Here at Hammock, we’re all pretty serious about our morning coffee (or tea, if you’re Megan M.)–and most of us have chosen our coffee mugs with care. Here’s a fun look at the cups we reach for each morning when we stumble sleepy-eyed into our headquarters on West End Avenue in Nashville.
When we’re not out running, TeamHammock is all into food. And we’re especially into food that is part of the locavore movement.
What’s locavore? Well, for one thing it’s a word so cool that the New Oxford American Dictionary selected it the 2007 “word of the year.”
To quote the word watchers:
“The locavore movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to grow or pick their own food, arguing that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better.”
Since 2007, the word locavore has given way to the easier to explain term, “local food.”
And that’s the food TeamHammock is pulling together to support these days.
We’ll be posting here about lots of local food related activities we’re involved with. We’ll be posting photos and videos of the gardens many of us are busy planting. And we’ll also be posting videos and photos of the food boxes we receive by participating in a Community Supported Agriculture program.
For this post, I’ve embedded above a slide-show of my first (2006) effort at Square Foot Gardening. Well be creating several of these “Local Food Diaries” and posting links to them here on TeamHammock as we move through the planting, growing, harvesting, cooking and eating seasons.
And at least one member of TeamHammock, Lisa Ask, is maintaining a blog to chronicle her impressive garden. (Did I say impressive?)
Check back here often, as we’re growing our gardens — and sharing our ideas about local food — rapidly.
As for now, here are some links to whet your appetite:
Find farmers’ markets, family farms and other local food sources near you:
Nashville & Austin (Places that are local for TeamHammock):
Austin:
Edible Austin: A quarterly publication promoting local food in Austing and Central Texas. (Sidenote: Edible is a magazine franchise concept. Here is a list of other communities you’ll find the magazine.)
Nashville:
Nashville Farmers’ Market (On Twitter: @nashfarmmarket)
Local Table: A guide to food and farming in Middle Tennessee.
Our friend Carrington Fox’s first Nashville Scene “Bites Blog” post about her “urban garden.”
The Hammock offices are often buzzing with the sound of interviews. Voices asking questions across tables and phone lines, getting the information we need to write awesome stories for our client publications.
But recently we decided to turn the tables and interview each other. We don’t expect these interviews to make it into any award-winning publications, but we did learn a lot about each other and about ourselves as a team. For instance:
If a blank page terrifies and baffles most writers, imagine how an editor must feel when one issue of a magazine goes to bed and the next one awakes and demands that its 64, 72, 80 or more blank pages be fed – and soon. Small wonder that a lot of editors find cleaning up their offices after completing an issue much more important than welcoming that new number with open arms.
Of course, it’s not quite that bad (that is to say, it better not be). Editors assign stories several issues ahead; depending on the publication and story, it might be as much as a year ahead.
We at Hammock take a conservative approach to most assignments, preferring to work only a couple issues ahead so we can adapt to changing client needs and wants. So we’re constantly working the idea file – which may consist of a thicket of sticky notes as well as multiple file, bookmark and email folders.
Here in late April, I’m just finishing up some mid-course changes for the 2009 editorial calendar of Semper Fi, the Magazine of the Marine Corps League, and working on a draft of 2010’s calendar.
We at Hammock take a conservative approach to most assignments, preferring to work only a couple issues ahead so we can adapt to changing client needs and wants. So we’re constantly working the idea file – which may consist of a thicket of sticky notes as well as multiple file, bookmark and email folders.
Here in late April, I’m just finishing up some mid-course changes for the 2009 editorial calendar of Semper Fi, the Magazine of the Marine Corps League, and working on a draft of 2010’s calendar.
Next year has several important milestones for the Marine Corps, including the 65th anniversary of the Corps’ landmark battle on Iwo Jima, as well as the end of World War II. It’s the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, and also of the legendary battle of the Chosin Reservoir, with Marines and Soldiers desperately holding back a much larger North Korean force. It is also the 35th anniversary of the fall of Saigon; two US Marines were the last American Warriors killed in direct action there.
