The Reverend Vern Barnet, DMn
bio page    CRES minister emeritus    vern@cres.org

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59.  STAR column idea / suggestion VERN'S STAR COLUMN WAS DISCONTINUED IN 2012 -- SEE http://www.cres.org/star/star2012.htm . Dear Correspondent: 1. THANK YOU for alerting me to the forthcoming event or writing me with your suggestion for my column in The Kansas City Star. 2. FOCUS. Normally I write for my Kansas City area readers with a local focus. Over the course of time, I try to present a multi-faith perspective in a fresh way. Sometimes I can alert my readers to local events and activities with religious dimensions. I do not try to duplicate what more appropriately may appear in other places, such as the paper's Faith calendar or the Saturday faith section itself. Seldom am I able to write about either out-of-town or local speakers unless they have academic credentials or are in some other way especially distinguished and their topic fits within my area of reponsibility. Normally self-published materials present a problem for me in working with Star expectations. For more, see 29_Endorsements.htm. 3. DEADLINE. There are far more ideas than there are opportunities to present them in a short, once a week column. My text ("copy") deadline is a week before publication. My column is often scheduled several weeks, or in some cases, months, in advance. If you are reading this, the information you have sent may be too late for me to use. See instead 64. Networking, Publicity advice for your event. 4. NO PULL. I am a "repeat free-lance" writer for The Star and not a member of The Star staff, so I have no "inside" track to effect your suggestion. I have no desk or even mailbox at The Star. I write from home and work primarily by email. You are likely to be more effective by directly approaching the appropriate deartment than by my trying to be an intermediary on your behalf -- I have no "pull." 5. OPTIONS. If the material is more appropriate for another subject area or another kind of writer (reporter, human interest feature, events announcement, etc), please use this link to The Star staff newsroom list. And if the event is so significant or unusual or the idea relevant to other additional, non-religious material, it may merit more coverage than I have space for and which might reach beyond the scope of my column or under a different rubric. In this case, as above, you may want to use this link to The Star staff listing so you may find a more appropriate person to consider the information or contacts you have offered. While comparing The Star to God is blasphemy, still I must say the ways of both are mysteries to me. 6. AGAIN, THANKS. In any case, I appreciate your contacting me and will keep the information you sent on file in case it develops in such a way that I can myself use it. 7. Click on link 64 for opportunities for other ways of letting people know about your event:  64. Networking, Publicity advice for your event.   Vern Barnet STAR STAFF NEWSROOM LIST: http://www.kansascity.com/newsroom/