A Writing Award!

Yours truly receiving the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) award for best article in the science/tech/biz category at the annual conference award ceremony. Thank you! Photo by Diana Pachecho, ASJA
All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us and the change is painful. -Flannery O'Connor

I just returned from a quick trip to New York City where I attended the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) conference, and received my first national award for one of my articles. I feel very honored and blessed! It was for my article, Did Tap Water Kill Lou Gehrig? (the online title is slightly different). Here's a snapshop of the award itself:

I will post more photos from NYC soon, but I still need to finish posting my photos from the Costa Rica trip! But I wanted to post a quick update along with links to my latest article:

  Secret Ingredients (PDF): Who knows what's in your food? Environmental Health Perspectives April 2013 (online non-PDF version here).

This feature is all about food colorings, flavorings and other additives in our food, many apparently unregulated by the FDA... who knew? That's why it's called Secret Ingredients!

I have a feature coming up about environmental justice and the hog industry in North Carolina next month, which came out of my attending Professor Steve Wing's session at the National Association of Science Writers (NASW) conference in NC last October (which I blogged about here). And I finished a piece on carbon offsets for Ensia, that should be out fairly soon, and right now I'm working on a piece about EARTH University and its unique sustainable agriculture education for students from around the world.

Journalists in Manhattan

New York City in bloom!

On my recent whirlwind trip to New York City for the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) conference, I took some photos in the city. I didn't get to explore it as much as I wanted to because of... weather! My flight arrived - or was scheduled to arrive - at noon Thursday but guess what? All three NYC-serving airports were shut down due to some crazy weather. Storms, wind, rain... We were hovering near NYC (I flew into Newark) when we got low on fuel and had to divert to Washington DC to land. So we then proceeded to wait until about 6pm when we finally got the OK to get back in the air and head to Newark again. I had been planning on meeting my writer friend Miranda (who just wrote this article for FAIR aka Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting- "The Unrenewed Debate Over Renewable Energy") to explore the city, and also my other writer friend Sharon who I've known online forever but have never met in person - but darn that weather - Sharon had to vacate the premises for a family dinner by the time I landed. Miranda waited for me and we got to grab dinner, though, at least.

In fact, I'm incredibly grateful for a new friend, Ohio writer Nancy Averett, who waited for me at the airport for a couple hours since she used to live in the area and knew the ropes of the public transport. It was trains, planes and automobiles! After taking a plane, we got on the airport "air train" (tram) to the real train station. Took the train under the Hudson River to Manhattan, where we got out at Penn Station and took the 1,2,3 'train' (really a subway) to Times Square where we got the S-train (also a subway) to Grand Central Station. Ya, no kidding. And believe it or not, I did it all in reverse on the way back but on my own! At any rate, by the time we got to the Roosevelt hotel (where we stayed and where the conference is held every year) it was 830pm. We met up with my writer friend Trish (author of the Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Living), and Miranda and walked to this veggie place we found online. Only it was like a deli with no places to sit. So we picked a place called Jack's Restaurant and it turned out to be quite delish! After dinner, Miranda and I chatted in the Roosevelt bar for a while and then she headed back to her friend's place she was staying at.

The conference itself was great! I have to admit, it's not near as good as the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) conference (next up - SEJ-Miami!) but ASJA had a good mix of craft sessions, market-info sessions, and socializing. I landed an assignment that allowed me to apply for a health reporting fellowship (wish me luck!) and that in itself made it worthwhile. I got some good info about monetizing blogs that I want to explore further. Some people are making $4000-10,000 per month on their blogs. Holy cow! The most popular with advertisers are mom-blogs and bargain-blogs... interesting. This one isn't either but I'm pondering creating a new blog for either the foodie side of me, or the spiritual/science thing.

With that in mind, here are a few pics I took on my phone out and about in the city. Not great shots but just some snapshots of the time. I really LOVE the energy of New York City/Manhattan. There's just something about it. But I don't think I would want to live there. In the end, by Sunday afternoon I was ready to leave. Next trip? I'm heading to the Oregon Coast and to visit friends and family and I am so excited. Oregon relaxes my soul like no other place.

A shot of where I stayed - The Roosevelt Hotel. Wish I'd gotten some shots inside. It's quite ornate!
Keynote speaker Jen Singer, creator of the MommaSaid blog.
A shot of the Broadway sign with a NYC Sightseeing bus driving through. One of my friends went on a tour of Harlem's gospel churches on Sunday which sounded fabulous. When I take my kids there one day I want to do that tour!
Taxi Cab City! At every light, a dozen or so yellow cabs come driving through. This is in Times Square.
More Times Square. Someone told me that NYC hired a "czar" to make some changes to Times Square. One of the things they did was shut down one area of traffic and set out these tables and chairs and she said it would increase sales for the shops and restaurants, and sure enough it did.
After the ASJA Social Hour at the Roosevelt on Saturday evening, some friends headed over to The Oyster Bar at Grand Central. Try getting a vegan dinner at The Oyster Bar! I actually managed to have potatoes and a salad but the Crazy Sexy Cleanse was out the window for the weekend.
Two of these funky chairs were in the bathroom at The Oyster Bar so I just had to take a picture.
And this Lips couch! Funky! Want one?

New York City!

Recognize this view? It's a part of Central Park often in movies!
Copyright (c) 2007 Wendee Holtcamp

Heading to New York City in the morning (or "manana" as my dad often said to me growing up) for the annual American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) conference. I decided at the last minute - last week - to go. I wanted to go when I could get the early registration discount, but decided against it. I did my taxes, and realized biz travel is very good for the tax reduction process! The last time I went was several years back (see archived posts/pics here from NYC in 2007). That time I got to visit Central Park, SoHo, Broadway, Times Square, Chinatown and Little Italy. Quite the whirlwind day. It's fun to ride the subways and everything in Manhattan is laid out so clearly but I'm not so sure I want to get around without a friend!

Lucky for me, my roommate at the conference hotel used to live in the area and she arrives 10 minutes after me at the same airport (there are 3 airports serving the NYC area. I'm going to Newark). I have to get up at 5am - yuk! My roommate and I (who I've not met yet) and I will find our way to the Roosevelt, and then I'm meeting two people - one is my dear friend Miranda Spencer (who I recently saw at the Society of Environmental Journalists conference last October and who took me around NYC back in 2007) but also a writer friend, Sharon Levy, who I have known since I very first started writing in 1995 or so but have never met in person! She is in NYC promoting her new book Once & Future Giants: What Ice Age Extinctions Tell us About the Facte of Earth's Largest Animals.

This is why I love to travel! I get to meet so many amazing writers, many of whom I only know virtually before the conference(s) I attend. Plus writers are just cool people, if I do say so myself. And then all the new editors, writers, agents to meet and information to absorb at the conference itself... whew. It should be a very fun time, and hopefully this time I won't gorge on 16 Godiva chocolates per day, since the Godiva Chocolatier is right around the corner at Grand Central Station. I'm still on the Crazy Sexy Cleanse (ie eating mostly vegan and no sugar though I cheated yesterday and had, gasp, chocolate ice cream with my daughter!) so that should help. I hope.

The conference lasts only 3 days (the last one is a half day and Friday is for members only). I have all Sunday in NYC so I may meet up with a friend, or hang out with some other writers. It should be lots of fun. The only thing I'm bummed about is that tomorrow the forecast in NYC calls for thunderstorms - not the ideal weather for walking around... We could always explore the Met, which I've never been to, but I am praying and hoping for miraculous clearing in the weather (and safe travels of course).

Have a great night and I'll see you on the other side.