Michael Shapiro's Blog, page 11

Cowboy Junkies keep it fresh

In the early 1990s, Cowboy Junkies lead vocalist Margo Timmins performed just for me. I sat about 30 feet away from her and she sang one of her favorites, “Misguided Angel” to an audience of one. But I’m not sure she even noticed me. I was at the Berkeley Community Theater getting ready to serve as a volunteer usher for her show, and she was doing her sound check. When she did the “na-na-na-na-na-na” part of “Sweet Jane” I pretty much melted into the seat.

So it was a pleasure to interview Margo in advance of the Cowboy Junkies’ show this month for The Press Democrat. She was engaging, fully present and happy to chat about the light and dark sides of the Cowboy Junkies’ art. I had to trim about 200 words from my story to fit it into the paper, the part about how John Prine helped her conquer stage fright. You can read the full version below or read it on the Press Democrat.

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By MICHAEL SHAPIRO

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Bands that make it big when they’re young have a choice: they can base the rest of their career on their early hits or blaze ambitious new trails.

The Cowboy Junkies, an alt-folk and blues band from eastern Canada, chose the latter. Or maybe it wasn’t a choice. Lead singer Margo Timmins said that to stay together, the band had to keep evolving.

“Our goal is to fulfill our ideas – and we have a ton of them,” she said in a phone interview this month, adding that the band is now independent and not subject record-label control.

The scope and approach of recent CDs like the Chinese-influenced “Renmin Park” –part of the recently completed four-CD “Nomad” series – wouldn’t have been permitted by most labels, Timmins said.

“The labels were great for us. I would never regret the years on labels – they gave us a global audience’” she said. “But it was very limiting and by the time it ended it was the right time. Like any relationship, sometimes it’s just time to go.”

Those attending the Cowboy Junkies’ show on May 1 at the Napa Valley Opera House will get plenty of both old and new, said Timmins.

“We do two sets,” with no opening act, Timmins said. “The first set is all the “Nomad” series; then in the second set we do all the old stuff. It works because people settle down — they know they’re going to get something old and something they know, so they’re more open” to the new material.

Those attending the show can submit song requests by email (JunkieInfo@aol.com). “We’re asking the audience for a lot so we’re opening up the second set to the audience,” Timmins said.

The biggest day in the Cowboy Junkies’ career was Nov. 27, 1987, when band founder and Margo’s brother, Michael Timmins, had the group record “The Trinity Session” in a single day at Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity.

The band gathered around a single microphone in the cavernous space, giving the album a haunting, ethereal sound. The album included a complete makeover or Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane” with transcendent vocals by Margo Timmins.

“The day after the recording our mother happened to be visiting us while we listened to the playback,” Michael Timmins says on the band’s site. “After listening for a while she turned to us and said, ‘Your lives will never be the same,’ and she was right.”

Twenty years later the band recorded the CD/DVD package “Trinity Revisited” with guest artists Natalie Merchant, Vic Chesnutt and Ryan Adams, affirming a career-long penchant for working with like-minded musicians.

Margo Timmins said she has gleaned more than musical ideas from other artists. Early in the band’s career she was very shy on stage and often couldn’t face the audience.

Then the Cowboy Junkies toured with John Prine who showed Timmins “how to have fun on stage. He would say, ‘If you fall off the stage, so what, get up and keep on singing.’ ”

Now 52, Timmins enjoys performing so much that when she turned 40 she insisted that the band book a gig so that she could celebrate the milestone on stage.

The Cowboy Junkies’ music is often bright and uplifting – listen to “Anniversary Song” – but the band has never been afraid of the dark.

“The darker stuff is more interesting to us,” Timmins said. “When things are screwed up and scary and hard, that’s when you need music and books and other people to help you understand what’s going on and not feel as messed up or lonesome.

“We’ve always reached toward that kind of literature and music, so it makes sense for us to sing about the human conditions that aren’t so easy.”

Timmins was concerned about how the band’s 2011 album “Demons” – a set of covers of songs by their friend Chesnutt – who committed suicide on Christmas Day in 2009 – would affect her.

“I thought it would really bring me down – to go to this dark place all day, but then I’d drive home feeling empowered,” she said.

“I could never have handled that kind of material in my 30s. I could have sung it, but I don’t think I could have opened my heart up as much to it,” she said.

