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Editor’s Notebook: The flip-flop-ability of things
Hours before the alarm is set to go off, the worrying begins. Real and potential work crises swirl in a jolted mind and are soon joined by financial concerns and sundry negative fantasies about tomorrow or next week. As the minutes tick away, you think about how difficult the day will be without sleep, and […]
Editor’s Notebook: A win for the Bulletin, a win for New Hampshire journalism
Last week, the New Hampshire Bulletin took home 10 awards from the New Hampshire Press Association Distinguished Journalism Contest. As I said in a short story we posted on Friday to announce the awards, “I couldn’t be more proud of Amanda, Ethan, and Annmarie” – and I meant it. It’s not easy to keep track […]
Editor’s Notebook: The good old (sick) days
I remember being sick a lot as a kid. High fevers, ear infections, strep throat, tonsillitis, bronchitis – an all-star cast of illnesses that would interrupt the routine of childhood for a week or two from time to time. There were many missed school days, marked by sleeves of saltine crackers and glasses of ginger […]
Editor’s Notebook: A broken rhythm
Temperatures reached the 90s in central New Hampshire over the weekend, and the cats seemed as surprised as anyone. Juno, the more serious of the two and a talented bully, spared Lobster the daily deluge of jabs and combinations that defines their relationship and instead busied herself by looking for a bearable spot for a […]
Editor’s Notebook: Hugs and kisses
The war in Ukraine is still leading the daily news reports for the nation’s major news sites, and rightfully so. It’s a tragedy that grows by the minute. The fallout from the Supreme Court leak has held the second slot for much of the past week, typically followed by COVID-19 news du jour (a Washington […]
Editor’s Notebook: Trails and shadows
It’s easy to slip. The shadows are thick in the middle of the petite mountain, and frozen snowmelt glazes some, but not all, of the rocks. And that some-ness makes matters worse. Traction is a lullaby on the trail, and the inhale-step-step-exhale rhythm sends attention flying, dreamlike, from the terrain toward more distant concerns. Inhale, […]
Editor’s Notebook: Searching for the right words
There is an old man standing in front of a downtown bank on a sunny Monday morning. Can you see him? The building is a mix of red brick and white decorative columns, with a series of arched windows that wrap around the corner. The man is tall and thin, but he looks strong. He’s […]
Editor’s Notebook: A milestone for the Bulletin
One year ago, on April 14, 2021, the Bulletin officially became a New Hampshire news outlet. In an introductory column, I told you all about the Bulletin’s reporters – Annmarie Timmins, Ethan DeWitt, and Amanda Gokee – and promised this: “The four of us, together, will work tirelessly to help you stay informed about what […]
Editor’s Notebook: The shape of things in April
Just as Lake Winnipesaukee has ice-out, my family’s little sliver of land has mound-out: Spring isn’t really spring until the compacted snowbank in front of the barn is finally claimed by the April mud. Winter, I predict, will at last succumb to its fate in our dirt driveway by mid-morning on Saturday. April demands of […]
Editor’s Notebook: Departures and arrivals
Before last week, it had been many years since I set foot on an airplane. It’s not that I don’t like flying, but I’ve always been pretty good at coming up with reasons why travel wasn’t a good idea at the time. Fifteen years ago, I thought our daughters were too young. Ten years ago, […]
Editor’s Notebook: The waiting trap
Years ago, my wife read “Waiting” by Ha Jin. She reads more than I do, and whenever she finishes a book I ask her about the plot and the writing style, what she did and didn’t like, and what she thought of the ending. That time, she looked gloomy as she set the book down. […]
Editor’s Notebook: The people you meet along the way
I didn’t really know Renny Cushing at all. We met once, years ago, because the editorial board on which I served was being honored for supporting the repeal of New Hampshire’s death penalty statute. I was an imposter at the ceremony – all of the important work was done by my editorial writing partner, Ralph […]