LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
I
I LANDED MY DREAM JOB as The Buzz
columnist and features writer for The Courier-
Journal in the spring of 2005. I still recall leaving
the office of then-Features Editor Greg Johnson,
who told me I was hired, feeling as if I were
floating on the walk back to my car. I’d earned
my bachelor’s and master’s in English at Central
Michigan University, where I’d also spent a year
immersed in academia working as a full-time
adjunct instructor before moving to Louisville. I
had numerous freelance writing projects under
my belt and spent a year and a half as a staff
writer for a young adult publication, but this job
was different. I was about to embark on a career.
The drive from Sixth and Broadway downtown
Louisville to my east end home was an easy route,
but that day I traveled more than interstates.
I wiped away tears of joy from my cheeks as
I tried to focus on the road, grateful for what I
knew was a life-changing opportunity. But just as
I prepared to pull off at my exit, I felt something
else begin to creep in: fear and trepidation. While I
10 EXTOL : OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018
(Left to Right) The full-time Extol Team means business. From
left to right: Creative Content Developer Christian Watson,
Director of Advertising & Sales Jason Applegate, Editor
in Chief Angie Fenton, Creative Director Adam Kleinert,
Account Manager/Sales and Food Writer D. Todd Applegate,
and Director of Video Production Scott Neumann.
had done my darndest to convince those in charge
I was the right person for the job, what if I was
wrong and out of my league? After all, I was newly
divorced, in the midst of moving to a renovated
shotgun I’d purchased in the Highlands, didn’t
have any family located close enough to lean on
and, now had serious doubts as to whether I could
fulfill my new professional obligations.
In the garage of what would soon no longer
be my house, I turned the car off and sank back
into my seat. Who was I to have thought I could
pull this off? How was I going to keep up with the
daily grind of writing an entertainment column
six days a week and meeting article deadlines for
Kentucky’s largest newspaper? And, while I looked
forward to delving into the challenge of writing
features and stories about the community, The
Buzz column had previously been a daily dose of
fluff and stuff mostly pertaining to celebrities and
other news and nonsense. I had known that from
the get-go but now worried penning such silly
fodder day in and day out would be unfulfilling
and meaningless, especially to readers.
That night, I allowed myself to wallow in
my anxiety-laden pity party for one. But in the
morning, I awoke with a new resolve: I would
count my blessings – I had a new job, a new house
and lots of exciting unknowns – and work hard
to find purpose in my new position.
I quickly learned most people read The Buzz
because it gave them a reprieve from the real
world, which helped add meaning to what I was
doing. After my editor allowed me to use some of
the space to highlight local charities that benefited
causes and people in need, I began to field requests
to assist nonprofits by emceeing or facilitating
their events, which also led to invitations to speak
to civic groups and schools about a variety of
subjects, including the importance of lifting others
when they need a hand, a lesson my mother had
instilled in me as a child. And, as I got to know local
leaders and the myriad needs in the community,
sometimes I was lucky enough to act as a connector
and utilize my own resources to give a helping