Coverage needed for Festival of Faith & Writing
Contact:
Pitch:
Calvin College's Festival of Faith and Writing is from April 19 thru 21. The committee planning this event have said they would be willing to cooridnate interviews prior to these events, when time permits. Much like our January Series coverage, interviews are based completely on willingness of the speaker and timeliness of the reporter.
Below is the complete list of speakers scheduled to be at the festival, and a detailed schedule (subject to change) of who is speaking when and where, can be found HERE.
Speakers will be given to reporters on a first-come, first-serve basis...when you see the word [TAKEN] next to one of the names, it has already been claimed. To reserve your Festival speaker(s), comment on this storybank pitch, or email Holly or Chelsea
All information regarding the festival can be found on Calvin's website. Don't miss out on this HUGE opportunity!
leila aboulela AVAILABLE
chimamanda ngozi adichie AVAILABLE
m. craig barnes AVAILABLE
susan campbell bartoletti AVAILABLE
amy julia becker AVAILABLE
aaron belz AVAILABLE
kate braestrup AVAILABLE
kevin brockmeier AVAILABLE
scott cairns AVAILABLE
lan samantha chang AVAILABLE
susanna childress AVAILABLE
shane claiborne TAKEN
bruce cockburn AVAILABLE
hugh cook AVAILABLE
debra dean AVAILABLE
david diaz AVAILABLE
brian doyle AVAILABLE
tony earley AVAILABLE
kathryn erskine AVAILABLE
jonathan safran foer AVAILABLE
amy frykholm AVAILABLE
paula huston AVAILABLE
susan e. isaacs AVAILABLE
river jordan AVAILABLE
julia kasdorf AVAILABLE
kirsten kelly AVAILABLE
john leax AVAILABLE
li-young lee TAKEN
patrick madden AVAILABLE
maurice manning AVAILABLE
ruben martinez AVAILABLE
jamaal may AVAILABLE
marilyn chandler mcentyre AVAILABLE
richard michelson AVAILABLE
daniel nayeri AVAILABLE
peter o'leary AVAILABLE
bethany pierce AVAILABLE
andrea davis pinkney AVAILABLE
brian pinkney AVAILABLE
mark richard AVAILABLE
jana riess AVAILABLE
marilynne robinson TAKEN
gary schmidt TAKEN
adam schuitema AVAILABLE
luci shaw AVAILABLE
judith shulevitz AVAILABLE
lisa russ spaar AVAILABLE
nikki stafford AVAILABLE
dinah stevenson AVAILABLE
francisco x. stork AVAILABLE
daniel taylor AVAILABLE
scott teems AVAILABLE
craig thompson TAKEN
luis alberto urrea AVAILABLE
david vanbiema AVAILABLE
clare vanderpool AVAILABLE
ann voskamp TAKEN
carey wallace AVAILABLE
brian j. walsh AVAILABLE
walter wangerin AVAILABLE
richard jesse watson AVAILABLE
paul willis AVAILABLE
john wilson AVAILABLE
larry woiwode AVAILABLE
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Requesting interviews!
The process for requesting an interview will be as follows:
Draft an email, introducing yourself, that you're a reporter for The Rapidian, and what you'd like to talk to your speaker about. Include your contact information. *For out-of-town speakers and getting interviews, it can be helpful to explain what the Rapidian is...that it's a local, online news platform, one that is recognized as an important part of our local community*
Send this email to Shelly LeMahieu Dunn, Director of the Festival of Faith and Writing. She will plass along your email to the speaker and/or their representative. If this speaker has the time and interest in scheduling an interview, they will contact you directly. That's why providing both email and phone number will be so important!
Let us know if you run in to trouble during this part of the process!
Email template:
Hello,
My name is ____________ and I am a reporter for The Rapidian. The Rapidian is a hyperlocal news source driven by volunteer reporters like myself about anything and everything happening in the city of Grand Rapids. I'm hoping to share your story with others in my community and was wondering if we could arrange an interview.
You can reach me via email at _____________ and via phone at _______________.
I'd love the chance to speak with you about ________________ and learn more about _____________.
Please contact me at your earliest conveniece.
Sincerely,
_________________
Rapidian reporter
therapidian.org
___________________________________
A couple notes:
1.) Signing your name, followed by the fact that you're a reporter and the website, not only makes you appear more professional, but also gives them a chance to really see the website and all it offers.
2.) Feel free to tweak this, as this is simply a starting point.