One of the topics I would be interested in covering for this class would be local artists on Long Island. I live on Long Island and there is a large, somewhat underground local art scene. This ranges from drawing and painting to photography, sculpting, jewelry making, and music. I could cover fundraising events where local artists come together for a good cause. I could do features on different types of artists, and multimedia posts would be fun to do as well as to listen to/view. As far as aggregation roundup is concerned, there are a few small zines around as well as artists’ websites and other sites that revolve around up and coming artists. Reported stories could be about upcoming art shows or a musician’s new album that is waiting to be released. I also know of some art classes around the island that could add to the blog. I can collect lists of upcoming music shows and art shows, and interview anyone who runs common venues. I also know people with connections to “more important” people in this scene that could be very beneficial to talk to.
Another idea would be to host an environmental blog based on Long Island. (Like I mentioned above, I live on Long Island.) There are plenty of places and organizations on the island dedicated to helping and preserving the environment. There have been investigations of illegal dumping in Roberto Clemente Park in Coram, which would be extremely interesting to cover, if there are any breaks in the story soon. There are also talks of offshore wind resources and an article published very recently about Governor Cuomo working on plans. There are multitudes of organizations across the island dedicated to helping and preserving the environment, and I work in one of many state parks across LI. The park that I work in is home to a farm that raises chickens, farms bees, grows their own fruits and vegetables, and that’s just the beginning.
I could write news stories about any organization’s new projects, feature stories on anyone that farms bees and sells their local honey, features about certain organizations, and lists of events across the island. Heckscher State Park hosts an Earth Day weekend each year that would be nice to cover as a newsworthy event, and multimedia projects could be very interesting with this topic. There are countless articles and websites about the environment on LI that would be easily accessible for an aggregation roundup.
A few places I could contact for stories include Keep Islip Clean, Seatuck Environmental Association, Long Island Green Homes, any recycling facility, any state park, and a bunch of other groups or people I could easily find with a quick google search.