Reserve Your Room for the Features Journalism Conference
The SFJ 2013 conference runs from Oct. 9-12th in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Take a moment to mark your calendar and make your plans to join us for the SFJ 2013 Features Journalism Conference.
Hotel reservations are being accepted now.
A bulk room rate has been secured for $109/night. The hotel offers free wifi and provides a shuttle to and from the Poynter campus.
You can reserve your room now by going to this link: http://cwp.marriott.com/tpasd/societyoffeaturesjournal
Your SFJ testimonials wanted!
A scene from our awesome 2012 silent auction.
We would love to hear why you attended the conference and what’s the best idea you picked up at a recent SFJ conference that you put to use in your newsroom?
As the features editor of The Roanoke Times, I’ve attended five conferences and have felt recharged at each one. It’s a great way to network and meet other features editors and learn from one another. It’s also nice to have the time away from the daily pressures of the office to evaluate our jobs and challenges, and get advice if needed.
Thanks to the Show & Steal sessions, I’ve brought back great ideas to reproduce at my paper, including asking readers for their hilarious Scared of Santa photos. And you’ll never fail to find something amazing at our annual silent auction to benefit our diversity fellows program.
Now it’s time for you to share your testimonial. How did the conference help you in your job? Leave your comments below or tweet us at @WeareSFJ. We may share some of your thoughts in our conference program this year.
– Kathy Lu
Winners Announced: 25th Annual Features Journalism Contest
The Society for Features Journalism is pleased to announce our 25th annual contest winners!
SFJ would like to recognize the wonderful work being done on a daily basis by you and your colleagues around the country. The full list of winners can be found on our contest page.
All winners will be formally recognized at our annual conference at Poynter in October.
Congratulations one and all!
2013 Diversity Fellowship Winners: Greg Braxton of L.A. Times & Carlos Frias of Palm Beach Post
Greg Braxton
The Society for Features Journalism has awarded Penny Bender Fuchs Diversity Fellowships to two minority journalists to attend the organization’s 2013 annual conference.
Greg Braxton, entertainment reporter at the Los Angeles Times, and Carlos Frias, columnist and features writer at the Palm Beach Post, will receive all-expense paid trips to attend the conference Oct. 9-12 at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Braxton has been a journalist for 35 years. A graduate of the California State University at Northridge, he started as reporter at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. He moved to the Los Angeles Times, where he has worked since 1982. Braxton has primarily covered television at the L.A. Times since 1992 and has been part of three Pulitzer Prize-winning teams at the paper. He has continually examined the issue of minority representation in film and television and says, “There is much more work to be done in the industry on this front, and I fully intend to keep reporting on it. Participating in this fellowship will help provide me with added perspectives and insights that no doubt will assist me in that endeavor.”
Carlos Frias
Frias is a graduate of the University of Florida in Gainesville. He has been a staff writer at the Cincinnati Enquirer, the St. Petersburg Times and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has worked at the Palm Beach Post since 2004, focusing on long-form narrative journalism and previously on special projects in sports. He won the International Latino Book Award for best debut book for “Take Me With You: A Secret Search for Family in a Forbidden Cuba” in 2009 and first-place awards from SFJ for general and specialty features in 2011. Of his job, Frias says, “Features allows us to tell the stories of amazing people in amazing circumstances and ordinary folks in extraordinary times.”
The Diversity Fellowship offers an opportunity for journalists of color to gain a broader experience in features and underscores SFJ’s commitment to diversity within our newsrooms. Applicants were judged on the quality of their work samples, their interest in features journalism and their commitment to diversity issues. The society’s membership is open to any features writer interested in sharing and learning from a community dedicated to advancing storytelling in our society.
Dallas Morning News’ writing contest celebrates narrative nonfiction by newspapers
The Dallas Morning-News is sponsoring a new contest honoring narrative nonfiction writing in a daily U.S. newspaper or a U.S. newspaper website. It’s called the Best American Newspaper Narrative Writing Contest. The contest is conducted by the Mayborn Conference.
The prizes are impressive:
- First place winner will receive $5,000 and free registration to attend the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference July 19-21, 2013 in Grapevine, Texas
- Second place winner will receive $2,000
- Third place winner will receive $1,000
Submissions must have been published between Jan. 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012. Deadline to enter is June 1.
Deadline extended for 2013 Penny Bender Fuchs Diversity Fellowship
Deadline to apply for the fellowship has been extended a week (giving you time to finish your taxes AND your application!). Please encourage your colleagues look into this wonderful opportunity.
When: Oct. 9-12, 2013, at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Sponsor: Society for Features Journalism
Who is this for: Journalists of color who produce arts and features content for news organizations or those interested in pursuing careers in arts and features.
