Natalie Wallington
@narwhallington
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Reporter + data nerd @KCStar 🔎 union steward ✊ policy, labor, sustainability, utilities 📝 nwallington @kcstar .com or DM for Signal 📬 she/her 🏳️🌈
Kansas City, Missouri
Joined October 2016
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Pinned Tweet
Reporting live from City Hall, where the City Council meeting is 51 minutes behind schedule and every single councilmember has an unopened bag of Cheez-Its on their desk 🫡
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“It can’t hurt to apply!” Yes it can. Constant rejection hurts. Spending hours on a cover letter & getting zero response hurts. Putting yourself out there in the hopes that someone will give you a chance is really taxing. Let’s stop pretending it isn’t.
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Every NYC subway ad is like:
Sick of weekending on Fire Island because you HATE your boss? Try getting that grain bowl delivered in minutes by an unpaid sewer rat. Crypto
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*litmag voice* we wanna be stunned. we want work so innovative it resurrects Socrates. Flash fiction that belongs to every genre ever invented, simultaneously. Poems that are literally going to come to our houses and taser us. We want work that God himself has to read 15 times
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I’m on the scene at Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, where students are walking out of class in protest of the Supreme Court’s anticipated decision on Roe v. Wade.
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The fact that every person in this crowd instantly gave the
#capitalpride
shooting rumor the benefit of the doubt and ran for their lives should show the rest of the world what it’s like to live in America.
When we hear “gun,” we run. Because we know what’s possible.
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@stuboo
just a goofy detail, but my new gynecologist (we'll call her Dr. Smith) has a framed needlepoint piece on her office windowsill that says "Dr. Smith at your cervix!" Really made me laugh & feel less nervous about the whole experience haha
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I'm extremely humbled and delighted to share that after six months of only rejections, I sold three freelance stories this week. To the people who told me to keep trying: THANK YOU!
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i did a drawing of my favorite owl photo for mother’s day:
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Someone on here once said journalism is 90% waiting for people to email you back but that’s WRONG!!! It’s 99%
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@ChelseaCirruzzo
I will say MD is the only place I've ever lived where people who miss a turn will just... put the car in reverse.... and drive backwards.... til they get back to it....
i once saw this on the HIGHWAY with a missed exit and nearly ascended
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A list of every clinic that performs abortions within a 5 hour drive of Kansas City, arranged by distance
Closest: Overland Park, KS
Planned Parenthood Comprehensive Health Center
4401 W. 109th St.
913-345-1400
Center for Women’s Health
4840 College Boulevard
913-491-6878
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fantasy scenario: i’m in a coffee shop. covid doesn’t exist. i sip my latte. i open a google doc. i wiggle my fingers like a little magician. i sip my latte. i stare into blank space for 8 minutes. i open twitter
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The data is in: Johnson County ends the night with staggering turnout of 53.65%.
#KansasPrimary
#JoCoVotes
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Fact check for anyone getting confusing messages about Kansas' abortion amendment:
✅YES means the implied right to abortion will be REMOVED from the state's constitution
🚫NO means the implied right to abortion will REMAIN in the state's constitution
Election day is TOMORROW!
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reflections from an evening on Job Seeker twitter:
-the job application ecosystem is massively effed up
-applying to jobs can take as much time & energy as having a whole part-time job
-rejection sucks but getting ghosted sucks worse
-potential employers: do better
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@vcmpoetry
This submission has everything. Sunsets. Drug use. Magical realism. The word "effervescent." Yesyesyesyesyessss
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BREAKING: The resolution making Kansas City a "safe haven" for gender-affirming healthcare has passed 11-1.
The mayor is planning a signing ceremony after Council adjourns-- likely in the next hour. Thanks to
@kcmikehendricks
for tracking this bill!🏳️⚧️
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My team will have more on this soon, but Kansas City folks in Missouri should know that it it currently 100% LEGAL to cross the state line into Kansas to get an abortion.
Kansas also (currently) has more legal protections than Missouri does for people seeking abortions.
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Arizona, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri & Washington state hold primary elections tomorrow, so here's your reminder to get your news from LOCAL journalists who live in the communities they cover.
National outlets will have people "on the ground"... for a few days. We live here 24/7.
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what’s the opposite of imposter syndrome called?? people should be treating me better and paying me more
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Voter turnout is off the charts in densely populated Johnson County, KS: with over 80 precincts still sending in data, voter turnout is already over 51%. In a PRIMARY.