“As I get older, I get less concerned with being scared – maybe I’ve become braver. Maybe I’ve seen more and done more, and I’m not as messed up as I thought I was.

“The darkness is more interesting and it’s something people need to share more, and that’s what music is: sharing.”

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Riding the Rails in Wales, American Way

19th-century locomotive on the Talyllyn line on the coast of Wales. Photo by Michael Shapiro, 2012

One of the best ways to see a country is on a slow train. Perhaps the most enjoyable of these are the 19th-century railways of Wales.

In 1996, I came across a site called The Great Little Trains of Wales as I was researching my first book on using the Net for travel.

In 2003, I rode those trains when I went to interview the legendary Jan Morris. A couple of years later I learned how to drive the trains for a Lexus magazine story. And this spring I wrote a piece for American Airlines’ inflight magazine, American Way. Text is below but it’s best to read it on AW’s site where you can see my photo in full: Riding the Rails in Wales.

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By Michael Shapiro

Talyllyn’s black locomotive glistened in the Welsh mist, hissing steam as an inferno roared in its belly. Behind the coal-fired engine were four lovingly crafted wooden cars, perched atop rails 27 inches apart. My heart leapt, it looked like a Thomas the Tank Engine train set come to life, and I couldn’t wait to get on board.

“Welcome,” boomed John Smallwood, the greeter at the Talyllyn Railway on Wales’ west coast, which opened in 1865 and has been running its steam locomotives ever since. Dressed in a red jacket with the golden Talyllyn logo and a pink carnation pinned to the lapel, Smallwood told us that our Victorian train would have three cars with brasswork from the 1860s.

Talyllyn’s rail line, like many of Wales’ narrow-gauge trains, was built in the 19th century to haul slate from mountain mines to the coast, where it was loaded onto ships. As Wales’ slate trade waned after World War II, many of these rail lines fell into disrepair. By the 1950s some were in danger of being lost, so volunteer groups across Wales mobilized to rebuild the historic rail lines as tourist trains, replacing slate wagons with passenger cars.

And then with a trill of the conductor’s whistle and cough of silver steam we were off, gently chugging into the resplendent Welsh countryside. Talyllyn is part of a collection of 10 railways, known as the Great Little Trains of Wales.

These rail lines are an ideal way to peek into the hidden corners of this indomitable nation – its emerald forests, gushing waterfalls, shuttered mines, imposing castles and mountaintop views – and to slip back to a time when travel was slower but you could see more.

Some of the rail lines have guest driver programs: In a single day you can learn how to operate the steam engine, and then – under strict supervision of course – drive the train over hill and dale, your friends and family riding along in the passenger cars.

Last June, I rode four of Wales’ most celebrated narrow-gauge railways – here are the highlights:

Talyllyn Railway: The train embarks from the hamlet of Tywyn on the Cardigan Bay coast and runs just over seven miles through the Fathew valley to Nant Gwernol, a station with no road access but plenty of forest trails worth exploring. Driver Chris Parrott, who Americans would call the engineer, said Talyllyn is the first preserved railway in the world. He invited me into the engine for part of the journey.

On a rainy afternoon I viewed the rail lines through porthole-like windows as waves of heat from the engine warmed my sodden legs and dried my soaked jeans. The typical roundtrip takes two and a half hours, an hour each way and a half hour at the end of the line for a walk or tea. “British people like a tea break,” said Talyllyn spokesman Phil Eaton.

Allow time to visit the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at Tywyn Wharf, a collection that spans two centuries of railway history, from locomotives to signs, from tickets to signaling equipment. In the museum I learn that Thomas the Tank Engine’s creator, Rev. W.V. Awdry, was an early volunteer at Talyllyn, and his Skarloey Railway engines are modeled on Talyllyn’s locomotives.

www.talyllyn.co.uk

 

Ffestiniog Railway: Located in the handsome port town of Porthmadog, this line was established in 1832 and runs 13.5 miles through Snowdonia National Park to the slate mines at Blaenau Ffestiniog. From sea level it’s a 700-foot climb to the mines – in the railway’s early years, horses lugged wagons uphill then gravity pulled the slate-filled trains down to Porthmadog. Today there are several tight turns, including a complete spiral, possible only because the railway is so narrow (23.5 inches).

