[stylist] Chapter Newsletters

[Jewel S.]

Hi all,

My local chapter's president has given the newsletter over into my
hands. She will still be Editor-in-Chief, but it is my job to either
outsource reports to toher members or write the reports myself. For
example, I'll be writing an article for the newsletter giving a brief
history of White Cane Safety Month, but will be asking our Vice
President to write the report on last month's Member Drive, since I
was not present. After I write and/or collect the written articles, I
send it to the presient/editor-in-chief for review and she passes it
on for e-mail distribution and printing in large print or Braille for
those who don't have computers.

So the first point of this e-mail was to share with you all the
priveledge I have been given in being assigned as editor and
coordinator of the newsletter. I'm really excited about it. She had me
do one newsletter as a Guest Editor, because she was super busy with
legislative work and homeschooling her daughter, and obviously she was
impressed with my work, since she has permanently assigned me to it!

The second reason I have written on this topic is to ask advice on
writing a newsletter. Are there any guidelines out there for me to
consider? What sorts of things should I put in the newsletter to spice
it up? This month I can put the brief history fo White Cane Safety
Month in there, and that'll be a nice addition to the otherwise
report-only newsletter, but I'd like to be able to add this bit of
spice each month. The Editor-in-Chief has asked that I not put
detailed reports on legislative issues, as there is a seperate mailing
list for that information, so writing articles about local legal
issues is out. The newsletter is for all members from all sorts of
backgrounds, so I feel it would be inappropriate to write about
something specific to a sub-grup, such as students or the newly
blinded. I have done a Member Profile in the past on a member who,
though a well-educated doctor with a lot to say, was very quiet in
meetings. I did an interview with him and wrote the report off of my
notes. The member rprofile was a great success, and I hope to do
another on another member, but it requires that I interview the
person, and people aren't always available for interview in time for
it to be put in the newsletter.

Does anyone have some suggestions about simple but effective additions
to the newsletter to make it more interesting to the members of our
chapter?
-- 
Thank you guys for being here to ask! I love this list!

~Jewel
Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com