Neighboring Wyandotte County's turnout is just shy of 35%, with some absentee votes still in the mail.
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@janettereinke
Thanks for the question! Johnson County's turnout in the 2018 primary (a good comparison because they're both midterm election years) was 121,389. Tonight's turnout was 244,818, so more than double that!
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Little-known fact about me: I LOVE a good flowchart. So while I was writing my latest COVID piece this morning, I scribbled one out in my notebook and
@ellenmhine
helped make it a reality!
Choose your own adventure, COVID-style. It all starts with a rapid home test...
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I’m on the scene at Kansas City’s reproductive rights protest hosted by the Real Justice Network with the support of Planned Parenthood.
At least 400 demonstrators have assembled at Mill Creek Park:
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hello new followers. i’m a journalist trying very hard to break into the journalism industry. i’ve been job hunting for two and a half years, even though i’m damn talented reporter. if anyone has a lead on a full-time journalism job that pays a salary, my dms are open.
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Timberdoodle fans! My timberdoodle stickers have arrived! I am so excited to share them with you, and to split all profits with
@wildbirdfund
!!!
You can check them out in my Etsy shop here:
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By a smashing 51-0 unanimous vote with 100% turnout, the
@KCNewsGuild
has voted to ratify our first union contract with
@mcclatchy
!!! So proud to represent nine amazing
@KCStar
reporters, producers and visual journalists in this union 💪
#KCStarPower
#ProtectLocalNews
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Threading with more info from the scene:
I counted around 200 students in this passionate crowd. Some held signs about reproductive rights. Zoom in to see:
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It’s a big day for me: I just signed a 2-year lease to stay in Kansas City until at least 2025. So excited to see what these next years bring. ❤️
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I can't even pretend to be cool and nonchalant about this. I have an article out this morning in the freakin
@washingtonpost
!!!!!!
Read about five strangers' amazing journey to save an injured pigeon here:
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"am i doing this 'writer' thing right?" i mutter to myself as i comment heart-eyes on poems i love and 'congratulations!!!!' on complete strangers' tweets about litmag acceptances and never write even one word for a month
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"What's it like being a
@KCStar
reporter?"
Some mornings you tuck into a 13-page pdf explainer on the personal property tax system.
Other mornings your editor messages you, "can you write an obituary for a gorilla? this is not a joke"
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Merry Christmas birders! I drew a timberdoodle— stickers coming soon to split proceeds with
@wildbirdfund
!
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Our fellows write all the content for our website, run our email newsletter, fact-check other reporters' work, and spearhead their own investigative projects! Apply to be a fellow today! 3-month position minimum wage no benefits
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I’m so thrilled and honored to finally share that I’ve accepted a position on the service desk at the Kansas City Star!
I can’t wait to join the
@KCStar
team and get to work serving readers. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone in my corner for your support & love! 🎉
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State Senator Cindy Holscher is speaking now at the event. She mentions that most of her colleagues do not have children in public schools and don’t support public education.
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me normally: Warren 2020
me when Pete Buttigieg talks about how much he loves his husband: *through tears* Warren 2020
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Today I learned that the Kansas state legislature's definition of "candy" includes the rule that it can't contain any flour. So a Twix bar isn't considered "candy" because there's a cookie component. Kids, feel free to use this legal loophole to your advantage.
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My team has heard from readers concerned that MO's "trigger ban" on abortion could also outlaw birth control, emergency contraceptives and even IVF.
I separated the fact from the speculation on family planning measures in Missouri. Take a look:
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when i follow a writer i really admire anD THEN THEY FOLLOW ME BACK EVEN THOUGH IM A TOTAL NOBODY
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I’m seeing some wonderful acts of kindness here on the ground, from parents comforting one another to community members handing out snacks. Here’s some Cane’s food dropped off earlier for Olathe East kids unloading from busses
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Hey, that’s me!! 🎉
✨ More exciting news! ✨
@narwhallington
is joining the
@KCStar
as a reporter on our Service Desk.
Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Guardian, VICE News, Audubon Magazine, and elsewhere.
We are so excited to welcome her to Kansas City!
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@BabsVan
Can't believe nobody else is saying George Saunders. Perhaps less of a novelist and more of a short fiction author, but I think he qualifies
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Books bans are on the rise in the Kansas City area, particularly targeting LGBTQ+ titles. 🏳️🌈
It would be such a shame if someone made a Pride Month reading list of great queer books recommended by local librarians 😈
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I just submitted my first lil piece to a litmag!!!!
