams
Christian McEwen. Learn how to use dreams in poetry and
prose.
Nuts and Bolts for
Magazines
Kathy Zwiebel. The Nuts and Bolts to any literary magazine
are essential. Learn about developing an editorial policy and submission
guidelines, determining the magazine's scope/philosophy, and writing a
colophon.
NEWS
Sports Writing
Dissection
Jenny Dial. A look at sports stories start to finish - how
to find the right angle, use the right quotes, do the right research and tell
the right story.
Writing about Pop
Music
Michael Lydon. So you want to get your byline on the cover
of Rolling Stone? Using his experience as an early "rock writer" and
Rolling Stone co-founder, Lydon will show you how to write about music you
love, how to conduct an interview, how to report on concerts, review records,
and track industry developments.
Covering the Local
Government
Jeff Mays. Learn from this DNAinfo.com reporter how to cover
local government and police for your newspaper. Make this reporting more
accessible to your readers.
Corn Flakes,
Confession, and Controversies
John Tagliareni. Learn how these items connect to help
student journalists to cover controversial and sensitive issues. Students and
advisers can learn new strategies, discover helpful resources and get sound
legal advice.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Environmental
Portraits
Mark Murray. A portrait can be more than just a likeness of
a person. Expand your options for your newspaper, yearbook or literary magazine
by incorporating portraits that do more than show you what the person looks
like.
Buttons, Knobs, and
Dials: DSLR 101 (Part 2 of 2)
Mike Simons. That little green square isn't enough when it
comes to using today's new DSLRs in your yearbook photography. We'll take the
mystery out of using your camera on YOUR terms, relying more on control and
less on luck! At the end, we'll walk through lighting on a budget and how to
stretch every dollar as you invest in equipment.
YEARBOOK
Change DEAD-lines to
LIFE-lines.
Mary Kay Downes. Conquer submission blues and zap deadline
stress by implementing a team approach that evenly distributes the workload
among all staff members. Learn how this method of staff organization keeps everyone
active and involved throughout the yearbook year.
The Bookers'
Dozen
Paul Ender. Want to make your 2013 book even more amazing?
Hundreds of examples and a short list of guidelines will inspire you. Plus,
we'll delve into the WHYs behind some already-known principles. While most of
your readers have no idea how many conscious decisions go into each incredible
spreads, we think you'll agree that luck has nothing to do with it!
MOD Makeover
Gary Lundgren. Instead of designing traditional yearbook
spreads with five to seven photos, those traditional photo spaces now become
modules, opening a host of storytelling options and greatly expanding the
number of students and photos. Is your staff ready for a MOD makeover? Learn
the fundamentals for MOD success.
12:15 p.m. - 1
p.m.
ADVISERS
Turn the End of the
Road into a Fresh Start
Mary Kay Downes. Getting tired of working long hours with
little applause? Sick of being marginalized by the administration and the
community? Fretful that your students are so extended that they can't be a
contributing part of your team? Fearful that journalism is on a slow road to
extinction? Learn how to restore your faith in your abilities and in your
program and bring a fresh outlook back to your pub room!
ALL PUBLICATIONS
Get Published: How to
Pitch and Land Your Next Great Story
Jennifer Miller. Need help turning a broad story idea into a
focused and compelling pitch that will hook even the toughest editor (or
adviser)? This workshop will give you the practical tools to do exactly that.
We'll look at actual pitches I've written and sold to national newspapers and
magazines and then do an interactive "pitch your story" exercise to get you
going.
"Blanket Coverage"
Your Next Big Community Event
Melissa Wantz. What does it mean to do "blanket
coverage?" Why is it so so rewarding? Come learn how the Foothill Dragon
Press staff spent October 15, 2011, and why your staff should do something
similar for your community.
A new take on
choosing the right color
Bruce Watterson. Designers, artists, writers, photographers
and marketing staffers will find this session indispensible when it comes to
finding color-related solutions to specific publication needs. Whether it is an
online poster to promote sales or a choice of palettes to color-code your
school's print magazine, yearbook or newspaper, this discussion guarantees that
delegates will begin to see color choice(s) differently.
DIGITAL MEDIA SHORT
COURSE: A TRANSITION FROM PRINT TO PIXEL
The Digital Story:
Find it, Tell It, Share It
Jacob Palenske. Effective 21st Century journalists must use
technology to find, tell and distribute stories. This session will teach you
how to produce up-to-the-minute digital content, how to use converged
information sources like Twitter and Facebook to generate coverage ideas, and
how to format/distribute what you produce so your audience can easily access
it.
