Cowboy Bob's Newspaper Column about Writer Publications

April 10, 2005 —
A little help, please

If you had an opportunity to prevent another Columbine or Red Lake tragedy, would you use it?

Of course you would.

That’s why I recently accepted – without salary – the job of Publisher for Writer Publications.

Writer Publications – or “The Writer,” as we tend to call it – is based right here in Grand Rapids and publishes a trio of editions six times during the school year. Those editions showcase the best writing submitted from subscribing elementary, junior high and senior high schools around the country.

Prior to The Writer being sold to the current owner, I served as The Writer’s editor for a couple of years. Some of the situations I encountered during that short time left a lasting impression on me.

Take, for example, the high school student from Utah whose writing revealed a morose, depressed and hopeless view of herself and the world. With a bit of careful editing, we published her short story, and a few weeks later we received a thank you note from her English teacher. “She’s a completely different person now,” the teacher remarked. “She smiles.” Had The Writer not helped to turn her around, I honestly believe that she might have traveled down a very deadly course.

In another case, the educational establishment was ready to shunt an incoming community college student onto what she viewed as a dead-end academic track. She appealed, using her short story in The High School Writer as part of her appeal. The school decided to give her a chance at a more ambitious career. The last time I heard from her, she was working on her doctorate in child psychology.

Sometimes The Writer simply gives kids a much-needed chance to vent their pent-up emotions. One such situation was the Indiana girl whose entire family was killed in an automobile accident while she attended a football game. Her story concluded with a comment on her new foster parents. “They’re nice,” she wrote, “but I still miss my family.”

I have a new vision statement for The Writer: “Changing students’ lives through improved communication.” The ability to communicate better, to increase their self-esteem, and to have a safe way to share their views on life all work together to produce young people who understand that the pen truly is mightier – and less hurtful – than the sword.

Unfortunately, school budget cuts and ever-increasing production costs have conspired to reduce the number of schools that can afford to utilize The Writer. In many cases, the classroom teacher actually pays the subscription out of his or her own pocket because the school won’t or can’t. My biggest challenge as publisher is to devise funding alternatives that will allow us to actually reduce the subscription price to a very affordable level. It’s not an easy task.

Advertising, unfortunately, cuts into the space available for printing the students’ creative efforts, so my attention at the moment is directed toward finding some sort of sponsorships – underwriters similar to those utilized by public broadcasting.

Frankly, I don’t really know how to pull this off. That’s why I’m using this space to tell The Writer’s story. In other words, I have a problem, and I need your help. If you have any suggestions on how to connect with funding sources that share our interest in helping students and their schools, I’d appreciate your help. Just drop me a note at Writer Publications, P.O. Box 718, Grand Rapids, MN 55744. [You’ll find more contact information on the Writer Publications website at www.writerpublications.com.]

Perhaps together, we can help The Writer reach out to more young people and change their lives through improved communication.

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Cowboy Bob Lemen
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Grand Rapids, Minnesota 55744
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