Back in the 1900s when I was a student, we learned something that was not history or social studies. It was called “Current Events.”
 
At the start of the 7th grade, I brought home a mimeographed permission slip that asked for cash or a check so that a copy of the New York Times would be delivered to my homeroom desk, Monday through Friday. I learned to love the sections... each day a different “special.” More importantly, I learned to love language. And while my grandparents read the Forvarts in Yiddish, and my dad brought home the Jewish Press each Friday- I had a well rounded view of my borough, my city, my country and the world.

Mrs. Goldman would assign us the task of reading the daily paper, choosing an article of interest and summarizing it by Friday. At the end of the year, one could reflect on the binder where we had cut out articles- underlined words to search for definition and summarized… And in my case, see a pattern.

I learned that the “opinions” (that I had too many of according to my family) was what made this prose legendary. And also because I met Russell Baker. Not literally. But I met the power of a voice and perspective. And it shaped mine forever.  And then I met Mark Woods- again, not literally- until now!

Mark Woods is the Metro Columnist for the Florida Times-Union, the Jacksonville, FL daily paper and a recipient of the Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship. He's the author of LASSOING THE SUN: A YEAR IN AMERICA'S NATIONAL PARKS, and awarded the gold medal for general non-fiction in the 2016 Florida Book Awards.

Purchase Mark's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Lassoing-Sun-Americas-National-Parks/dp/1250105897

Follow updates on his Twitter page, here: https://twitter.com/tumarkwoods?lang=en


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