I’m gearing up for small town east coast –upstate NY — living for about a month, the place where well known author Richard Russo has made his mark.
Despite the fact that I spent some of my childhood here and have lived in African and Asian villages one tenth its size, it will be a dramatic change from Silicon Valley urban living, where I hear sirens and barking dogs all day. (and do swing-outs with men who wear the word geek on their shirt).
I contacted an old time friend, who has been the editor of this small town newspaper for a number of years. The stories I’d love to write about the high school personalities of this small-fry town……..how far can we go and still be part of respected part of a community? Ah yes, that word community. This upcoming ‘walk about’ will be an interesting one.
The writing is always so informal in small town newspapers. It’s always as if you’re talking to Joe the Butcher — even on the front page. For example, “we all need to keep after the county since they seem to think we all have money trees in our back yards. Their past record in percentage hike on the tax levy just keeps going up and up.”
And this one:
“Without the assistance of Deputy Sheriff Serpa, we would have been stranded for some time, and Chief Wilder saw to it that we did not suffer fire damage, a real possibility at the time. We would like the area residents to be aware that we all are in good hands, thanks to these individuals. They are very concerned, good citizens – a factor which might be overlooked when things are going well.”
I’m gearing up for small town; I hope it slows me down and ‘my reality’ becomes a Richard Russo novel. Empire Falls really hit home.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