LAW & ETHICS
Keeping Secrets: A
Guide to the Reporter's Privilege
Adam Goldstein. Should reporters be allowed to keep their
confidential sources or unpublished notes or photos secret? When is it
appropriate to use a confidential source? This presentation will introduce
student journalists to one of the hottest and most controversial topics of the
day: reporter's privilege.
MAGAZINES
When a Man is a
Monster and a Belly is Balloon: Metaphors in Writing
Erica Miriam Fabri. That man is a monster! Her belly is a
balloon! This room is a garbage dump! We turn to metaphors as a way to drive
home a point when it does not seem that saying something "literally" will
appropriately convey its intensity. We will read examples of powerful metaphors
and then create some of our own.
Now What Do I Do with
it? - Poetry Revision
Dave Johnson. Rewriting your own work as well as learning to
edit your contributors. This list of revision tips can be done on existing
poems and fiction.
Persona Poems &
Dramatic Monologues
Dean Kostos. The word "persona" means "mask." Enlarge your poetic
voice by writing as anyone or anything. Paradoxically, you will learn more
about yourself.
Seed Books &
Journals
Christian McEwen. Learn how to keep track of what really
matters to you.
Literary Leaps:
Transforming Characters into Poetry and Fiction
Violet Turner. Ophelia, Miss Havisham, Grendel or characters
from your favorite novels, epic poems, and plays are the "stuff" of
which profound and provocative poems and fiction are made!
NEWS
No Duh
Matthew Chayes. What's the sure-fire way to discourage
readers from reading on? Print a first paragraph that's dull, boring, tired, cliched,
confusing, or some combination thereof. This session is a workshop on
perfecting story ledes.
The Keys to Good
Investigative Writing
Jenny Dial. Enterprise writing is the biggest trend in
magazine and newspaper writing today. There are not two sides to every story,
there are about 50 - how can you find everything you need to know to write the
most in-depth, well-rounded story on any topic? Learn the keys to good
interviewing, researching and what tools are available to every journalist.
You're Not Angry
Enough
Robert Greenman. Why aren't high school editors and reporters
bothered more about the unjust, wrong, unfair, incompetent and misguided
people, rules, conditions and situations in their school? Learn how you and
your newspaper can affect the life and future of your school, its students and
its teachers.
The Music of
Writing
Michael Lydon. Writing is much more than a neutral,
"just the facts" medium. Word sounds, rhythm, alliteration, phrasing,
and tones of voice all enliven and enrich writing's power to communicate. In
this session, you'll explore ways to "musicalize" your writing and
make the sound of your sentences help tell your stories.
How to Sell
Advertising
Helen Smith. Find advertising prospects and finance your
paper's freedom of the press.
Learning from the
Pros
Randy Stano. See what professionals are doing in design and
take ideas that you can use on your publication.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography Portfolio
Basics
Mark Murray. There is much more to creating a portfolio than
simply "collecting your 10 best pictures." Know how a portfolio should look
while gaining tips to improve your photography. Bridge the gap between high
school photography and college photography.
YEARBOOK
Finding Your
Voice
Paul Ender. Learn powerful strategies for developing a
strong visual and verbal voice so your yearbook content will sing for the
readers. From thorough analysis and pre-planning your stories to making sure
you don't "lower the bar" once the work begins, there's plenty you can do to
create an amazing volume for 2012.
A Designer's
Dozen
Gary Lundgren. With the focus on readers, trends for 2013
yearbooks center around including relevant, storytelling content and packaging
it in a reader-friendly way. From modular design to employing grids and three
levels of spacing, learn 12 design techniques that emphasize your content.
The Life of the
Party
Michael Simons. When the final deadline ships, your work
isn't done! An after-hours release party is the perfect way to celebrate your
work with the school -- pick up tips, tricks, and strategies to start
developing your own party and traditions from a staff that has made their
release party THE kickoff to the end of the year at their school.
1:15 p.m. - 2
p.m.
ADVISERS
Calling All Newspaper
Advisers
Kathy Zwiebel. It's November, what comes next? Here's a timeline, handouts and tips
for the rest of the year to insure smooth sailing for your newspaper.
ALL PUBLICATIONS
Design is Everywhere
Jenny Dial. You can get inspiration from everything from
freeway billboards to cereal boxes. Learn how to look around with new eyes and
take graphic ideas around you and put them in your publication.