Application deadline: April 22, 2013
About the fellowship: The Society for Features Journalism is committed to developing news-gathering staffs representative of the multicultural communities its members serve. Toward this goal, SFJ is sponsoring the Penny Bender Fuchs Diversity Fellowship Program for journalists of color in conjunction with its annual conference at the Poynter Institute. Programming will have heavy emphasis on multimedia, leadership and writing.
SFJ Contest Deadline Extended to Friday, April 5th
Relax a little, we’ve extended our deadline — by popular demand — to Friday, April 5th.
But hurry, there’s only a few days left to submit your best in features journalism. Check out all the rules, and enter our contest now: http://featuresjournalism.org/contests-2/
Deadline for SFJ Contest is March 29th
The deadline for the 25th Annual Features Journalism Contest is fast approaching. Please visit our contest page to learn how you can enter. Don’t forget there are three new categories this year for entrants in video storytelling, integrated storytelling and student general features.
Contest information: http://featuresjournalism.org/contests-2/
For those of you submitting multiple entries this year, please follow a tip from Paul Saltzman of the Chicago Sun-Times:
When you have completed an entry, you will click “submit” to send the information. You will then see “message sent” along with a rundown of the information you entered.
At this point, you will also see “go back.” If you click on the “go back” it will indeed take you back, but it will also clear out all the fields in your submission. You can save yourself time and effort of retyping the same information (newspaper name, address, phone, etc.) if you use the back arrow on your browser instead. This way, you’ll only have to enter the new information for your next entry!
Apply today for the SFJ diversity fellowship!
2013 Penny Bender Fuchs Diversity Fellowship
When: Oct. 9-12, 2013, at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Sponsor: Society for Features Journalism
Who is this for: Journalists of color who produce arts and features content for news organizations or those interested in pursuing careers in arts and features. There are two fellowships available.
Application deadline: April 15, 2013
2012 diversity fellows Christina Rosales and Helaine Williams hard at work during the annual conference.
The Society for Features Journalism is committed to developing news-gathering staffs that are representative of the multicultural communities its members serve. Toward this goal, SFJ is sponsoring the Penny Bender Fuchs Diversity Fellowship Program for journalists of color in conjunction with its 2013 annual conference, happening at the Poynter Institute. Programming will have heavy emphasis on multimedia, leadership and writing.
Diversity fellows learn what’s happening in features departments nationwide while networking with outstanding journalists specializing in lifestyle coverage.
Fellowships cover SFJ conference registration, airfare and hotel. Fellows will also receive a $300 stipend to be used toward conference-related expenses such as baggage and transportation fees and meals not covered by the conference.
Features editors share Oscars coverage from around the country
How did features sections across the country cover the Oscars on Sunday? We sent a query out to our members and got this roundup. Check it out for ideas for next year!
25th Annual Society for Features Journalism Contest — DEADLINE: March 29th
SFJ is officially announcing our call for entries in two contests:
25th Annual SFJ Best Section, Niche Product
The SFJ Best Section and Best Niche Product awards honor the craft of feature writing and the people who do it for a living at news organizations and wire services. Winners of the 25th Annual contest will be announced in May and honored at SFJ’s national conference at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, FL., on Oct. 9-12, 2013. Learn more about SFJ’s 25th Annual Best Sections Contest here.
25th Annual SFJ Excellence-in-Feature Writing Competition
The SFJ Excellence-in-Features awards honor the craft of feature writing and the people who do it for a living at news organizations and wire services. Winners of the 25th Annual contest will be announced in May and honored at SFJ’s national conference at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, FL., on Oct. 9-12, 2013. Learn more about SFJ’s 25th Annual Excellence-in-Feature-Writing Contest here.
The deadline for all entries is March 29, 2013.
Farewell to Dear Abby, an AASFE Hall of Fame inductee
The page from the 2001 AASFE conference program about that year’s Hall of Fame inductees: Pauline Friedman Phillips (Dear Abby) and Eppie Lederer (Ann Landers).
Said SFJ President Alec Harvey, managing producer of The Birmingham News, “As the author of Dear Abby, Phillips was a giant in the features world, earning one of the first places in our features hall of fame. Her advice was timeless, and her audience was huge – something the likes of which newspaper feature writers will rarely see again.”
Click on the photo to read the New York Times obit on Phillips.
Donate to SFJ Foundation today!
Tom Huang, SFJ Foundation board president
The SFJ Foundation is accepting donations to seed the start of its new life.
As an incentive, board president Tom Huang (of Poynter and Dallas Morning News fame) has generously offered to match donations received through Dec. 31, up to $1,000.
Perhaps this could be one of your #26actsofkindness, or your way to ensure the future of features journalism. Through our annual conference and the Penny Bender Fuchs Diversity Fellows Program, SFJ aims to advance and recognize the important role features journalism plays in the media and society. What would we be without our stories?
