November 12, 2008
Ohio University Pickerington Center
Pickerington, OH

Who Should Attend

• Editors
• Columnists
• Reporters

The Program

8 - 9 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast

9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Structure
Why the columnist’s last word is more important than the first.

Ideas
Your life becomes your database.

Audience
Will your columns end up on the refrigerator or in front of the Pulitzer judges?  Or both?

Humor
Do only journalists get the joke?

How did Connie Schultz win a Pulitzer?
Ask her.

Narrative
Using stories to make your point.

Free writing
A little exercise for your fingers and brain.

Lunch provided by ONA

The Instructor

Stuart Warner, a writing coach and former projects editor at The Plain Dealer, has written or edited three Pulitzer Prize-winning entries and edited two other Pulitzer finalists. His 20,000-word narrative, “The Goodyear War,” was the centerpiece of the Akron Beacon Journal’s 1987 Pulitzer-winning effort. He edited and supervised the 1994 Pulitzer Gold Medal-winning project “A Question of Color.” He also edited Connie Schultz’s columns that won the 2005 Pulitzer for commentary and he edited Schultz’s 25,000-word series “The Burden of Innocence,” which won the Robert F. Kennedy Award for social justice reporting and was a finalist for the Pulitzer in feature writing. In 2007, he began editing columnist Regina Brett and she was a finalist for the 2008 Pulitzer for commentary.

Connie Schultz is a nationally syndicated columnist for The Plain Dealer and Creators Syndicate. She won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for what the judges called her “pungent columns that provided a voice for the underdog and the underprivileged.” It is a common theme in her work. In addition to winning the Pulitzer in 2005, Schultz won the Scripps Howard National Journalism Award for Commentary and the National Headliner Award for  Commentary. She was a 2003 Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature writing for her series, “The Burden of Innocence,” which chronicled the ordeal of Michael Green, who was imprisoned for 13 years for a rape he did not commit.

The Facility
Located in a suburb just east of Columbus, the Pickerington Center is a 15,000-square foot state-of-the-art facility. It features six ergonomically-designed classrooms equipped with technologically advanced instructional equipment. The site backs up to a wooded area and creek, a view that can be enjoyed from one of three lower-level patios. The center is a 12-15 minute commute from downtown Columbus or the airport. It has ample parking and many nearby hotels and restaurants.

Directions

View Larger Map

The Ohio University Pickerington Center is located about 10 miles east of downtown Columbus.

Take I-70 East to Pickerington exit #112A (State Route 256)

Proceed on State Route 256 for one mile (you can only go one way off this exit, south)

Turn left (at third light) onto Stonecreek Drive (US Bank on the corner)

Proceed a quarter-mile to Pickerington Center (on right)

Ohio University Pickerington Center
12943 Stonecreek Drive, Room 20
Pickerington, Ohio 43147

There will be two buildings that look alike — 12943 is the building on the right.

Nearby hotel:
Hampton Inn, Pickerington
1890 Winderly Lane, Pickerington, Ohio 43147
(614) 864-8383

Training session questions?
Susan Bazzoli, Manager of Administrative Services:
sbazzoli@ohionews.org