Bad Economy? No
Worries! - Tips for Becoming Flush
Mary Kay Downes. Despite the sad state of the economy, there
are ways to ensure your publications will become solvent. Learn how to
capitalize on opportunities to find cash to pay the bills, and to pour
resources into your program. Presented by a veteran adviser who has never
turned down a buck, restore confidence in your financial future.
Type that
reverberates with creativity and modernity...
Bruce Watterson. Looking for just the right fonts; the ones
that best illustrate your thematic phrase or your publication's focus? Great
editors understand the wants and needs of their readers. Why not use this
session to help your staff snag the type that best meets that agenda.
DIGITAL MEDIA SHORT
COURSE: A TRANSITION FROM PRINT TO PIXEL
The Death Of Privacy:
Keeping Yourself And Your Readers Cyber-Secured
Jacob Palenske. If you
leave your wallet and unlocked smartphone on an unattended public table, would
you trust that strangers will respect your privacy and protect your
information? No? Then why are you comfortable publishing your personal details
online, unprotected and accessible to billions? This session will outline the
basics of cyber security and how to protect your data, yourself and your
readers from the most common electronic threats.
LAW & ETHICS
Copyright, Video
Games and SOPA
Adam Goldstein. The digital world has changed the course of
copyright law. Gain a better understanding of where it is and where it's going
by learning how copyright changed the course of video game history and where it
might be going next.
MAGAZINES
See, Hear, Smell,
Taste, Touch: The Five Senses in Writing
Erica Miriam Fabri. The five senses are the only colors you
are given to paint a picture with. We will read samples of authors and discuss
how they are able to re-create sights, sounds, scents, tastes, and feelings
with words and then complete a writing exercise to generate vivid and luscious
sensory images.
Poetry in
Translation
Dave Johnson.
Chinese written characters can be used as a medium for a poem. Get
closer to the root of language by exploring relationships between symbol and
meaning.
A Broad Overview of
Poetry
Dean Kostos. Learn how voice, imagery, figurative language,
sound syntax and sound structure affect poetry.
Child Time
Christian McEwen. Learn about writing on nature and writing
on nature deficit disorder.
The Power of
Protest!
Violet Turner. Many writers have used their art to call
attention to wrongs and to right (write) them. Turn topics about which you are
passionate into poetry and fiction.
NEWS
Crime by the
Scoopful
Matthew Chayes. Let's talk about crime - reporting,
writing, gathering statistics, finding sources and making the run-of-the-mill
interesting.
The Next Level -
Newspaper at the college level
Sarah Darville and Maggie Alden. Find out how a daily
college paper creates a physical paper, a blog, a weekly magazine, and a
website while running an independent company-and how those skills can launch a
professional journalism career. Editors from the Columbia Daily Spectator will
be on hand to answer your questions.
Writing Bright
Robert Greenman. Strong, lively and memorable writing must
be more than informative. It must have flair, freshness and wit; essential
elements that make people enjoy and remember news stories, features, reviews
and opinion writing. Get readers to enjoy your writing, not just learn from it.
Finding Your Next
Great Story
Jennifer Miller. Ever wondered where professional
journalists find their story ideas? Having trouble digging up stories that sing
to you? Finding great stories is the key to being a successful journalist, and
this workshop will show you how to do it. Come with a topic that interests you
(sports, education, food, fashion, politics, etc.) and we'll talk about how and
where to locate the story angles hidden within.
Staff Motivation
Helen Smith. An organized staff is an excited staff. Learn
how to get your reporters and editors ready to tackle each deadline.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Working with
Electronic Flash
Mark Murray. While photographers strive to work with natural
light, sometimes some artificial light is needed. Take a look at ways to use a
flash and control the light.
YEARBOOK
Cover to Cover
Gary Lundgren. Let's take a close-up look at a handful of
award-winning yearbooks and examine the little details that make the difference
between a good and a great yearbook. From folio tabs to spine design, we'll
take the time to notice the details that make these great yearbooks and
frequent CSPA Crown and NSPA Pacemaker winners.
What's your
type?
Jeff Moffitt. Fonts have personality. Typography is crucial
to how you brand your publication and create a consistent look and feel that
your readers will want to look at. In the session we will learn about type and
how you can make one font go a long way.
Yearbook
Coverage
C. Randy Stano. What should you include in your
yearbook? How do you localize the
international, national or local event to your school.
Avocado Green is to Die
For!