To make a contribution, send a check payable to SFJ Foundation and mail to SFJ Foundation, 1100 Knight Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.
No donation is too small.
Renew your membership today!
Before the crunch of the holiday season and other year-end activities, don’t forget to renew your SFJ Membership.
We know very well that this brave new world of journalism presents some major challenges. We also know that your membership in SFJ provides a ready source of ideas, inspiration, support and camaraderie that can help in rapidly evolving times.
It’s an exciting time for the group. As you know, the newly-formed SFJ Foundation has received tax-exempt status, which will allow for the expansion of training and mentoring opportunities offered through our Diversity Fellowship program.
Renewals (or new memberships) are good for one year. If you don’t know when your membership expires, email Merrilee Cox or call 301-314-2631.
Share the word with your colleagues and take advantage of the multiple member rates.
SFJ Conference 2012
SFJ Conference 2012, a set on Flickr.
A photo gallery from our August conference. Photos by Kathy Lu, features editor of The Roanoke Times.
NCDJ Announces New Journalism Award to Recognize Disability Coverage
A new national journalism awards program will recognize excellence in reporting on disability issues and people with disabilities.
The Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability is the first national journalism contest devoted exclusively to disability coverage.
Video Interview with Alice Short at SFJ12
Our diversity fellows put together a short video interview with outgoing president, Alice Short, at the Society for Features Journalism Conference 2012.
Learn more about the craft of features journalism, the SFJ annual conference and what’s in store for the future of the organization:
Day 2 at SFJ12 on Storify
Friday was packed with action at SFJ12. Check out the latest Storify in case you missed it: http://storify.com/WeAreSFJ/sfj-conference-2012-daily-wrap-up-day-2
Follow Along with SFJ12 on Storify!
Even if you can’t make it to this year’s annual conference, you can still follow along with our daily Storify round-ups. There’s plenty of tweets, photos and links that could help serve as valuable resources. To follow all the action at SFJ12, simply subscribe to SFJ here: http://storify.com/WeAreSFJ/sfj-conference-2012-daily-wrap-up
SFJ12 Show & Steal Handouts for Download
The Show & Steal handouts and presentation are now available for download to SFJ members.
Link: http://featuresjournalism.org/conference/sfj12-show-steal-handouts-for-download/
Full Conference Schedule Posted!
We are counting down the days to August 22nd and the 2012 Society of Features Journalism Conference. The full conference schedule is now posted: http://featuresjournalism.org/conference/2012conference-schedule/
Registration for the conference continues, sign-up now: http://featuresjournalism.org/2012/07/18/sfj-2012-conference-registration-open/
LAST CALL: SFJ 2012 Conference Registration
SFJ 2012 Conference Information | SFJ 2012 Conference Schedule
Plans for our annual SFJ conference are underway, and we hope you’ll join us this year!
Registration link: To register for the conference, download a Word document here, and mail or fax it to the attention of Merrilee Cox at 301-314-9166. It’s that easy!
Dates: August 22-25, 2012
Location: University of Maryland, College Park
Host hotel: University of Maryland University College Inn and Conference Center, Adelphi, Md.
(our negotiated room rates range from $129-$149/night before taxes)
Registration rates:
Member registration – $300
Non-Member registration — $500
Day Rate: $75
Student day rate: $25 (meals not included)
RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/384269938279813/
Congratulations to the 2012 SFJ Contest Winners!
The Society for Features Journalism would like to congratulate all of this year’s contest winners!
To see the full list of award winners, please click on the jump. We hope to see all of the winners at the University of Maryland, College Park for our 2012 SFJ Conference.
SFJ Diversity Fellowship Winners Announced
The Society for Features Journalism has awarded Diversity Fellowships to two minority journalists to attend the organization’s 2012 annual conference.
SFJ Awards Two Diversity Fellowships
Calling all journalists of color!
SFJ is looking for journalists of color who produce arts and features content, or those interested in pursuing careers in arts and features, to become Diversity Fellows at its annual conference in at the University of Maryland in August 2012. Conference programming will have heavy emphasis on multimedia, leadership and writing. The application deadline has been extended to April 13. Learn more.
Read about the Diversity Fellows who attended SFJ’s annual conference in 2011.
Join us in Maryland in 2012
We hope you’re still feeling the glow of the 2011 SFJ conference in Tucson, pondering your new skill sets or the story ideas you’ve “liberated” from your colleagues. Perhaps you are contemplating your renewed confidence in dealing with your boss or writing a detailed memo on the possibilities for shared content and partnerships. And that’s excellent news. But there is a next year, and we’d like the SFJ membership to anticipate our 2012 conference Aug. 22-25 at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism. More about our conference.
