I was introduced and had a meeting with Alice De Sturler, a professional blogging coach. She gave me some great advice and the most important 

tid-bit was " Alice De Sturler, Blogging CoachAlice de Sturler, Blogging Coach talking to Jami Ryan discipline". Discipline to write this blog; after all, I write for and photograph for several 

publications, why not keep up with my own blog?

I just finished uploading all the photographs I have taken in 2013 and 2014 for the local newspapers. Newspapers don't need high resolution so they are not super crisp like my other professional work. But they are photographs of people and the events that happen in my neck

Radford 4th of July of the woods, the New River Valley of southwest Virginia. The Radford News Journal and the Montgomery News Messenger are local, so local they have columns about things outsiders probably will not understand. These papers don't have big fancy websites, but they do have websites; and they have Facebook pages. You should visit them. But what you should do is subscribe to the newspapers.

Picking for Pooches You can have the local paper in your mailbox twice a week. You don't need to log on to anything to read it. You will know if Wade's is going to have chicken on sale. You will see the results of little league soccer. You can read about the local high school's latest theater production. You can find out how your local politicians feel about grid lock in Richmond or garbage recycling in Christiansburg. You can read articles written by your neighbors, real people. Things that aren't necessarily trending on your digital devices. I still have newspaper clippings from 20 years ago (even

older!).

Memorial Day Service, Radford, VA, 2014 The point is to support a very important local business, your local newspapers. You can support them by submitting articles, news, tell them about upcoming events (don't be shy). And of course you can subscribe. Enjoy the photos if you visit the gallery.