Well, hey there, stranger! It’s been a couple weeks, how are ya?
Shoot, we’ve had tornados and hail and torrential rains. That sunshine and calm breeze was sure nice last weekend, wasn’t it? My grass managed to get a haircut and I pulled a few weeds, and my chickens got to stretch their wings. I know they liked that.
I haven’t written my column these last couple of weekends because, well, you all have had a lot to say! I like to prioritize Letters to the Editor over my own column because your voices matter. Your voices guide us, they tell us what you want to see more or less of, but even more importantly, they contribute to a communitywide conversation.
Me, I’m just telling you about the day-to-day life of putting together a newspaper. I know it’s interesting (it is interesting, right?), but the community we serve is far more so, I think.
The Letters to the Editor, which I just started putting up on Facebook about eight weeks ago, have been getting a lot of attention. That’s a really good thing, because it means the conversation is happening both inside our pages and outside, in the community that follows us. I do wish, though, that some of those commenting in reaction to the posts would also send us letters of their own.
If you think the letters have been one-sided, the fix is simple: Send us a different perspective. You can email it, you can snail-mail it, you can bring it through our door and lay it at the front desk. We welcome all perspectives. We want you to challenge each other — and us — as long as you do it respectfully, of course. There’s plenty of guidance in our Editor’s Standards of Acceptance down below at the bottom of this page.
The forecast is calling for more stormy weather this weekend. Grass is probably going to need another haircut by the end of next week. I should probably think about putting a few seeds in the ground, too, if I’m to have a garden this summer.
Until next time, folks, stay dry and stay kind. And don’t be shy. Let us know what you really think.
If you’ve got a question or a concept to explore, no matter how tough, share it with me and we’ll consider it together. Send suggested topics to me by email at news@westplainsdailyquill.net; by mail to the West Plains Daily Quill, P.O. Box 110, West Plains, MO 65775; by phone at 417-256-9191; or in person at the Quill office, 205 Washington Ave. Note: I am most available for conversations between 9 a.m. and noon Tuesdays and Fridays, or 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