Decisions on these stories will be made well in advance, with the knowledge that opportunities may arise that we’ll have to jump to take advantage of.
Nevertheless, with all this looming in the near future, and the covers still settling around the chin of our May-June issue, the July-August issue is demanding full attention for now. So we start the process of checking with writers about their progress, sifting through what will add up to hundreds of photos, and reading constantly about the Corps and America’s military and history.
The July-August issue will get an “esprit de Corps” boost from my visiting the 2009 Marine South Expo at Camp Lejeune next week. It’s inspiring, and sobering, to get out behind the computer screen and talk to Marines who have been in harm’s way, and are likely going back fairly soon. It’s also uplifting to meet “Mature Marines,” who have served their hitch, or their career, and are on hand with the Marine Corps League to greet today’s Warriors.
Because Marines study deeply the Corps’ history, a few words can convey volumes – Peleliu, Tarawa, Chosin, Tet, Khe Sanh, Desert Storm, Fallujah. There’s a bond, a sense of continuum that permeates these events, and that we strive to convey every time we fill those blank pages.
At Hammock, we have a talented staff of writers and editors who contribute to the print and media we produce for clients, but we also rely on a network of amazing freelance and contract creators to help us tell our clients’ stories. What does it take for a freelancer to catch our eye? We asked Hammock editors to share their thoughts on the topic. Check out the Q & A below for tips on writing winning queries, impressing editors and building ongoing relationships with publications.
Around 1 p.m. on Friday, April 10, 2009, my town of Murfreesboro, Tenn., was slammed by an F-4 tornado that killed two people, injured 50, completely destroyed 59 homes and damaged 291 more. Numerous businesses were damaged or ruined completely. The National Weather Service reports the path of the tornado extended 23 miles.
I was overwhelmed with relief when my husband told me our house, located in the southeastern part of the city, was not affected by the tornadoes. (There was also another smaller tornado reported, an F-1, that hit closer to my house, but luckily all we saw was hail, rain and green skies.) All of my friends and family members are safe, though a few have some damage to their homes.
I wanted to blog about this earlier in the week, but I’ll be honest: I have been pretty freaked out. Ever since my apartment building was damaged by a small tornado (or perhaps straight-line winds; the jury is still out on that one) back in 2003, I have had a great (and admittedly irrational at times) fear of tornadoes. My husband was at home on Friday, which, while I was concerned for his safety, also brought me comfort in that I had a direct line to what was going on at my house while I was stuck in Nashville waiting out the storm until I could drive home.
This was a huge tornado that has affected so many people in my community. There is so much damage and devastation, and my heart breaks for my fellow Murfreesboro residents. I can’t imagine what I would do if the tornado had come through my neighborhood as well—and at the advice of others, I’m trying to stop thinking about that. Tornadoes are just random acts of nature’s vengeance, and in Tennessee you have to expect them and deal with them.
So in an attempt to stop focusing on what could have happened, I’ve been concentrating on what I can control: Buying a fireproof safe (in case my home ever does get blown apart, my valuables will be sturdily contained). Knowing where our safe spot is should we be home if one comes through our area (the downstairs bathroom, the most interior room in the house). Making sure our homeowner’s insurance is up-to-date. Loving on my (four!) cats a little more each night when I get home.
And I’m also ready to help with the recovery. I’ve got clothing and household items to donate, and I am ready and willing to help with any clean-up or rebuilding projects. Murfreesboro is a great city and has been good to me. I know it will rebound, but I also know it will take time.
Hammock has entered into an agreement to become the official social media sponsor of the Society of National Association Publications and its annual Association Media & Publishing conference to be held this year, June 3-4, 2009 in Washington, D.C., at the Capital Hilton.
To generate interest in the event and provide a place online for attendees to set up user profiles, discuss the agenda, interact with speakers and network, Hammock has created a pre-event online conference community for SNAP. The site, which launched this month, is managed and hosted by members of Hammock’s social media team.
