Thank you to the people who make The Homepage special

Photo of Juliet Martinez by Khaleelah Ali Muhammad

By Managing Editor Juliet Martinez

If The Homepage were a ship, its regular contributors would be the crew. I would like to tell you about these generous, talented, energetic and intelligent people.

Reporters

Volunteer contributors, Ziggy Edwards, Ray Gerard and MaryAnn Majcher, report and write many of the stories for each issue.

Ziggy lives in The Run. She is a careful, thorough and persistent reporter, as well as an editor by trade. She also proofreads each issue, making me and all the other contributors look like better writers than we are. I can’t thank her enough.

Ray lives in Greenfield. He and Ziggy are a dynamic reporting duo on issues that affect Council District 5. He not only specializes in asking hard questions to public officials but is also a seasoned photojournalist.

MaryAnn Majcher from Lincoln Place is my newest reporting contributor. She is a retired business analyst with a knack for writing. We first met over her witty six-word story submissions and have become friends. She has filled a gap in small business coverage in The Homepage and brings a stronger 31st Ward presence to the paper. Fellow Lincoln Place contributors Sue Schaming and Diane Ketter also rep their neighborhood.

Another generous and frequent contributor is Ann Belser, publisher of Print, the community newspaper that serves Pittsburgh’s East End. Ann is a good friend and a top-notch, award-winning journalist. Her in-depth reporting on citywide issues is often useful for readers in 15207. I am deeply grateful that she shares her talents with The Homepage.

Nonprofits and schools

Community-based nonprofits and schools do vital work. So do the people who keep you informed about them.

Tameeka Jones-Cuff is a thoughtful writer who conveys the vitality of Greater Hazelwood in her updates on Arts Excursions Unlimited. The Glen Hazel resident also has has a terrific eye for photography. She infuses her love of her community into the photos she shares of Arts Excursions Unlimited members and events.

April Clisura lives in Greenfield and supplies The Homepage with updates about the cool things happening at Greenfield School. I would love to publish more updates like this from other schools — hint, hint!

Photography

The Homepage is fortunate to have professional photographers who regularly donate their work. Without them, this newspaper would lose a lot of its color and life. If you have an event coming up, please hire one of them!

• Max Barkley

• Hank Malone

• Heather Mull

• Melanie Wieland

District 5 City Councilor Barb Warwick has also generously contributed many photos to The Homepage. However, I suspect she is too busy for wedding gigs.

Poetry

I love printing poetry in The Homepage.

Amos Ladonna is a poet in Hazelwood who submits her poems regularly. I hope you have read and enjoyed them.

A small but valued cadre of six-word story contributors also share their creativity almost every month: Adam Rohe, David Bisacca, Edward Danner, Howard Meyerowitz, MaryAnn (whom I mentioned above), Janice O’Toole and Valerie Danner. These poets reflect the uniqueness of the communities The Homepage serves.

Commentary

Last, but definitely not least, I want to extend my appreciation to longtime Community Voices contributor Jim McCue. Jim has been submitting monthly columns to The Homepage for longer than I have been its managing editor. He possesses a wealth of life experience and knowledge about sustainability and farming. Say “hello” to him if you see him around Hazelwood. I hope to continue including the thoughts he has to share for a long time to come.