Green Mountain heroin

Vermont governor Peter Shumlin sparked the nationwide shift toward treating addiction like a health issue rather than a criminal one. Rehabilitation clinics have long waiting lists that often lead to more using while the addict waits. Rolling Stones focused on one woman's story, with others as supporting evidence, to demonstrate a lack of rehabilitation resources in Vermont.

The long piece by David Amsden relates to the story I am currently reporting on. In a way, my story on the financial assistance at one facility in New York State is a funneled version of Amsden's.

While Amsden put together a good article, I thought he overused the colon. I feel it is punctuation best reserved for special occasions, like to emphasize a fact or introduce a long quote. Some instances it came off as unnecessary. For example, Amsden paraphrases Bob Bick with a colon. "He knows how he can sound: frustrated, even overzealous." I think recasting the sentence to include those sentiments, or leaving each as its own sentence could work better.

I was first sucked into the story with the anecdotal lede. Readers learn about Eve Rivait, the small-town girl who works in the stables. Eve seems like she could be the perfect country girl. But then Amsden gets into how she fell into heroin and how it's not so idyllic in Vermont. The lede gives the story a face; it's not simply telling how there is a lack of resources but showing with a face to represent the problem. My story features a person who benefited from the financial aid of his rehab clinic, a story that would be far more boring if I simply stated the process and benefits of such a program.

Through the course of my reading, I reread sentences multiple times before fully understanding. While I was in an environment with distractions, I think this would be taken into consideration while writing the piece. I would assume readers might have the print copy and read while on noisy public transportation. The problem, I think, is the complexity of some sentences. It seemed information was included for the sake of including it. And I know that's not the case, but often information was packed into a sentence so that I couldn't understand on first read.

I appreciate the extent of Amsden's reporting, yet longer pieces often confuse me. Am I the only one? Not to say long pieces aren't good, because they can be very powerful, but it's the gap between introducing the main character and returning to him or her that throws me off. In this case, I managed to find my way back to Eve but other writers in the past have lost me.

This isn't a jab at Amsden; I just don't enjoy long pieces as much as I feel I should. I don't believe I have a short attention span. Because long articles feature extensive research, lots of information in the form of stats and quotes clutter my brain. So when the writer introduces John Doe, then veers off into facts, figures and sources before returning to Doe, I can't keep it all straight. Secondary characters/sources prove to be even more elusive when referencing them later in the article.

Despite any struggles I had in reading Amsden's article, I enjoyed how he used scenes. A personal favorite includes officer Merrigan's comment about the trio of houses where five major dealers were busted. I can visualize the run-down street and Merrigan looking out the window, saying how those major dealers are probably replaced by now. It's a little eerie.

The last scene with a pregnant Eve completes the story. Clearly well on her way to recovery, she's overcome with withdrawal symptoms. The guy at the gas station notices her and then emphasizes the article's point further by offering something he claims can help her. If the previous paragraphs chock full of hard fact and faces didn't get you, the kicker definitely did.

Beer and... cheese?

Beer in a cheese magazine. What?

At first, it sounded unnatural; beer goes with pizza, and wine goes with cheese. That's how food works. But a conversation between a lover of craft beer from Cheese Connoisseur magazine and wine expert Ron Kapon prove otherwise.

The article "Beer lovers arise!" explores the growing craft beer trend as it relates to cheese and wine. Positioned second to last in the magazine, the article is almost an abrupt turn for readers. Previous lengthier stories cover a toddler's cheese journey, a cheese master and a dairy farm in Vermont. Obviously the magazine sticks to its title. So when I stumbled upon a beer article, I was intrigued. I learned about craft beer from a wine expert. I learned that you can pair cheese with beer, and the flavors will either complement or contrast with one another. Who knew?

Apparently someone at Cheese Connoisseur magazine. The mid-length article is a simple Q&A. Most of the questions are open-ended. Kapon is asked who is buying the beer, which is followed by "is it just me or is it happening around the country?" The second question makes Kapon's answer specific to the United States where the craft brew trend is happening. Other than that, the questions include words like how, what and when, which lead to a lengthy, more informed response. The closed second question is necessary in this context because the magazine covers cheese from all over the world. So while the craft beer trend is here, consumers can pair with international cheese if they choose. 

The photos were provided by Brooklyn Brewery, who assisted in the article's preparation. Whoever took the photos is awesome. The story's headline is placed over a photo of barrels. It is strong compositionally; the angle is interesting, and the barrels are in focus. The second photo of barrels is my favorite. The photographer gives the illusion of spying on what looks like a tour of the brewery. The action of the photo is blurred as the two barrels framing the shot on either side are in focus. It combines fine art and photojournalism just as the article combines beer and cheese: pleasantly and in good taste.