Heads and tales: Looking at alternatives
By Wade Kwon
The 10: Congratulations to Birmingham Weekly on its 10th anniversary. The alt-weekly has survived financial turmoil, ownership changes, boycotts and redesigns (online and in print). Even its current staff members seems amazed and a little puzzled at its continued existence.
To wit, editor-in-chief Glenny Brock writes, “Now, the mayor’s office call us back. Now, the governor’s office calls us back. Now, I am regularly invited to my alma mater, Birmingham-Southern College, to speak to a class called Writing for the Print Media. It is worth noting that the only writing class I never took at BSC was Writing for the Print Media.” Oh, well, you made it further than the latest corpse in Hoover print, the Gazette.
• City News, Views & Entertainment [Birmingham Weekly]
Criminal minded: Black and White is taking an interesting approach to crime reporting for its third annual crime issue. Our pal Kerry, the editor, e-mailed a request …
“If you have been the victim of a crime in the Birmingham city limits during 2007, please e-mail an account of the incident to crime@readbw.com. Please tell us:
- where and when the incident occurred;
- whether the crime was reported to the police;
- what, if any, interaction you had with law enforcement;
- and whether there was any resolution to the crime in question.
“Any and all published accounts will maintain your anonymity, but we do request your name, address and telephone number for purposes of verification.” We’ll get them started: Try the Victims of Birmingham Crime MySpace page.
• Black & White needs your crime stories [via e-mail]
World beat: When the State Department has diplomats to entertain, where does it go? Crestwood. Yes, Crestwood.
The neighborhood holds several alley parties each year, and Sept. 17, an extra-special party will welcome 30 diplomats with covered dishes and ice-cold cooler beers. The fun begins at 6 p.m., which coincidentally is when the event starts.
• It’s time for an alley party [via e-mail]
Also:
- Mayoral forums highlight differences among grandstanding, overpromising
- Red Mountain Park to feature two roller coasters, princess castle
- Coaches ask players to give 110 percent in 10 percent increments
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