Ray Westbrook. Remember when avocado green was the color for
kitchen appliances? Of course you don't. That's because design trends change -
in the kitchen and in yearbooks. This session will show you five trends
observed from contemporary, award-winning yearbooks. And, no, avocado green is
not one of them!
2:15 p.m. - 3
p.m.
ADVISERS
Calling All Yearbook
and Magazine Advisers
Kathy Zwiebel. It's November, what comes next? Here's a timeline, handouts and tips
for the rest of the year to insure smooth sailing for your yearbook and lit
mag.
ALL PUBLICATIONS
Looking for ways to
move your publication from good to great?
Bruce Watterson. This session focuses on trends in
publications. Knowing which design approach or photographic choice or headline
packaging style equals spontaneity, individualism, creativity and "real
life" matters. Sometimes a little rebelling against the rules of
typography and design equal success, especially when "elegance,
minimalism, order and simplicity" are the end result.
DIGITAL MEDIA SHORT
COURSE: A TRANSITION FROM PRINT TO PIXEL
How To Build a $100k News
Website (For Less Than $300.)
Jacob Palenske. In the digital era, you'll learn how to get web
hosting, register a domain, and setup e-mail accounts for your staff. You'll
also see how to set up individual site accounts, choose a template and upload
video, audio, stories and photos. As a finale, I'll show you how to create a
custom iOS and Android mobile news app for less than $50.
MAGAZINES
From Breath to
Book-Page: Writing Autobiographically
Erica Miriam Fabri. Most writers have the desire to turn
their own "story" into a work of art. We'll discuss the responsibility the
writer has to not only "tell" their story, but to allow the reader to "meet"
each character from their life, "visit" each place the writer has inhabited,
and to learn to love or hate on the page in the same way the author did when
experiencing each moment.
Poetry: The Language
of Music
Dave Johnson. Create poems by finding the music in your own
voice. We will listen to music as part of the writing process.
Meter without
Stress
Dean Kostos. Develop an understanding of poetic meter. It
will enhance your understanding of the craft of poetry, particularly poetry
written in the past. It will also be useful to all writers of poetry, even
those who prefer free verse.
Sparks from the
Anvil
Christian McEwen. Learn about the art of the interview.
NEWS
A Tour of the
Columbia Spectator Newspaper Spectator Offices
Sarah Darville and Maggie Alden. Join the editors for a tour
of the offices of the Columbia Spectator, the daily newspaper of Columbia
University and Morningside Heights! We're located just off campus, at 112th Street
and Broadway (right next to Pinkberry). Take a break and let us take you on a
tour of our newsroom, show you our archives, and chat about college journalism.
Meet us downstairs under the Spectator sign at 2875 Broadway.
Getting the Amateur
Out of Your Writing
Robert Greenman. How to raise your newspaper's writing
style, storytelling and overall sound and appearance to professional levels
while becoming better writers yourselves.
Sports Writing and
Editing
Helen Smith. Writing a sports news story is just as
important as a straight news story. Learn the "hows" and "whys" of sports
writing.
Cleaning Up Your
Typography and Using Designed Headlines
C. Randy Stano. Designing the page is one half of the job.
Now how do you make a news pages sparkle from a feature page or a center
spread? We will take a look at basic headline typography and explore the use of
designed or art heads in your publication
Issue Driven Coverage
Ray Westbrook. The best student newspapers in the country
today are looking far beyond Homecoming and the results of the debate squad's
latest tournament for coverage ideas. They are tackling real issues, presented
in incisive, relevant stories geared towards fully engaging their readers.
These stories have substance and provide strong connections to their students
and to their community. Learn some tools and sources for localizing these
state, national and international stories for your newspaper.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photo Question and
Answer
Mark Murray. Dealing with a file management issue on your
staff? Having problems getting the photos you need? Questions about buying
equipment? Join us for this Q&A session on everything photo related.
YEARBOOK
Spaced Out
Jeff Moffitt. Internal spacing is crucial to successful
design. The separation and hierarchy of elements on a page guide the reader's
eye. The challenge is to multiply coverage while keeping a spread organized and
appealing. The solution is to incorporate the three degrees of separation.
Learn how to use negative space to your advantage and keep your publication
consistent.
From #awkward to
#awesome
Michael Simons. Great coverage comes from great interviews,
and interviewing doesn't have to be hard! We'll open the floor for discussion
and participation as we develop effective strategies to use back home as you
engage your classmates in creating outstanding coverage.