I’m still processing all the lessons learned from my recent trip to Haiti. Five of us Nashvillians traveled there to visit friends, find out a little more about the country and help out where we could. Don’t get me started talking about how much I loved the journey. Just count yourself lucky all I’m doing here is posting a few pics.
Here we are after cleaning out mud from a school in the Gonaives area struck by September 2008’s devastating hurricanes. After initial shyness, several of the village kids helped out in a big way and taught us a few things about swinging shovels.
We re-roofed a house damaged in those same storms. (And yes, believe it or not, there are shots of me successfully using a power saw without harming myself or others. In a skirt, no less.)
We met adorable children, who laughed at our bungling attempts to speak Creole. And while entertaining said children (one day, they numbered 300!) with tons of balloons, bubbles and soccer balls, we, by necessity, learned how to speak their language a little bit better.
Yes, we witnessed some great needs in Haiti. But we came away with memories of a lot more beauty than we ever expected.
To learn more about the work of the Haiti Water Project, one of the efforts we witnessed making a big difference in the everyday lives of people, take a minute to watch this video.
When Editorial Director Jamie Roberts isn’t jet-setting around the globe, she can be found working on her organization skills and planning her next fabulous trip to some distant land. I snuck in on her today to ask a few questions about how a typical day goes for her.
What do you reach for when you need an afternoon pick-me-up?
I walk around the office stealing food from people. Sometimes I ask nicely.
What communications medium helps you the most during the day?
Yelling like I live in a barn. No, just kidding, I like the IM. And the email. And the InterWebs. Still, when I need to solve a bigger problem or figure out a challenge, few methods are better than picking up the phone or sitting down for a face-to-face.
What is the last thing you do before you leave the office every evening?
Four times out of five, I harass Ben to help me with a last-minute design project. He loves me.
How do you divide your time each day between projects? Do you set aside specific hours to work on certain things, or do you just play it by ear and see what needs the most attention?
I usually start my day with a neat little plan to work on certain projects, but a lot of time those plans get waylaid and I have to go to where the hot projects are. I aspire to be as organized as Barbara or Lena or Summer or Natalie or Julia or Lisa … wait … am I the MOST unorganized person around this place???
If you could pack everyone in the office up and take us to work (and play) in your favorite travel destination, what would it be? Why?
The people in this office are ridiculously talented and hard-working and creative. I think a team of us could make a huge difference on some important projects going on in Haiti. Then I’d take us all to Paris, London or Greece for a party. We also really know how to throw a party.
Marketing Director Barbara Logan is one of the most organized people I’ve met and/or worked with—ever. Being someone who thrives in a certain amount of chaos, I looked forward to getting an inside peek at her daily routine here in the office.
What is the first thing you do when you get into the office each morning?
Each night before I leave I print my list of to-dos for the following day. It’s one of my favorite iCal features. Sometimes I even rank them in order so that they will prompt me in the morning. So when I arrive each morning I get a glass of water, get a handle on my inbox and then take a look at my list to see where to focus my attention first.
What communications medium helps you the most during the day? (IM, email, the phone)
All three! I like the instant help I can get from IM when I might be on a call and need a quick answer from someone. But I like email for the record it creates. I have a LOT of email folders and subfolders that I constantly refer to.
How do you divide your time each day between projects?
I try to work through things in order of their urgency. The flow of work generally sets how I divide my time, although I am usually jumping from one thing to another all day. I don’t mind though—it definitely keeps things interesting and makes the time fly by.
What three software programs do you use every day and could not live without?
I use some of the basics everyday like Excel and Word, which while functional, aren’t that exciting. On the other hand, while I don’t rely on them every day, Keynote and Skitch are must-haves for me when working on presentations or with images.
What is your favorite non-electrical tool you use for work?
Post-it notes because I really like lists.
Thanks, Barbara! I’m going to go check out these “to-do lists” that you speak of…