My life
Last May I interviewed Ike Johnstone, a mentor of mine. A former police officer, Johnstone now runs Belmont Stables in Philadelphia’s West Fairmount Park. In the summer he hosts summer programs for North Philadelphia kids.
See the interview, edited by myself and filmed by another mentor of mine, Eugene Martin.
This is what appeared yesterday on the 5 p.m. news of Fox 29.
As part of their Super Tuesday coverage, Fox 29, the channel’s Philadelphia affiliate, had me on their morning show Feb. 5, 2008 to talk about youth voting, which you can see below.
I am being interviewed tomorrow morning by Fox 29, the local Philadelphia affiliate, regarding youth voting in the coming presidential primary season, particularly Super Tuesday.
The interview will be cut for the 5 p.m. news.
Additionally, on Tuesday, I will be a guest on the channel’s morning show, answering similar questions before 8 a.m. and pushing the blog for which I will be writing on the primary results. Check it out.
Today, I briefly met with a representative from Temple University Press, set up by a professor-friend of mine.
I had forwarded two query letters to the rep, one on a collection of writing I had done while in Japan, another regarding my desire to compare the lives of a handful of North Philadelphia residents whom I had come to know through my coverage of the community for The Temple News.
He was kind and offered a great deal of insight into the publishing a world, a place I have long wanted to visit but never understood how to arrive. That said, I have no reason to believe the publisher was a place to shop my two ideas for published work.
He did suggest I write a full chapter of my suggested Japan manuscript and have him give it a read. It can only be considered a small step in the direction of a career in writing.
By Christopher Wink | March 18, 2006
Temple University sent 23 of us to Laredo, Texas to work with Habitat for Humanity. We slept on the ground of vacant classrooms, took less-than-hot showers, and worked a watered-down form of construction from 8am until 4pm daily. For those unfamiliar with what the phrase college spring break generally connotes, this wasn’t your garden-variety week off from American higher education.
Yet, nearly 100 volunteered to pack screwdrivers and hammers in their spring break suitcases. It’s a shame that only 23 of those who applied got to work with the international group that manages to build beautiful homes with volunteer crews and sell them to deserving families with long-term, low interest loans. -The teach-a-man-to-fish type of charity that makes us get mushy inside.
Continue reading Habitat for Humanity in Laredo, Texas Reflections
I just got off the subway, braving the wind to turn in the last of eight applications for post-graduation editorial internships I sent. Clips, a resume and cover letter sent to a stranger to decide whether they want my services for a summer.
They’re all paid internships, they all could lead to becoming a part of their distinguished editorial staffs. The first two I sent off were to the Atlanta Journal-Constition (on Nov. 13) and the Birmingham News (on Nov. 14). I sent one to the Times Picayune (on Nov. 25) and one to the Newark Star Ledger (on Dec. 1).
This week, I mailed off to The Commercial Appeal (on Dec. 13), the Memphis Daily News (on Dec. 13) and The Tennessean (on Dec. 13).
Today, I handed my final one in to the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Dec. 14). I should find out about most early in 2008.
I sent in a two minute video to NBC’s Manhattan headquarters in June 2006. It was an altogether last minute decision. I saw the promotion of the pilot season of an NBC show called ‘Junior Year Abroad’ in an email that came from the communications department of Temple University. I decided there wasn’t anything to be lost.
Not a month later I heard back. After a brief interview and legal semantics, I was offered a spot on the show. I was driven to New York City for an introduction and training, given several hundred dollars worth of equipment and had my semester studying in Japan essentially paid for by a corporation. During my five month stay, I filmed 10 hours video, took more than 1,300 photographs and wrote nearly 60,000 words on my experience in Asia. It offered me a world of knowledge, the only cost being a more passionate desire to see and explore more while I was abroad.
Ten, in all, young college students from across the country, traveling to different parts of the world were selected, as seen above, the only time we met.
The NBC crew used my footage to produce five show-specific pieces, which you can see below, in addition to another seven podcasted videos while I was living in Tokyo, which you can see here.
By Christopher Wink | Jul 12, 2005 | First email from Ghana
Date: Tue 12 Jul 12:27:32 EDT 2005
From: Christopher Wink | Add To Address Book | This is Spam
Subject: Greetings from Abroad
To: Family
All:
Sound the trumpeters for I have come to announce my arrival. I am here at the University of Ghana in Legon outside of Accra, and all is well. I am sorry for not writing earlier, however international calling is somewhat sketchy and internet access is inconvenient, time consuming, and altogether nauseating.
That being said, I don’t know how often I will write, so I better do things real swell now.
The airplane ride was … long. But it did get me a stamp from Germany and a visa and stamp from Ghana in my passport, the first such signs of an experienced travel I have encountered.
Continue reading Greetings from Abroad: a first e-mail from study abroad
Monday, November 27 to December 7, 2006
Before returning back to the United States after living and studying in Tokyo, Japan, I took a couple weeks to visit the two largest and best known metropolises of eastern China: capital city Beijing and cultural hub Shanghai.
I hope to include more details of my experiences in the future, but for now, please enjoy some photos.
Wednesday, Aug. 23 to Dec. 13, 2006
During the fall semester of my junior year in 2006, I studied in Tokyo, Japan, using photographs, video and a blog to chronicle my nearly six months there. I was prompted to take 1,300 photos, capture almost 10 hours of video and write nearly 60,000 words because I was a cast member on the pilot season of an online-only show produced by NBC. Since the show was never picked up or continued and its Web site has since been taken offline, follow my exploits here, below.
Read the first post I wrote for NBC after arriving in Tokyo here, and my final reflections I wrote while in Tokyo, days before I returned to the United States, here. I also wrote a reflection about study abroad experience in Japan.
Watch the strictly NBC episode specific videos here, or watch the ones produced while I was traveling below.
