I’ve just celebrated my MF anniversary — my Memphis Flyer anniversary, that is. Well, one of them. It was November 2022 when I took the reins as editor-in-chief of this paper. That designation came after nearly 15 years working for our parent company, Contemporary Media, Inc., in various roles. Some may recall my introduction letter, in which I offered the story of how the heck I got here — from intern to editor. Yes, I started this MF journey (it’s just fun to use MF; humor me, please) as an intern, still a journalism student at the University of Memphis.
I had some experience writing for The Daily Helmsman, but I recall not being able to define an “inverted pyramid” in my initial internship interview — doh! Thankfully, Mary Cashiola and Michael Finger gave me a pass on that fumble — and were impressed enough with my little ol’ portfolio — and hired me to join the team. In that first year, I covered arts, entertainment, news, and whatever writing assignments were thrown my way, and managed the After Dark live music calendar (my baby, I called it). Those early days were an adventure. I was a nervous interviewer, and not-so-confident in my question-asking skills — and I had a whole lot to learn about, well, everything. (In my first food story, I may or may not have spelled “sous-chef” “Sioux chef.”) In one on-the-scene assignment, a while after Platinum Plus closed, a public auction was held at the shuttered adult entertainment club to sell off its contents — the bar, lighting, couches, dance poles, high heels, skimpy outfits, the whole shebang. It was dimly lit and smelled like a musty basement filled with ashtrays, and I was one of few females present. Aside from former employees, the bidders were nostalgic patrons, and I reluctantly approached them: “So, why would you want that heavily soiled chair?” Having never stepped inside a strip club before, it was all just a tad uncomfortable. (“The Last Dollar Dance” can still be found on memphisflyer.com — now that’s how you build a portfolio.)
One time I interviewed Pauly Shore (after waiting anxiously at my desk for a phone call from The Weasel) ahead of his Comedy, TN stand-up show — he said barbecue was “sketchy.” Another time, I attended an event at Lausanne in which TV and film star Ginnifer Goodwin was the keynote speaker, and she was supremely patient with me during our chat when my tape recorder (yes, an actual cassette tape recorder) malfunctioned, causing me to have to go over a handful of questions a second time. Just a couple cool — although awkward — encounters of the Flyer kind. (There are so many more; journalism can be pretty fun.)
Very early on, I covered a protest and purposely avoided the organizer so that I could get my thoughts together and call with questions afterward. All these years later, I’m still a little camera-shy, so to speak (okay, a lot). I’m much more comfortable with written word than spoken (I need time to think, ya know). One of my aims going into the second year of my editor tenure is to try to ease out from behind the byline and get to know you all a little better, whether that be in social media posts, in-person events, or whatever form our next adventures take.
I’m much more comfortable with interviews now and have figured out how to string together a few decent sentences with a little less effort, but I’ve still got a lot to learn. And at this MF anniversary, it might be time for a performance review of sorts. Many of the things I was super-excited about this time last year — bringing back the After Dark calendar, News of the Weird, and Free Will Astrology — have taken flight. Attempts to relaunch the personals stalled on the runway. And we’ve brought in a new column, Metaphysical Connection. I’d love to hear what you think about our content — what works, what doesn’t, where are we lacking, where do we excel? Do you look to us for news, politics, arts, music, food, film — all of the above? Are you reading this in print or online? Do you refer to our robust online events calendar to help plan your weekends (def add it to your bookmarks: events.memphisflyer.com)? What does the Memphis Flyer mean to you?
Our team has ideas brewing for the new year as we round the final bend of 2023, but, as always, the work we do is for our readers. Send your MF thoughts my way, and let’s take this MF to new heights!
Thank you all for coming along for the ride.