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I am so thrilled to share that today is my first day of work in the editorial department of
@audubonsociety
!!! Get ready for some top-notch high quality birdposting
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two weeks until the annual “tHe YeAr’s hALf oVeR, wHat hAvE YoU AcCoMpLiShEd???” posts and i’m warning y’all right now i will not tolerate it
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unsolicited advice i have received since making my job hunting tweet:
-send your resume to every job listing you can find on linkedin until something sticks
-just don’t write cover letters at all (???)
-stop whining & work harder
-switch careers
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Earlier this week I literally bled for the
@KCStar
. Follow along with my very first blood donation and see how easy it is to give ❤️ (Don't let the photo fool you-- the needle didn't hurt at all!)
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I'm proud to present a major package of reporting today on how recycling really works in the Kansas City metro.♻️
We heard from readers skeptical about the efficacy of the recycling process-- so I visited both local facilities to answer their questions:
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early-career journalists SHOULD have to work for almost nothing, for years, to get a foot in the door: ❌false
early-career journalists DO have to work for almost nothing, for years, to get a foot in the door: ✔️true
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KCEB director tells me that around 65% of polling places have been counted and NO is ahead by around 5,000 votes.
We're expecting 100% of KCEB precincts to report in the next update, which should come within ~10 minutes.
Watch this space!
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As employers lament the challenges of attracting talent, one beloved Kansas City company took a risk that's paying off big time.
Learn about
@CharlieHustleCo
's 4-day work week, and why experts say this unconventional schedule could be a game-changer:
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pouring one out for the girl in my graduating class who now works as nancy pelosi’s deputy press secretary lol meanwhile i’m having the time of my life eating an english muffin in my childhood bedroom, where i live
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BREAKING: Kansas City Council has passed a resolution expressing 'concern' with
@spire_energy
's rate increase request.
If approved, Spire predicts it would cost an average KC customer ~$11/month (~$132/year) and make the company $143 million. My latest:
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Nothing feels as good as writing "documents obtained by The Star reveal..." in a big juicy article. Who obtained those documents? ME, baby! But in this moment I am the entire
@KCStar
. Feels good😉
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I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to discover
@literari_ana
😱 Her two poems in the Land Acknowledgments issue of
@poetrymagazine
are both knockouts. Can’t wait to read more of her work!!
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Big voter turnout today in left-leaning Wyandotte County.
"Looks like we had close to 22,000 vote today, which is pretty good considering in 2018 we only had about 20,458 ballots cast total," election commissioner Michael Abbott told me. "That's pretty big for us."
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That job hunting mood where every new email notification could potentially change your life but instead it’s usually a robot offering you 5% off your next order at Michaels Arts & Crafts
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during my interview at
@audubonsociety
i learned that the office has a bird button that, when pressed, alerts everyone on slack that there's a cool bird outside the window. that piece of information taught me 2 things:
1) everyone here is a nerd
2) i must work here
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Every workshop letter ever:
Hi Natalie! I really enjoyed reading your story, [Title]. I loved how you used unique language devices such as characterization and setting. My main question about your story is that I did not understand it at all and will now wildly misinterpret it
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A few fact checks on the
#RalphYarl
case:
➡️Lester (the suspect) did NOT flee the state, he was booked yesterday and made bail
➡️Lester's 1st degree assault charge is the Missouri equivalent of attempted murder, NOT a lesser charge
➡️Yarl returned home Sunday in stable condition!
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Hi! If you read my article, you'll see that Gender Queer is in the nonfiction section, not in the kids' books section.
If you're really interested in the contents of this book (spoiler: it's not pornographic!) I wrote about it last year here:
.
@narwhallington
,
@KCStar
recommend children read Gender Queer, a pornographic book, because that’s not skeevy af or anything.
#mogov
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I was Monday years old when I learned that there are caves under Kansas City holding food packaging plants, literal office buildings, RV storage, a USPS distribution center for millions of postage stamps, and a bunch of people's immigration paperwork:
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This past weekend, I took on an extremely fun assignment for
@PopSci
: building a birdbath out of salvaged materials. Here's how I did it... /1
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By my totals, at least 26 patients have arrived at Kansas City area hospitals following today's mass shooting.
