Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Hello? Is this thing on?

*wakes up, rubs eyes, realizes it's 2017*

"Was it all just a dream?"

Hi Loueyvillagers.

I know. It's been a really long time. Like four years long. Crazy, right? We're living in a whole new world these days.

I stopped updating this because I couldn't really balance writing it with my full-time job as a journalist with Insider Louisville. There's only so much writing a woman can do in a day, and my energies were better spent at the gig that paid my bills.

I had an awesome run at Insider. I came on as employee #1 in the fall of 2012, went full time in the spring of 2013 and spent five years getting paid to talk to amazing people in Louisville and writing about it. Dream job. I wrote something like 2,400 articles at IL. It still boggles my mind.

Unfortunately a couple of months ago I was laid off due to budget concerns. Media is tough. Local media especially. Media outlets, in general, are firing, not hiring, these days.

You may have seen my byline still at Insider. I'm grateful that they and now LEO Weekly have let me freelance for them. It feels good to still have some opportunities to write about cool stuff in Louisville.

Anyway, I just wanted to say hi. To let you know that I'm probably going to blow the dust off this blog, maybe gussy it up a bit and start contributing from time to time.

Also, I'm looking for a full-time gig, hopefully writing, even more hopefully writing in service of the city of Louisville-- whatever form that takes. I've been writing about Louisville for more than a decade, and that's been a dream. I'd just like to go back to getting paid.

But if you're a startup, a company, an organization that is doing good things in Louisville, I'd love to write for you too.

Obviously, I'm open to freelance opportunities until I find the next place that I'll land.

Want to see a resume? Email me at mrchipman@gmail.com

Want to see all 2400ish stories I wrote for Insider? You can find them here.

Hey, remember back when I was an anonymous blogger because I was afraid I'd say something dumb and get fired from my teaching job? That was weird.

Love to you all.

Melissa