Passion for Poynter

Poynter is amazing. I'm still firmly committed to that statement. It's an intense full immersion into the journalistic process. They expect us to engage and work hard. Not to say it isn't fun, it's a ton of fun. But hard work.

We start each day at either 9 am or 8:30 am. We will then spend the next many hours in sessions.

It's a funny thing. In school I fall asleep at the slightest provocation. It must be hard wired into me. A teacher talks, I sleep.

Not here. These are teachers like I've never seen before. Every single presenter I've had the pleasure of listening to has been completely and utterly passionate and engaged in their subject of choice. I honestly couldn't fall asleep, even if I wanted to. They are just too darn energetic. I love it.

This has made me think a bit about the process of learning and teaching. See, I always figured that when I really figured out what I wanted to be doing and was able to focus just on that, then I would stay interested and committed to that craft. However, now I'm not so sure. I think the key is having teachers that are just plain excellent. Even the presentations that aren't that inherently interesting to me, still captivate me. So, it's either the teacher or the realization that I'm paying a shit-ton of money to attend this two-week deal (wow, sounds like college).

Nah, I think it's the teachers...

And in addition to all the great things I'm learning here, we're also outfitted with some awesome equipment. It's a pretty unique experience, the ability to be able to focus on a journalism medium we're unfamiliar while using top-notch equipment, surrounded by top-notch journalists.

My fellow fellows (ha) are so insightful and skilled at what they do. I feel like I learn things just hanging out with them.

The projects are going well. I'm focusing mine on what the psychic community thinks/sees about the oil spill. I went into an interesting little shop today. The two woman I talked to were very nice. They both told me that the psychic community has been talking about the spill nonstop. So, although I have a ton of work left to do, at least I have a clear goal in mind. Hopefully it pans out.

St. Petersburg itself is a beutiful town. I've gotten into the habit of running a bit after the final sessions. It's a nice way to clear my head and see parts of the town I would not otherwise encounter. It's really quite beautiful. It's surrounded by water on three sides. The downtown area has nice restaurants and open air cafes. There seems to be a pretty strong night life as well as water based recreation (boats etc). Actually, today I ran out onto the Pier, which is... yeah you guessed it... a giant pier. There are shops and all sorts of things out there. I didn't explore too much, mostly because I was all sweaty and nasty. I think I'll head back there tomorrow.

So, more later. I'll try to pass on some of the excellent information I'm learning here. It's worth repeating.


This is our newsroom, yes it's the nicest room I've ever been in...


... and this is my own personal computer (for two-weeks), I love it dearly.