The train huffs through residential neighborhoods at a top speed of 20 mph, coming so close to the windows of compact homes that you can see photos of children atop dressers. The signsong sounds of sheep bounce over the hills as sapphire lakes shine through the drizzly afternoon.

Most of the railway is single track, but near the halfway point we slow down at Tan y Bwlch (the ‘w’ in Welsh can be a vowel and sounds like our “oo”) where there are two tracks. The train isn’t allowed to pass the station until the driver goes into the trackside station house and removes a footlong notched “token,” our key to continuing on.

The Ffestiniog is split into four sections. Each of these stations has a token machine linked to the next station by telegraph, says Andrew Thomas, a spokesman for the Ffestiniog railway. “The machines are interlocked, allowing only one token for the section to be removed at a time.”

 

For a final safety check, the driver shows the train’s guard and fireman the token, and they read out loud the station names stamped on it to ensure it is the correct token for the section about to be entered. This ingenious system, devised about 150 years ago, prevents head-on collisions by ensuring that trains pass one another on separate tracks before continuing along the single track that makes up most of the line.

 

At Ffestiniog riders can hike over to the slate mines or watch as the engine is detached and pulled around to the other side of the train for the return journey. On the way back I meet Ken Ward, an octogenarian hiker and author of Six Feet to Land’s End, who told me how excited he was as a boy on his first train ride to the sea. The steam engine is “a splendid living beast,” he says. “It’s alive!”

www.festrail.co.uk.

 

Welsh Highland Railway: Completed in 2012 after decades of volunteer effort, this line is the granddaddy of Wales’ narrow gauge trains. The trains run 25 miles from Porthmadog to the city of Caernarfon, best known for its towering castle. The route traverses some of Snowdonia’s most spectacular scenery – you can soak in the views of soaring mountains, churning rivers and spring-green hills dotted with sheep, or disembark for a hike or a pint of “real ale” before returning to the train.

This is no toy – the mammoth 1958 Beyer-Garratt locomotive weighs more than 60 tons, powerful enough to pull the long trains up Snowdonia’s steep slopes. The interiors are polished wood with plush chairs and belt-like straps to hold the windows open. A highlight is the view at Aberglaslyn Pass, where stone cliffs plunge into a deep, river-carved valley, voted by members of the National Trust as Britain’s most scenic vista.

Intrepid hikers can get off at Rhyd Ddu to hike up Mt. Snowdon, Britain’s highest peak and training ground for the climbers who were the first to summit Mt. Everest in 1953. And be sure to allow time to explore the Romanesque fortress at Caernarfon, one of Wales’ most majestic and commanding citadels, which for centuries guarded its northwest coast. From Caernarfon you can see the adjacent isle of Anglesey, part-time home to Prince William and Kate Middleton.

www.festrail.co.uk

(ed note, it’s same URL as for Ffestiniog line. There’s another train, the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, that also runs out of Porthmadog and is geared toward children which has a different URL. I don’t think it’s worth covering here but could add a line if you like.)

 

Snowdon Mountain Railway: No visit to Wales is complete without surveying the countryside from the top of Britain’s highest mountain. You can hike to Mt. Snowdon’s 3560-foot summit or you can relax and ride up on the Snowdon railway. Open since 1896, this is a popular rail line so be sure to book in advance, otherwise you may have to wait a couple of hours.

The Snowdon railway has narration describing this land of fairies, giants and kings and the myths that swirl around the mountaintop. The boulders that pock the mountainside were, according to legend, stones flung down “by a giant in a fit of pique.” Don’t miss the waterfall early in the trip. Nearing the summit the view rolls out in all directions; as we disembark the narrator warns us to be careful at the peak. How often do people fall off the mountain? “Only once.”

We have a half hour at the blustery summit, where, on a rare clear day, it’s said you can see Britain’s five kingdoms: Wales, Ireland, Scotland, England “and the kingdom of heaven.” From the top we’re eye level with darting gulls. I look toward the Llyn Peninsula, home to Wales’ finest writer Jan Morris, and can see the peninsula’s terminus tumbling into the sea, which feels like looking out to the end of the world.

www.snowdonrailway.co.uk

To learn about other Welsh trains, see: greatlittletrainsofwales.co.uk

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Michael Shapiro last wrote for American Way about the burning of the devil ceremony in Guatemala. He is the author of A Sense of Place.

