Blog
Erie County, Ohio for Congress!
Erie County, Ohio: A Conversation About Politics On October 1, 1894, the Sandusky Register shares information about people being considered for a run in Congress—and Wells Waite Miller was part of this conversation. It will take a bit of introduction, though, to get to his involvement. In a piece titled “Erie County in Congress,” the newspaper notes how the county’s last representative in the halls of Congress was General William D[ell] Lindsley. Born on December 25, 1812 in New Haven, Connecticut where he attended common schools, Lindsley moved to Buffalo, New York in 1832, and then near Sandusky, Oho. He
Ohio Antietam Battlefield Commission
Ohio Antietam Battlefield Commission In 1904, D. Cunningham and Wells Waite Miller published this report, and I was reminded of this publication while reading Marching Home: Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War by Brian Matthew Jordan. In this book, he dispels myths about Union soldiers returning home at the war’s end and shares post-war experiences common among them. As I read his book, I realized how many of them described actions that Wells took. For example, he tried to stay in the military, post-war; he served in the Invalid Corps after his injuries, but he was not accepted into
Magazine Editor: Benevolent Dictator
As a writer, you must be: Wildly creative while following the precise rules of grammar, spelling, and punctuation Assertive with editors while sticking to their exact guidelines And you must be willing to: Keep an editor up to date with your progress without bothering her Work hard on a project with no guarantee of another assignment For seven years, I worked as a freelance writer, toiling under that unspoken job description, and it was tough treading those invisible boundaries with editors. Then, from 1997-2001, I worked as the managing editor of a magazine in Ohio. Those years were extremely rewarding
Eight Weeks in Washington, 1861: Abraham Lincoln and the Hazards of Transition
Eight Weeks in Washington: Book Review Eight Weeks in Washington, 1861: Abraham Lincoln and the Hazards of Transition is an intriguing look by Richard J Tofel at the challenges faced by Lincoln at the beginning of his presidency—including what to do about the handful of US forts located in southern states that had not yet been taken over by the seceded states. The most important one, perhaps, was Fort Sumter, located in Charleston, South Carolina. Options included abandoning the fort to the budding Confederacy or traveling into enemy territory to resupply the men under the command of Major Robert Anderson. To
How to Write a Query Letter to a Magazine Editor
The Query Letter (Today, Likely a Query Email) When you hear a tidbit of intriguing information, do you find yourself wanting to talk to the people involved—to get the story behind the story? Does your definition of happiness include researching? When you stand in line at the grocery store, do you long to see your name as a byline on one of those glossy magazines near the cash register? Perhaps you’ve even gone as far as contacting a magazine editor with an idea, but you either received a rejection letter or never heard back. Well, first of all, you’re not
Football Player: Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson (1947-)
O.J. Simpson Note: I had written this for an encyclopedia and then the project itself got canceled. So, I decided to upload it to my site. Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson initially rose to fame because of his collegiate football performance at the University of Southern California (USC) where he set records for rushing yards gained, was named All-American (1967-68), won the 1968 Heisman Trophy, and played in two Rose Bowl games. He then gained more fame as an outstanding professional running back, known for his speed and dexterity, and then as a sportscaster and for his performances on television and