by D. Brent Miller
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends or family. Actually, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is all about food, family and friends.
We’ve been in the Cincinnati area for a little more than one year, but this is our first Thanksgiving in our new home. To make it even better, our good friends Terry and Sheila came down from South Bend, Indiana, to share the day with us. They have come to our house many times on Thanksgiving, and we love spending time with them. This holiday was no different. I think one of the reasons they come to our house (beside being great friends) is the fact that I always cook the turkey on the Weber grill–charcoal is the only way to go. And here’s what it looks like. No. This is not a doctored photo, or enhanced in Photoshop, or a fashion shot by a food photographer. It’s the real thing worthy of the Food Network!–DBrent
by D. Brent Miller
As we approach the holidays, the nation turns inward a little to give thanks for the many blessings we have–as individuals, families and a nation. Of great assistance to the many of us are the individuals who provide a moral and spiritual compass.
Reverend David Rogula recently retired from his Brooklyn, Iowa, church and returned to Illinois and closer to family. Like many other pastors, Rogula found a calling later in life, and pursued the ministry only about two decades ago.
He shares some of his experiences caring for rural congregations and communities.
David Rogula: United Methodist Church Pastor:
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by D. Brent Miller
I guess it’s that time of year. The cold wind is blowing from the northwest, and temperatures have dropped significantly. Frost is a frequent visitor, and it seems to visit every night. Try as I may, wishing it doesn’t make it any warmer. Even the Sunday Morning Breakfast Riders seem to have retreated. Reading some of my favorite blogs of other riders shows they too are heading into late fall, and riding less.
I talked with my mom, last night. She lives in the Phoenix area, and reported it was a beautiful warm day. She just had to tell me that, didn’t she. I guess you can always find some place warmer … and there is a colder place too.
The next best thing is to live a little online, reading all those ride reports to exotic places and the back roads of North America. Searching for the next motorcycle. Dreaming. ….
Okay, back to reality.
Perhaps the weather turning has been a good thing, because I have found time to work on something else. Posting here at Sojourn Chronicles has given me the opportunity to experiment with several things. Isn’t technology wonderful!
As you know from other posts, I have a body of work in small town rural issues. Much of that work was produced by my rural affairs media company, Rural Chronicles. Some of it was published online at the RC web site.
I recently launched a new program under the Rural Chronicles banner. It’s called Rural Voices and is a podcast production giving a voice to rural America. It has just launched, and I am talking with potential sponsors. It’s a work in progress that cannot wait any longer.
Perfection is an elusive mistress.–DBrent
by D. Brent Miller
MADISON, INDIANA–Most photojournalists want to move up to the bigger markets, and that’s what Ken Ritchie had in mind. That is until he realized that working for a small daily newspaper in a small town has its benefits. Freedom to cover the needed assignments and work on features are some of the reasons to work at a small newspaper. And a small town, he says, is a great place to raise a family–exactly what he is doing.
Ritchie also knows that covering news in a small town requires a different kind of sensitivity. Most of the time, you are photographing people you know and say “hi” when they pass you on the street. They could be a person of the news he photographed yesterday, or somebody who will be in tomorrow’s news. And, he feels a responsibility to be fair, objective and accountable to his community. Newspaper writers and photographers cannot be anonymous in a small town, he says.
Madison sits on the Ohio River about an hour from Louisville, and an hour and a half from Indianapolis. The town recently won a designation for its downtown as an historic district on the national register. The newspaper has a circulation of about 9,500 and was first published in 1837.
Ritchie took time to talk about life as a photojournalist for the Madison Courier, a six-day-a-week daily newspaper.
For additional info, see the following links:
And now, a conversation with Ken Ritchie:
Ken Ritchie: Small Town Photojournalist:
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by D. Brent Miller
It’s not often that you see someone take the time to produce a documentary about rural issues. But, that’s just what the Kansas Farm Bureau did, and you have a chance to see it on RFD TV Wednesday evening.
“Despite the trends, small, rural communities – the ones most Kansans call home – have the ability to find innovative and meaningful ways to heal themselves. A new KFB TV documentary will tackle that notion head-on and make a compelling case that the small, rural communities can reinvent themselves.”–Kansas Farm Bureau.
Producer Mike Matson talks about the issues, motivation, and production of “Rural Kansas: Hope Endures.” Some of the points he discusses:
- The declining and aging population of rural Kansas
- Addressing the issue of past policies not working
- Retaining youth in their hometowns
- Wealth retention–keeping inheritances from leaving the state
- Fostering entrepreneurship
- Leadership development
Additional info and links
Kansas Farm Bureau
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RFD-TV
DIRECTV (Channel 379)
Dish Network (Channel 231)
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
6:30 p.m. EST/5:30 CST |
Here’s the conversation with Mike Matson:
Mike Matson: Producer of "Rural Kansas: Hope Endures":
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