Bonnie Jean Feldkamp is a writer, wife, and mom of three kids whose ages span two decades. Her work has appeared in the New York Times; Brain, Child Magazine; Scary Mommy and more. Her Cincinnati Family mom blog earned Best Overall Blog in the 2017 Ohio Society of Professional Journalists Awards. She is also the communications director for the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @WriterBonnie or on her website at WriterBonnie.com.
“Both driving and public transportation are heavily subsidized, but drivers are either unaware of that or OK with government support of personal transport. People get upset when states start talking about toll roads and bridges. Ironically, these tend to be the same people who think public transit should be self-sustaining. It’s not, and it never has been.”
Click Below to Read the Full Column
Paying for Roads in an Electric World, by
Orange barrels in a construction zone or a pothole in the street are my only road maintenance reminders. I usually curse the bump in the road and go about my day.
I hope you’ll join us! A Conversation with Columnists May 22, 2021, 01:00 PM Mountain Time 3:00 Eastern Time Via Zoom, registration information below.
Columnists add color to the black and white of newspaper facts. Through an exercise in free speech and open discussion, columnists hold opinions but refuse to be swallowed by a partisan divide. They straddle the fence, providing a sharper focus and analysis on real issues. Three columnists will discuss how they came to write a column, how they feel they interact with their readers through their work, and what value columnists bring to journalism.
Columnists include: Joline Gutierrez Krueger is the last remaining original UpFront columnist for the Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico’s largest and only statewide newspaper. She joined the staff in 2008 after the closing of The Albuquerque Tribune, where she had worked for 20 years. She is the winner of numerous journalism and writing awards from such prestigious entities as the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors, Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism, Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, Top of the Rockies, Best of Scripps, New Mexico Associated Press Managing Editors, New Mexico Press Association, New Mexico Press Women and Albuquerque the Magazine.
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp is an award-winning freelance writer and syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate. She is the Media Director for the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, a member of the Cincinnati Enquirer Editorial Board, and a board member for the Cincinnati Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. She lives with her family in Northern Kentucky. Find her on social media @WriterBonnie or at WriterBonnie.com.
Algernon D’Ammassa is a reporter and columnist with the Las Cruces Sun-News in New Mexico. Lacking any background in journalism, he submitted volunteer opinion pieces to his local newspaper for several years before being offered a weekly deadline (with pay) and, later, a job as a reporter. Now appearing on Sundays, his “Desert Sage” column tackles a wide range of topics across politics, arts and humanities.
Moderated by: Cassie McClure, columnist for “My So-Called Millennial Life” which is nationally syndicated through Creators.
When: May 22, 2021, 01:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada) 3:00 Eastern Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZckfuutqDwqHtctbfF2ktWxapdtz… After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
This year, Mother’s Day is especially painful. Thanks to COVID-19, we have lost loved ones at an alarming rate. So, if this Mother’s Day is hard for you for the first time, I’m here to tell you it’s OK to sit this one out. It’s OK to say no to this holiday that feels like everyone is celebrating “at” you.
Read full column by clicking below
Mother’s Day. It’s Not for Everyone, by
Moms rock, but Mother’s Day? Not so much. The commercials, consumerism and social expectations would like me to believe differently.
I used to write a mommy blog for a parenting publication. After it won an award (and with my editor’s support), I approached the publisher to explore ways to help it grow. Turns out the publisher had never actually read my blog, and this prompted her to take a look. When she did, she deleted the posts with which she personally disagreed.
This workshop on how to craft the perfect freelance pitch was recorded in February. If missed it, no worries! Access the 90-minute recording is now available for just $15. Find it HERE
“Hands down, this was the most useful and informative training I’ve ever received on the topic. Wishing I had found NSNC sooner!”
Ann Peck, National Society of Newspaper Columnists member and workshop attendee
More writers are turning to freelance work in this gig economy making the art of the pitch so important. In this workshop, award-winning freelancer and NSNC Communications Director Bonnie Jean Feldkamp takes you start-to-finish through real-life examples. From finding leads, researching the publication, writing the pitch, and landing real assignments.
You’ll also receive a valuable resource sheet on where to find leads.Price: $15
My daughter and I walked through the local garden center trying to find a plant we had admired on a front porch in our neighborhood. It had beautiful magenta and blue-green leaves that spilled from a hanging basket.
Fast Funny Women from WoodHall Press and edited by Gina Barreca and includes essays from 75 amazing women launches today! As a contributor (page 128) with her hands on an advance copy I’m here to tell you what I know. Watch and then please plan to join us for the launch this evening. Registration is free. Sign up HERE.
Thrilled to have an essay in this book. Read more about Bonnie HERE and read more of her work HERE.
This is my first piece for Healthline on a topic I’ve not really written about – my health. I’ve not really considered writing about Psoriatic Arthritis It all started with this tweet – a callout for a writer who also had PsA:
WritingCommunity Seeking pitches from writers living with #psoriaticarthritis. Interested in POVs about the experience of living with your condition as well as tip-based content! email in bio. #chronicillness #disabledwriters #spoonies
I didn’t know what Healthline was looking for in particular when it came to Psoriatic Arthritis but I sent an email and learned they wanted someone to write about “Things I Wish People Understood About Psoriatic Arthritis.”
I was really apprehensive about taking this assignment because I did not want to write an article that prompted pity or came across as wanting anyone to feel sorry for me but I also wanted to be honest about autoimmune disease and PsA in particular. There’s a balance there. There’s also a vulnerability.
“There’s no runny nose to signal to everyone else that I’m constantly in the midst of battle. I’ve always wanted a T-shirt that read, “I’m so bad, I kick my own ass.”
Needless to say, I wrote the article 8 Things I Wish People Understood About Psoriatic Arthritis and I do hope you’ll read it. Linked below:
8 Things I Wish People Understood About Psoriatic Arthritis
PsA is an unpredictable and often invisible illness that is hard to manage — and even harder to understand.
For more articles from Bonnie on Health check out her Clips Page Here or click on the recommended articles below:
‘Survival no longer a given:’ Mom with autoimmune disease asks everyone to get a flu shot
By getting a flu shot, you can “help me protect myself and my family. It means everything to me, really,” said a mom with an autoimmune disease.
Opinion: Tattooing over scars helps with trauma, healing; Kentucky’s ban a loss of that control
For so many people who decide to turn a scar into a beautiful tattoo, it gives them some sort of control over their trauma. It helps the healing.
Gamer Girls: Online Sexism And Video Game Safety for Young Girls
I had the absolute honor of interviewing David Maraniss the two-time Pulitzer Prize Winner and award-winning biographer about his writing process.
You can watch the 30-second end clip before you commit to watching the whole hour-long video (posted at the end of this blog).
David shared his writing experiences for writing his most recent book, A Good American Family: The Red Scare and My Father (2019). For this book he researched his own father with a biographer’s eye. David’s father Elliott Maraniss was a WWII veteran who had commanded an all-Black company in the Pacific. He was spied on by the FBI, named as a Communist by an informant, called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952, fired from his newspaper job, and blacklisted for five years. Yet his father never lost faith in America and emerged on the other side with his family and optimism intact.
In our conversation, David gives great writing and research advice when dealing with personal and painful memories, especially when it focuses on family. Watch the full hour interview at the link below:
For upcoming interviews and workshops visit my Events Page.
If you like this interview you may also like my interview with John Avlon and Mary C. Curtis on the Art of the Interview:
