Readers!
I’ve been working on a look back piece this week — where I explain why something is how it is now by looking back at what was. This has included interviews with people who experienced the thing at the time, and also digging into newspaper archives. I found two New York Times stories that had the name of the reporter and then, under it “Special to the New York Times.”
This is how the Times used to identify that the story was written by a freelancer. I’m looking at articles published in the 1970s, but the practice goes long before that, as has freelance writing. Instead of sending New York or D.C. based reporters to cover a local story, why not hire a local instead? By the time I started writing for the Times in 2005, that practice was gone, but every time I see a “special to…” in the Times or the Philadelphia Inquirer or whatever other paper I see during my work, I smile at those who came before me.
This isn’t really relevant to any anti-freelancer news (because trust me, I’ve been told we’re not needed — a lot), but I kept coming across “special to” while reporting this piece, and as a “special to” myself, I want you to keep an eye out when reading older stories too, and maybe smile when see those who came before us.
What I’m Reading
- Force of Nature by C.J. Box. Been a while since we checked in with our intrepid Wyoming game commissioner Joe Pickett, who this time is trying to help out his falconer/on the run friend Nate Romanowski from being killed. We finally find out what Romanowski did in his previous military career, and what lead him to go off grid, which was satisfying! Even if the scenarios Pickett gets himself into are a lot, I still enjoy these tense, tight thrillers.
- Lion by Sonya Walger. I’m not exactly sure what “autobiographical novel” means, but that’s what those debut novel by Walger, who is an actress (and my apparent double) with a flaky father. The book is told entirely in present tense, which I usually hate, but it works as the narrative slides in and out of decades to tell about how Walger grew up always craving the love of a man who was never really there. I liked it.
What I’m Watching
- Saving Venice I went to Venice for the first time last year on Rick Steves tour, and someone else in our group complained later that our guide kept talking about climate change (he also called himself an unvaccinated “pureblood” go figure). I don’t know how you can be in Venice and not think about it — nor could our tour guide, who lives there! This documentary is about the challenges Venice faces, and what they are trying to do to save themselves. At least they’re trying, unlike some Jersey Shore towns where the solution has been to put up lights that blink when the roadway floods.
- The Righteous Gemstones (season 4). I will miss this always crude, often violent, satire about rich, religious freaks. The show only became more relevant with every season, which good for them, but sad for the rest of us.
- Agatha and the Truth of Murder. As soon as I started this movie, I realized I’d seen it before, but who cares, it’s fun! In 1926, Agatha Christie briefly disappeared, and this movie makes up what happens during that time, which is of course solving a murder. It’s a fun period piece.
- Body in the Snow. I had been listening the podcast Court Junkie cover the trial of Karen Read, when my friend said that there was an HBO documentary about it too. I still don’t know what happened, but I also don’t think those present know either. My one conclusion is that everyone involved drinks too much. If they didn’t, I doubt any of this would have happened.
- About My Father I heard about this 2023 movie, where Robert De Niro plays a version of his own father, when he talked about having a trans daughter, and said “I don’t know what the big deal is.” Good for him. Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t work despite a really good cast. I think it might have had a chance if they set it in the 1970s or 1980s, where it was more likely that a Sicilian immigrant father would deal with being introduced to a WASP family. But it just didn’t gel here.
- Night at the Museum Ben Stiller made an offhanded comment on his Severance podcast about this movie on a podcast (he said he was not the first choice for the role) and I realized I have never seen it. Talk about a movie I missed! And I loved it. What an adventure, especially for kids.
Nail Polish of the Week
Be Them All by Essie This ended up being more orange than I thought, but that’s fine. It’s not so orange as to tip towards Halloween, so it works for May.
Until next time!
Jen A. Miller (she/her)
Notes from a Hired Pen ebook series
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