Total gunshot wounds: 18
Total children injured: 11 (9 shot)
Total patients in critical condition: 3
Total fatalities so far: 2
I'll update as soon as we get new data
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girls don't want boys, girls want new jobs that they can announce on twitter by saying "some ✨ personal news✨"
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“elsewhere” = in another place
i propose “elsewhen” = at another time
example sentence: i can’t meet up today but we should absolutely get coffee elsewhen
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I used to wear dresses all the time-- but I didn't pack any when I moved to Kansas City. Here's why:
The Star’s Natalie Wallington decided to be as visibly queer as possible when moving to Missouri, because when people “make a queer child feel alone, my community works twice as hard to show them that we are proud and thriving.”
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Happy Earth Day! 🌎 Kansas Citians deserve to know what their two biggest utility monopolies are saying about the city's forthcoming climate action plan.♻️ I made a Sunshine request to find out:
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Currently experiencing this mythical “after work” time I’ve always heard about.
Apparently I’m not expected to do homework, pitch freelance articles, go to work elsewhere, apply for other jobs, work on unfinished assignments, or write cover letters. Feels fake but I’ll take it!
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Good news bird lovers: my timberdoodle sticker is back for the holidays! 50% of profits from this sticker will be donated to the amazing
@wildbirdfund
in NYC!
Find the sticker here:
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This morning, Kansas City's
@LGBTQCommission
announced that they are beginning an investigation into the Costco pharmacy on Linwood Blvd. for potential discrimination based on gender identity.
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Here's my piece on the walkout protest:
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i had 2 time-sensitive stories rejected by 3 editors each last week. my critical brain sees the 6 rejections. my quieter, smarter brain sees that i sent out 6 pitches in one week, something i never would have done last year. onward and upward
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This took all day, but it was worth it. Check out my new interactive map of how each precinct in Jackson County voted on the stadium tax ballot measure yesterday:
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me every time I remove the paywall from one of my articles before it gets published:
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I am so beyond thrilled to share that my piece on the agender community has been reposted on Yahoo News and has over 500 comments from angry bigots who just learned about a new identity!!! This is one of the proudest moments of my career!!!
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Good news: all timberdoodle orders are in the mail!!! Expect your doodles soon-- and even better, we've raised over $60 for
@wildbirdfund
!!! If anyone still wants a doodle, there are lots more available in my shop here:
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me last night: writing is terrible and i can never do it
me 10 minutes ago writing a sentence i liked: Published Authorship Is Within My Grasp
me just now reading the sentence again: writing is terrible and i
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@EllipsisZine
Still kind of in disbelief that I see my name on this list!!! This will be my first ever piece of published fiction!!!
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As a queer person who moved to Kansas City only a few months ago, I’ve been wondering what Pride Month events are happening in the area 🏳️🌈
Here’s what I found— let me know if I’ve missed any!
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Today marks three years since my college graduation. I have a full-time journalism job that I love, work with amazing people, and live in my very own apartment full of plants, sunshine and secondhand furniture.
Aspiring reporters: Keep going. Keep going. Keep going.
Today marks two years since my college graduation. In that time I’ve still gotten zero job offers.
Getting pretty sick of this journalism job hunt, tbh. If any publications want to hire me, I happen to be really goddamn talented.
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So happy and a little sad to be sharing my final piece (for now) in
@PopSci
: a guide to spotting pseudoscientific disinformation.
Be smart, be skeptical, and keep these tips in mind:
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Whenever I’m feeling down I just go online and look at
⚪️ recipe blogs
⚪️ pictures of cute animals
⚪️ nature photography
🔘 chasten buttigieg’s twitter feed
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i love when i’m retweeting my own work and twitter asks if i want to read the article first. babygirl i WROTE IT
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AAAAAAAAAA ✨ SOME ✨ PERSONAL ✨ NEWS ✨ COMING ✨ SOON!!!!!!
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Very proud to have made the cover of the Wichita Eagle
@kansasdotcom
yesterday with this important story on the latest Keystone Pipeline oil spill.
You can read more about it for free here:
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With NYC under a yellow smoke blanket, it's a good time to reshare this piece I did for
@PopSci
on handling smoky conditions:
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IT’S GETTING PUBLISHED Y’ALL IM SO EXCITED I MIGHT CRY
Writing my first story on spec, pls send prayers and good vibes that (1) the seven people I want to talk to in the next 24 hours get back to me and (2) I do the story justice and (3) the editor accepts and publishes it when I'm done!!!!
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everyone say a prayer for the 7 pitches i have out in the world rn. ya girl needs a yes but at this point even a polite no would be nice
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