the view of Olivia Muenter’s L-shaped writing desk from this week
I graduated from the News Creator Corp’s inaugural Trusting News cohort last week, and part of this work was to understand the ways we as “documentary creators” can share accurate information and build trust with our local communities.
Through this work, I partnered with Trusting News, a research and training project that works with journalists and newsrooms to demonstrate credibility with their communities, to write this mission statement and FAQ page.
Trusting News believes that no matter where you turn for your information (whether newsletters, podcasts, social media, TV, or websites), you should be able to easily identify if what you’re reading, watching, or hearing is credible and factual.
This was a super rewarding experience – and really clarifying – because it helped me write a mission statement for this project and bullet out my guiding principles as an independent producer sharing people’s stories.
Here’s what we came up with:
I’d love to know what you think. OK, on to this issue:
Olivia Muenter and her husband, Jake Romoser, have become two of our closest friends; meeting them was one of the best life-events to have come from my time as a bookseller at Kinderhook Books a few years back.
Olivia and I are working on something really fun together that we’ll share more about soon, and while we were brainstorming in her writing cottage, I thought — her L-shaped desk looks about as cozy as a corner could possibly be, so we recorded a short tour of her Kitten Brick Cottage for my series exploring Hudson Valley’s cozy corners this winter. As a bonus, she reads an excerpt from her forthcoming novel, “Little One,” out February 3. Preorder your copy here.
Coming soon: My Comfy Guide To Cozy Corners! If you have a favorite place I should know about, reply to this email or email me at [email protected].
I’m in Week 3 of my “Jiffy Not Jeffy” funding drive, and I want to thank Millie, Dana, Robin, Emma, Anton, Anne, Brian, Rob, Anna, Melissa, Jess, and more who have supported as donors and sustaining members. Thank you so much for your support and belief in this documentary project.
I still have a ways to go if I’m going to meet the goal: So I’m spending the rest of December inviting readers who believe in local documentary storytelling to support the drive.
If you’ve learned something new from my videos, or found yourself sound asleep on a Sleep Hike, or simply want to see more from The Jiffy next year, I’m asking (need) you to become a sustaining member today.
Everyone who joins during this drive at an annual membership at any of the tiers will also receive the Inaugural Bookmarks Collection as a thank you gift!!
Your membership directly supports the stories I’m currently working on (an audio biography of Shaker Mother Ann Lee, a deep dive into the H-2A farmworker program in New York, an audio guide to Wassaic, more Comfy And Cozy Corner profiles) and so much more to come in 2026.
It’s expensive to produce these stories, so here’s how you can help:
You can chip in with a one-time gift:
Or join as a monthly or annual supporter here:
Thank you, as always, for reading and being part of this.
AND if you run a business and would like to sponsor this newsletter or some of my other channels, please respond to this email.
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