Well Done, Jonathan
The Oregonian's Jonathan Nicholas dropped a major column on Portland today. It had a great title, a tremendous story, and a strong twist at the end. Maybe it hit me harder because I know Steve from Artichoke Music and attended the "Travis John" funeral, but I doubt it. Familiarity with those involved is not necessary to get this. My only criticism: The side-by-side pictures of Steve's wife and Travis's mother were a little unfortunate, as one was smiling and the other appeared to be sad. But overall, this was a great piece of newspaper work. Jonathan even pulled out the poetry on one line, which can be a disaster, but in a story this powerful, it fits.
Two mothers, two sons, one banjo
posted by Bill McDonald @ 9:54 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Thanks for tip.
Great story. Nicely written piece.
Jonathan is the best writer.
Jonathan writes and styles a pleasant read.
One trick he teaches me makes sentences with verbs other than forms of '(to) be.' Avoid 'is,' 'are', 'was,' and so forth; think a second extra to come up with luminous alternatives more active than 'is' is.
Duin, in comparison, and in merit, is master of the additional sensory adjective.
So to speak. I liked today's Nicholas, like on most days.
The story was powerful. Imagine the mother of the slain soldier at the high school graduation watching all these young people. Meanwhile the one kid's parents who she's standing in for, are in Texas performing a song about her fallen son.
That's too much. That's life imitating a novel, except that it's real.
What a great site, how do you build such a cool site, its excellent.
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