Author Archives: Mallary Tenore Tarpley

Telling Tales from Treetops

Me learning how to climb the tree in my front yard back in 1990. My dad’s standing by for support. As a child, I used to climb the maple tree in my front yard and sit on the highest branch. With a notebook in hand and binoculars dangling around my neck, I wrote down whatContinue reading “Telling Tales from Treetops”

Got a Crush on a Journalist? Skip the Cheesy Pick-up Lines

I used to think pick-up lines were a thing of the past. Not so. Throughout the past year, I’ve had three guys use the same pick-up line on me. I’m beginning to think there are profession-specific pick-up lines. If you’re an auditor, maybe the line would be, “Hey, can I call you if I needContinue reading “Got a Crush on a Journalist? Skip the Cheesy Pick-up Lines”

Diverse Routes: Taking the Bus, Walking with Friends

Painted stories line the walls of Chicano Park in San Diego’s Barrio Logan: a multitude of arms embracing the earth, an infant sitting in the palm of one’s hand, faces of dictators from years past. The murals serve as reminders of the justice Chicano activists sought when trying to preserve their land and heritage inContinue reading “Diverse Routes: Taking the Bus, Walking with Friends”

‘Is Racism Making Us Sick?’

I wrote a Diversity at Work blog item this week about a new documentary, “Unnatural Causes.” The documentary reveals that minorities are often unhealthier than their white counterparts, in large part because of racism and discrimination: When I think about racism, I think about emotional pain, ignorance, the need for equality. So when I recentlyContinue reading “‘Is Racism Making Us Sick?’”

In One Word: Finding a Focus for Stories

When I write a story, I try to sum it up in one word. It’s a strategy that helps me stay focused on what’s important. What is this story really about? I ask myself. After I pick a word, I write toward that word. When I wrote about adults playing kickball, for instance, I decidedContinue reading “In One Word: Finding a Focus for Stories”

Singing in the Car … and on Stage

One of my favorite songs to sing for a crowd … “Ugh, it’s such a long drive,” I used to tell myself when thinking about my commute from Clearwater to St. Petersburg. Whereas the commute used to make me think of traffic and money spent on gas, it now makes me think of singing andContinue reading “Singing in the Car … and on Stage”

MTV’s ‘The Paper’: Where Teens, Journalism and Coolness Meet

My friend Laura called me Monday night to break the news. “Hey Mal!” she said in a message. “There’s a new show on MTV called ‘The Paper,’ You should check it out because I think you’d find it really, really humorous.” Considering the average age of newspaper readers is nearly 60, I find it oddContinue reading “MTV’s ‘The Paper’: Where Teens, Journalism and Coolness Meet”

Live Blogging: The Benefits for Journalists

I just wrote an article for Poynter Online about reporters, page designers and journalism professors who believe live blogging makes them better storytellers — by teaching them to be better listeners, note takers and deadline writers. While at the Nieman narrative journalism conference earlier this month, I live blogged for the first time. The experienceContinue reading “Live Blogging: The Benefits for Journalists”