 

Abolish the one-game playoff in baseball

Rainbow over the SF Giants ballpark.

Well the playoffs worked out beautifully for our SF Giants, but I still think a one-game playoff cheapens the season – here’s my comment for The Press Democrat – it’s short, a 2-minute read.

October 3, 2012

These are golden times for Bay Area baseball, with the A’s and Giants set to open divisional playoff series this weekend. The odd thing is, with baseball’s new playoff format, the teams (not including wild cards) that finished with lower seeds open at home.

That’s because of MLB commissioner Bud Selig’s rush this spring to add another playoff team in each league.

After last season’s dramatic conclusion, Selig felt it would be exciting to add a second wild-card team and have the two wild-card teams play one another in a one-game playoff.

By adding that game, a travel day was lost, which would have allowed a division series format in which the higher seed gets two games at home, then two on the road, then the decisive Game 5, if needed, at home.

After adding the wild-card playoff, the format was changed to the lower seed opening with two games at home, then traveling for three on the road.

So the Giants open Saturday by the Bay and the A’s begin their playoff drive in Detroit. The problem is that the higher seed could get only one game at home, if there’s a sweep.

Here’s the larger issue with adding a one-game wild card playoff: it cheapens the 162-game season. Atlanta finished six games better than St. Louis, but if the Cardinals find a way to win today, the Braves’ season is over.

Baseball is a game in which a fluky bloop can determine the outcome. A season shouldn’t be reduced to a one-game series unless two teams finish with identical records and need to break a tie.

But here in the Bay Area, let’s appreciate two magnificent teams that have overcome injuries to make it to the playoffs. And let’s be grateful that the seasons of the Giants and A’s don’t hinge on a one-game playoff.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/...

Rick Smith’s luck-fueled journey to World Series of Poker

One of my poker buddies had an amazing route to the WSOP a few years ago, outlasting about 100 players to win his entry into the most popular tournament in the world. Here’s my story for my gambling column in the SF Chronicle. Click here to read it at SF Gate.

I thought I’d enter and see what happens.”

That was the approach of Santa Rosa’s when he entered a satellite tournament at Petaluma’s 101 Casino in 2004, hoping to win an entry for the .

Typically when beginners enter tournaments they don’t last long, but Smith, a parks supervisor and plumber, says he believes in “luck for new players.” And luck was with him: Smith won his single-table tournament (10 players) and made it to the satellite’s final table. The winner of that table would earn a $10,000 entry to the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas.

Smith said his wife’s family, who are Jewish, didn’t understand why he had to leave a Passover seder for the final table in Petaluma. At the 101 casino, Smith made it to the final two and was heads-up against a police officer from San Francisco. On the ultimate hand, the cop had an ace and the flop came A-2-3.

Smith had called with 2-3; his two pair beat the aces. The officer went ballistic, Smith said, appalled that Smith would stay in pre-flop with 2-3. Smith won the entry into the WSOP’s Main Event plus $1,200 for expenses.

After Smith’s triumph, his wife’s family forgave his early Passover departure and began calling him “their favorite poker player.” He traveled solo to Vegas, but ran into a friend from Petaluma at Binion’s Horseshoe, the storied casino where the WSOP was held before moving to the Rio.

The scene was dazzling: bright lights from ESPN’s television cameras, who’d won the Main Event the year before two tables away, the electric anticipation of a $5 million top prize.

Smith stayed cool and played tight on Day 1. As the first day neared its close, Smith got pocket queens and went all-in. When his opponent called him with pocket 8s, Smith was on the verge of doubling up.

On the flop, Smith saw a queen for trips and began to leap out of his chair. Then he saw an 8, and finally a shocking, horrifying sight he’ll remember forever: a fourth 8 to give his opponent four of a kind. Smith still had hope for quads, until another player told him he’d folded the only other queen.

A disconsolate Smith got up and “bounced through the crowd like a pinball,” en route to the bar. “Suddenly there was a big arm around my shoulder.” It was Smith’s friend from Petaluma. “I was almost crying,” Smith said.

