By Jason Sethre
Publisher
Fillmore County Journal
jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com
There’s something pretty amazing about getting your written work published in a newspaper or magazine.
Back in the late 1970s, following the flood that devastated our family and many others in Rochester, Minn., on July 6, 1978, my mother wrote a piece about that experience that was published in Reader’s Digest. For those of you who may not be familiar with this publication, you may be lucky enough find a few dated issues in some grandparent’s bathroom. I remember my mom talking about how fortunate she was to get her work published in that magazine.
That feeling hasn’t changed.
We have readers submitting Letters to the Editor and Guest Commentaries on a regular basis. They are striving to provoke some thoughts and conversation about particular topics.
When you share your thoughts in a publication like the Fillmore County Journal, you have an opportunity to spark conversations with thousands of people you’ve never met. People will talk about what you wrote with family and friends. You won’t necessarily receive any feedback about what you have written, but there will be conversations taking place near and far.
On occasion, writers will receive feedback directly from people they know. Sometimes people will respond with online comments at www.fillmorecountyjournal.com, while others will express their views about your writing contributions on social media platforms.
And, who knows, you might even influence someone to see things in a different light.
Assistant Editor Ellen Whalen coordinates the annual Journal Student Writing Project, collaborating with area schools to encourage students to participate in the weekly writing program. Now in its 24th year, we are fortunate to have 17 high school students participating in the Journal Student Writing Project. All schools in our coverage area are welcome to participate.
This program is beneficial for the writers, as they hone their communication skills. But, it’s also beneficial for our readers, as it helps all of us understand what’s on the minds of our next generation writers, thinkers, and leaders.
Here’s the line-up of local talent you’ll see over the 2022-2023 school year.
• Kyra Arndt, Junior, Fillmore Central High School
• Maddy Bergey, Senior, Fillmore Central High School
• Logan Constancio, Sophomore, Spring Grove High School
• Maggie Dempenwolf, Junior, Fillmore Central High School
• Haley Ellingson, Senior, Spring Grove High School
• Tel Farendholz, Junior, Rushford-Peterson High School
• Sylas Flatin, Sophomore, Spring Grove High School
• Ezra Griffin, Sophomore, Spring Grove High School
• Ellie Halvorson, Junior, Spring Grove High School
• Jensen Krosch, Junior, Spring Grove High School
• Maggie Lile, Senior, Spring Grove High School
• Matthew McClimon, Senior, Mabel-Canton High School
• Claire Solberg, Sophomore, Spring Grove High School
• Grace Torgerson, Sophomore, Spring Grove High School
• Ben Udstuen, Sophomore, Spring Grove High School
• Nicholas Weist, Junior, Fillmore Central High School
• Anna Wheat, Junior, Mabel-Canton High School
Thank you in advance to these students for participating in the program.
As the famous Mark Twain once said, “Anybody can have ideas — the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph.”
It takes courage to express yourself in front of such a large audience.
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