Iconic Writing

Years and years ago I worked in the commercial printing department of the small, weekly paper in Bluffton. I mostly developed photos for the paper. Very early, every Wednesday morning I would shoot the pages and turn them into huge negatives that were burned onto printing plates before being printed.

The editor at the time was Fred Steiner. I've always admired Fred's writing style. His strength is turning small town activity into something that feels timeless and personal. There isn't a lot of excitement in a small town, but week after week Fred turned out a paper that made everyone feel connected. It also never failed to make me smile with it's relationships and descriptions of what it felt like to live in Bluffton.

Fast forward a few years and the owner of the Bluffton News made a huge mistake. Like a lot of folks, Fred found himself looking for a job.

He's now the creator and publisher of the online news source The Bluffton Icon. In Fred's own words, he wants the Icon to "become a magnet for Bluffton information and a place where viewers may express their own points of views. Look at it sort of like a coffee shop, it will become a gathering point for people."

I was excited to read the Icon. I was happy to be able to read Fred's writing again and, even though I no longer live in Bluffton, I love having the ability to feel again what it's like to live in a small town.

I'm even more excited that I'm contributing some writing to the Icon! Some of the posts that I've written here are beginning to appear with other columnists at the Icon site. It's great fun for me to share my writing and I hope it contributes in a positive way to Fred's new virtual "coffee shop!"

Sneak over and take a look!