His friend tried to help him see the big picture. “Dude, you’re so lucky,” the friend told Smitty, as he’s known to his poker buddies. “You got to play in the World Series of Poker.”

Once the shock wore off, Smith agreed. Playing in the WSOP, he said, “is indelibly etched into my brain for all eternity.”

Rick Smith’s lucky journey to World Series of Poker

One of my poker buddies had an amazing route to the WSOP a few years ago, outlasting about 100 players to win his entry into the most popular tournament in the world. Here’s my story for my gambling column in the SF Chronicle. Click here to read it at SF Gate.

I thought I’d enter and see what happens.”

That was the approach of Santa Rosa’s when he entered a satellite tournament at Petaluma’s 101 Casino in 2004, hoping to win an entry for the .

Typically when beginners enter tournaments they don’t last long, but Smith, a parks supervisor and plumber, says he believes in “luck for new players.” And luck was with him: Smith won his single-table tournament (10 players) and made it to the satellite’s final table. The winner of that table would earn a $10,000 entry to the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas.

Smith said his wife’s family, who are Jewish, didn’t understand why he had to leave a Passover seder for the final table in Petaluma. At the 101 casino, Smith made it to the final two and was heads-up against a police officer from San Francisco. On the ultimate hand, the cop had an ace and the flop came A-2-3.

Smith had called with 2-3; his two pair beat the aces. The officer went ballistic, Smith said, appalled that Smith would stay in pre-flop with 2-3. Smith won the entry into the WSOP’s Main Event plus $1,200 for expenses.

After Smith’s triumph, his wife’s family forgave his early Passover departure and began calling him “their favorite poker player.” He traveled solo to Vegas, but ran into a friend from Petaluma at Binion’s Horseshoe, the storied casino where the WSOP was held before moving to the Rio.

The scene was dazzling: bright lights from ESPN’s television cameras, who’d won the Main Event the year before two tables away, the electric anticipation of a $5 million top prize.

Smith stayed cool and played tight on Day 1. As the first day neared its close, Smith got pocket queens and went all-in. When his opponent called him with pocket 8s, Smith was on the verge of doubling up.

On the flop, Smith saw a queen for trips and began to leap out of his chair. Then he saw an 8, and finally a shocking, horrifying sight he’ll remember forever: a fourth 8 to give his opponent four of a kind. Smith still had hope for quads, until another player told him he’d folded the only other queen.

A disconsolate Smith got up and “bounced through the crowd like a pinball,” en route to the bar. “Suddenly there was a big arm around my shoulder.” It was Smith’s friend from Petaluma. “I was almost crying,” Smith said.

His friend tried to help him see the big picture. “Dude, you’re so lucky,” the friend told Smitty, as he’s known to his poker buddies. “You got to play in the World Series of Poker.”

Once the shock wore off, Smith agreed. Playing in the WSOP, he said, “is indelibly etched into my brain for all eternity.”

Fed ruling may clear path for legal poker

A bunch of guys in a big room playing poker: a typical scene but one that could have led to jail time for its operator. Until a federal judge said game on – here’s the story I wrote for the SF Chronicle.

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By Michael Shapiro, Sept. 6, 2012

Anyone who has played poker even a few times knows it’s a game of skill, and a federal judge agreed in a ruling last month.

Why does that matter? Because federal gaming statutes that outlaw poker are based on its being a game of chance. With U.S. District Judge ‘s ruling that it’s a skill game, the path to legal poker – on land and online – has become more clear.

The recent case, United States v. DiCristina, involved a buy-in game in a New York warehouse, where the house took 5 percent of each pot. The U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, by saying that Texas Hold ‘Em is a skill game, threw out the conviction of the man who ran the game, who’d faced up to 10 years in prison.

“The opinion is significant,” said Whittier Law School Professor , a specialist in gambling law. It undercuts “the most important remaining federal statute that could be applied to Internet poker, now that the has limited the (1961) Wire Act to sports betting.”

But Rose says the effect of the decision could be limited by state laws. “Gambling is always a state issue,” Rose said. Nevada and Delaware are on their way to legalizing online poker, he noted, and California will probably follow suit. Other states may pass laws to ban poker.

, a Washington, D.C., attorney who specializes in gambling, says the court’s ruling lays the foundation for legal online poker in the United States: “The only thing that distinguishes online poker from land-based operators was whether the federal statute was violated,” he said. “Now that that’s been thrown out the window, I definitely think it does something to restore the integrity of the game.”

, author of “Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker,” agrees that the ruling doesn’t mean that poker will now be legal everywhere. State and local jurisdictions can certainly regulate the game or pass laws banning it. California, for example, could allow poker in restaurants and bars, while Oregon could pass laws banning any wagering on card games, McManus said.

Weinstein’s federal court decision, combined with the Justice Department’s ruling in December that 1961′s Wire Act only applies to sports betting “adds up to poker becoming legal at the federal level,” McManus said. (Read more about the December ruling at bit.ly/Mb17CY.)

McManus says poker is a proud American tradition. And he says that the best poker players rely on ability, which is why they’ve become celebrities. “No one knows professional craps players or bingo players or lottery players,” McManus said. “Obviously (poker) is a game of skill.”

And that could be the key to poker’s liberation – in California, throughout the United States and on the Web.

Read the story on SFgate: http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/gaming/article/Fed-ruling-clears-path-for-legal-poker-3842785.php#ixzz25iQqsk5w

 

‘Holy Rollers’ documentary about card-counting Christians

It’s amazing the lengths these young devout Christians will go to gamble. Yet the players revel in their trips to casinos. When Ben gets kicked out for card counting, he starts wearing costumes, ranging from a goth ensemble to, of all things, an M.I.T. student. Another player dresses as a Republican with the elephant logo on his ballcap to explain “why I have a lot of money and why I’m really bad at tipping.”

Click this link for the story I wrote for my SF Chronicle column on gambling – it appeared Aug. 23, 2012.

Full text below as well:

“Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians” is a recent documentary about a group of churchgoers, and even a few pastors, who say they see God’s glory in taking money from casinos.

How do they do it? They count cards at the blackjack table, which can give players an edge. In the film they make it sound simple. It’s not – but it’s possible, and for a while these Seattle Christians are wildly successful.

They call themselves the , trust one another with tens of thousands of dollars and view it as their mission to throw themselves into dens of iniquity and fatten their bankrolls.

Unlike the subjects of the awful 2008 film “21,” which was based on the true story of a group of MIT students, most members of the Church Team haven’t completed – or in some cases even started – college.

, the team’s co-founder, began counting cards after reading the book “How to Make $100,000 a Year Gambling for a Living.”

“I had no dreams of it going big,” he says in the film. “I thought it’d be a fun summer. I never thought it would become a business.”

Most team members say they didn’t see a contradiction between their faith and their pursuit of big money – they sometimes won or lost as much as $40,000 daily. When challenged by friends and family, team members justified their gaming by saying it was work, not gambling.

And it was all for one and one for all: Team members didn’t keep their winnings. Instead, all gains and losses were pooled, and each time the team earned $100,000, everyone got a share.

, a leader of the Church Team, said in the film that being a pastor is time-consuming, so “the opportunity to fly to Vegas for two or three days and make enough to live for a month” is ideal because he can spend “the rest of the month shepherding” church members.

It’s clear that the young men – and one woman – of the Church Team love to play blackjack. They justify their “work” by demonizing gambling, but their excitement builds every time they step into a casino.

As one of the players says: “God is so good – he provided this for me. … This is my calling.”

Last year the Church Team disbanded, saying they’d earned $3.2 million in five years. But for Crawford and Jones, blackjack remains a source of income. Through their site Blackjack Apprenticeship, they provide free videos, a $9.99 e-book and a card-counting boot camp ($1,499).

“We hope you do your part,” Crawford says in a video, “in bringing down the house.”

“Holy Rollers” is available on DVD. For more information, go to www.holyrollersthemovie.com

Review of Sarah Vowell’s “Unfamiliar Fishes”

[image error]Last year I reviewed Sarah Vowell’s book “Unfamiliar Fishes” for the San Francisco Chronicle. It’s an uneven book, but recently I’ve learned of a book by Julia Flynn Siler that appears much more promising: Lost Kingdom.

I look forward to reading Siler’s book, “a tale of one of the most breathtaking land grabs of the Gilded Age.” In the meantime, click here for my review of “Fishes.”

 

 

 

Making a living as a freelancer

Every June, I mark the anniversary of leaving my last full-time job, at CNET in SF. It’s been 14 years with lots of highs and lows, but I’ve never regretted the decision to walk away from the rigidity of full-time work and hang my virtual shingle. Here are some tips that have helped me make it as a freelance writer:

Following is a roundup of advice, tips, and thoughts from freelance writer and editor Michael Shapiro. These suggestions cover the business of freelancing, rather than writing advice.  A student at the first Book Passage Travel Writers Conference in 1992 and a 13-time faculty member, Shapiro has developed a productive freelance career by employing the techniques below. Michael also works with writers to develop, polish, and edit stories. He can help writers place articles in top publications. Contact me for more info.

Making a Living as a Freelance Writer

It’s not just an adventure, it’s a job: Travel writing can be romantic, but recognize it’s a job — don’t start out writing grand epiphanies about your summer vacation. Focus on service (consumer or advice) pieces, such as a story on five little-known museums in New York. You don’t have to be a superb writer to be a competent reporter.  By providing service pieces, you can develop relationships with editors that lead to more interesting assignments, including destination stories. A good way to break into magazines is by writing “front-of-the-book” features, which can be as short as a couple of paragraphs.

Stick to a routine: get up in the morning; take a shower, have breakfast and go to work. Put on shoes and get dressed. Slippers and a bathrobe don’t cut it. You can tailor your schedule to fit your personality. Be sure to carve out work-free blocks of time. I find it essential to take at least one full day off each week. Part of the attraction of freelancing is flexibility, so I give myself some leeway, for example to spend a couple of weekdays on a river trip or to take an occasional afternoon off.

Accuracy first: Be a thorough and accurate reporter above all else — then strive to be an excellent writer. Clear and concise prose is important because editorial space is so tight today. You don’t have to write with the lyrical beauty of Pico Iyer to get published. You do, however, need to get the facts right. An editor will hesitate to give you another chance if you make significant errors. Most newspaper travel editors are too busy and don’t have the resources to fact-check, so double-check your facts before submitting. Use online resources to fact-check but be aware that not all info online has been vetted or updated, so confirm by phoning or seeking multiple sources for corroboration.

Find a niche: Develop an area of expertise and work it. Only after choosing Internet travel as a niche was I able to make it as a full-time freelancer. My goal was to get editors to think of me as the Net-travel guy, so when they needed a story on this topic they’d contact me. This opened the door to more literary destinations stories: Because the Washington Post had run my Net-travel pieces, the editor there knew my work and published my Cuba by bike story.

You don’t always have to travel: Not all travel writing involves travel. My SF Examiner story on frequent-flier programs won a Lowell Thomas award, and I didn’t leave the house. Of course most of us want to travel, but we can typically earn more from service and research stories because these don’t incur travel expenses, and most newspapers don’t reimburse for travel stories. Better magazines, however, will pay expenses. Be willing to do work that’s not romantic.

Send tips to editors: Help editors by sending them information or advisories without expecting compensation — keep yourself at the front of their minds. I know that by keeping myself in their consciousness they’re more likely to think of me when they need a story done. Think of it this way: You’re a brand and your own PR agency.

Read editors’ stories: Read everything you can that’s written by prospective editors. When John Flinn became travel editor of the Examiner-Chronicle travel section, I read his work to get a sense of his style and what he might like. I even asked him who his literary heroes are (Tim Cahill and Bill Bryson) and read most of their books. Don’t try to copy another writer’s style — that would be a weak imitation. Be yourself, but tailor your stories to fulfill that editor’s requirements.  At other newspaper travel sections, such as the Washington Post, the editors rarely write. But I closely study the type of stories they run – the Post often has a strong consumer advocacy bent – so when I write for the Post I take that tack if appropriate.

Consider new publications: Through contacts I learned Arthur Frommer was launching a new travel magazine in the late ’90s. I pitched several ideas before the first issue appeared and developed a working relationship with the staff at Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel. New magazines are generally more open to new writers because they don’t have a stable of regulars. Even if you don’t get in before the first issue, scan the magazine racks for new publications and query them.

Pitch to a specific department: Your odds of success increase if you target a magazine’s regular department. Pitching a story for a department shows you read the publication, especially if you understand the requirements of the department. As a first-time writer for a magazine, don’t expect to land an assignment for a 2500-word feature. Your odds are much better if you try to write a short “front-of-the-book” piece or 750-word story for a department. Finally, pitch to a specific editor, not the editor of the magazine but an associate or deputy editor who’s more likely to read your query.

Consider non-travel magazines: Travel stories appear in more than just travel magazines – you can often place articles in lifestyle and food magazines, to name just two examples. The wider you cast your net, the better your odds. I’ve recently written for a magazine that goes to country-club members, certainly not my demographic, but the editor has sent me to Kenya, to Maui and on an Amazon cruise.

Know when to pitch: Though this is not etched in stone, I usually pitch to newspaper editors on Thursday afternoons or Friday morning — this is after they’ve put the Sunday section to bed.

Self-syndicate: Major metro newspapers typically pay $250 to $600 (sometimes you can earn more by selling photos) for travel features. It’s nice to get one newspaper to accept your story but before you pop the cork, send it to several newspapers as long as their circulation areas don’t overlap. If you submit a story to the Chronicle, don’t send it to the San Jose Mercury News unless the Chronicle rejects it.  Several newspapers, such as the Washington Post, require first national rights. So try to sell to them first and then to newspapers in Dallas, St. Petersburg, etc.

Keep it tight: Editors have always appreciated brevity, but today space is tighter than ever. Try to keep stories under 1,500 words, 2,000 tops. A 750-word story has a much better chance of selling than a 2,500-word piece.

Promote yourself online: Create a web site featuring your published work, expertise, photos (if you shoot) and contact info. It’s virtually essential to be able to refer editors to your site and much easier than sending them a sheaf of clips (though some editors may request hard-copy). If you don’t have published work, you can publish online to show editors how well you can write. And be active on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites to build a community of interested readers.

Join a writers group: At best, a writers group is a supportive community offering honest feedback. Members also share strategies for getting published. But don’t take all criticism as gospel – listen to it, incorporate what feels right, but remember it’s your story. Book Passage has a monthly salon called Left Coast Writers, a great venue for networking and listening to monthly guests who are leading editors, writers and publishers.

Consider joining a professional organization: During the first few years I tried making a living as a freelancer I shunned professional groups such as the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW). I figured that all they did was schmooze and booze – I wanted to be roughing it in Guatemala or Cambodia. In 1998 I was invited to lead an SATW workshop during the group’s annual convention in Jerusalem. I found that schmoozing could lead to story assignments.

Define your goals: Do you want to make a living as a freelance travel writer or simply publish a story now and then? Either way, even if you don’t have an assignment, pick a destination, write a story with a narrow focus, and send it out. Be realistic about the time commitment required – you can’t make a living by viewing travel writing as a casual endeavor. Then again, you may not want to make a living; some writers want to keep their day jobs and write an occasional story. That’s probably a wise decision in the current journalistic climate.

Rule of fives: Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, credits the Rule of Fives for his success. His theory is to do five things every day to sell or market your work. Start now and don’t expect instant results. Though it sounds hokey, this type of perseverance can help you succeed and make a living

A final thought: Malcolm Margolin, a naturalist best known for The Ohlone Way said his ideal in his 20s was to be a poet and playwright. Early on he realized his chances for earning a living as a poet were slim, so he turned to natural history books because he thought they would sell reasonably well. But he made it clear that Native American history and nature guides were his passion – he wasn’t writing them just to earn a dollar. Margolin, now the publisher of Heyday Books, said that his few attempts to create books for sales potential were flops and that the books he’s passionate about have sold better. Follow your bliss and be willing to sweat — the rewards make it worthwhile.

Copyright 2012 Michael Shapiro

 

Rejection slip, rejection slip

A friend passed this on to me years ago, still as appropriate as ever:

Dear Editor,

Thank you for your recent rejection slip. As it does not quite fit my present requirements, I am returning it. This in no way reflects upon its merits. Don’t be discouraged. I read your rejection slip with great interest. I appreciate your thinking of me and wish you the best of luck in placing your rejection slip elsewhere.

Literally,

Just another writer

PS: Please forgive this form letter. I’d like to comment on each rejection slip, but the large number I receive makes it impossible to answer each one personally.